New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-02
PREFERS TEST TO RACE
Roy D. Chaplin Takes New
View of Auto Development
USES HIGH SPEED DRIVERS
Their Instructions Are to
Break Cars, if Possible, IN
10000 Mile Trial.

Al a gathering Of motor car officials
during the recent show. r. ID. Chapin,
Leading figure in American automobhe
circles and president OF the Hudson Motor
Car Company. struck new note on the
Question of racing In a statement answer
ing rumors and queries regarding the po-
,ition of some Of the nations great auto
mobile institutions.
A. T. Ranney, the local Hudson dealer.
told of the idea yesterday. A substitute
FOR the grind Of the 100 to 800 mile road
race was explained by Mr.. Chaplin. While
racing drivers are employed in the inno-
walton. the motorist gets the same result
as To acquiring knowledge of the powers
of a car. but in another way
Builders of automobiles learned all
they know in motor car construction from
racing" Mr.. Chaplin said. u am a sin
cere believer in race competition from the
standpoint OF good sport, for am be-
lever in the public's interest In sports. In
race driving there is perhaps 10 per
cent element OF luck. The drivers skill
and ability count for 50 per cent Of the
result OF p race on the average. The cars
merit is accountable for approximately %
per cent of the average racing victory
Expert drivers themselves are authorities
Tor the statement that poor car in the
hands Of skilful man will generally win
over a poor driver handling a good car
Race driving has been a wonderful
teacher Of what is correct in motor car
construction. Our substitute school or
automobile building consists of placing
our models in the hands of racing drivers
At high speed these men put these cars
through vigorous trials over the worst
road conditions to be found. For year
before the 1915 Hudson models were an
nounced publicly these tests were con-
Quoted The roads OF ten states. the
Allegheny Mountains and Southern Can
ada were utilized.
'sIn races the driver nurses his car
tries TO conserve its power. In our sub
stitute for racing the drivers are under
instructions TO break them If they can.
There is sound business sense behind our
idea. We spend goodly percentage Of
what il costs us to support racing team
I'm this work Were II necessary to re-
design car. after the motorist had dis
covered its flaws, the cost would be much
greater than the expense Of these trials
1T pays TO find out before the car Is
public property exactly what it will do.
We would rather find the flaws and rem
cdy them before single car of any model
is shipped than to have the purchaser
ten us about it. In our substitute for the
teachings of racing we will put car over
coco miles at train speed The stress o;
such trials is equivalent TO 10000 miles In
the hands of the average driver. who
uses his car about 10000 miles year. Sc
that means four years use of the car is
the equivalent of such trial.
I'VE have been at this sort Of thing a.
most since the inception Of the company
We find it pays. 1t develops superior
automobile and prevents mistakes. In the
case of our 1918 models it was not founl
necessary. after the race drivers had com
pleted their trials, to make single
change from the basic design"