The Washington herald., 1914-03-01
.PULLEN BREAKS
AUTO RECORDS
Yankee-bult Car Wins Inter-
national Prize Over Santa
Monica Course.
AT WHEEL OF MERCER
Smashes Existing Speed Mark. Land
ing in Front American Car
for First Time.
AT WHEEL OF MERCER

Los Angeles, Feb. eS.-one of the
greatest triumphs ever won by an
American driver in Yankee-built car.
today lifted Edwin PuIlen and his Mer-
Ger into new fame as the worlds road
race champion. Turning the Santa Mon
lea course at a terrific pace for &c miles
the smiling. quiet little driver captured
the international grand prize with forty
minutes TO spare.
In winning he did this also:
Established a new speed record for the
race, raising the figures from 7445 to ~
Turned the first thirty-hve laps at an
average speed of 79.2 miles per hour, ex-
ceeding Teddy Tetzlaff-s worlds record
figures of 7s.72 for the same distance |,
Brought an American car as winner
the frst time in the history Of the race
The pace set to establish such re-
markable averages told on the field Of
seventeen starters and when Pullen
flashed by the checkered flag the field
had been reduced to five
Guy Ball in a Marmon was the next
to finish behind PuIlen. and then came
Billy Taylor in an Alec. Ralph De
Palma was next. Huntley l. Gordon in
his little Mercer was the only other con-
testant running and he received the vel
low flag. His position in the rear was
due to his having to send three miles to
his pit for gasolene for the back stretch.
Ball Comes in Second.
Ball won second place because he ran
an uphill race and never gave up. At
one time he lost eighteen minutes at the
pit making engine adjustments. Again
he spent fifteen minutes at his pit. But
he went determinedly back in the race
and the neyer-let-up spirit which won
him second place in the last Phoenix
race brought him the second honors in
the Grand Prize.
De Palma, too. showed remarkable
gameness- He made two lengthy visits to
the pits to change valves after having
been in the lead But he kept at it and
was fast overhauling Billy Taylor for
third place. when the last flag fell.
AS race the Grand Prize was moro
remarkable in every way than the Van
derbilt Although more than lO0 miles
longer. il was faster. and when the rsra
was half over the leaders were So wei
punched that a tire change usually
switched at least four cars in their reIa-
tive positions.
Spencer Wishart made the highest aver
age for the time he was in the race
twenty-five laps. He showed an average
around the eighty-four-mile mark. and
never was speed car more perfectly
handled. He had been selected by the
Mercer pit TO go and race the field of its
feet He was to be sacrificed in the in
terest Of pace. and he did his work well
while he was at it. leading all the time he
was in the race.
OIdfieId in Trouble.
Barney Oldfeld. who figured ir tho sen
sstional finish with Ralph De Palma n
the Vanderbilt. was in second place vh-7
he went out in the thirty lap with
his oil pump out of commission. He had
been up in the running throughout and
was reserving himself TO take the jump
when called upon
Tedd TetzlaT developed trouble which
put him out Of the race. In his eighteenth
lap connecting rod gave way. tearing
out big section of the crank case. But
he did not last or get into the
pacemaking, he got the honOrs for the
fastest lap. In the twelfth round Tetzlaff
made the circuit In i've minutes and
forty-nine seconds, an average Of SIS
miles an hour