The Washington herald., 1915-02-21
Big European War Has Lin
tied the Automobile Road
and Track Races to This
Country.
FOREIGN CARS ENTERED
Classy American Drivers Will
Make Sincere Effort to
Keep De Palma from
Winning.

ing all 1915 automobile racing to the roads
! ton now attaches itself to the sensa-
tional speed carnival that is being staged
this month on the grounds of the Pan
anna Pacific Exposition in San Francisco.
Within the gates of the worlds great
est exposition. the greatest road classics
of the country-and the world. this year
are to be raced--the Vanderbilt Cup on
February %; the Grand Prize on Feb
ruary -.
| to the exposition's department of special
events.
The crack drivers of the country are
entered in both races almost to a man.
Many of them are already at San Fran
cisco putting the finishing touches to
their cars in preparation for practice
which is scheduled for the ten days pre-.
cedinS the first race.
Plenty Of Foreign Cars.
Despite fears to the contrary. both road
classics will surely bring out the most
spirited sort of international competi-
ton.
While such drivers as Duray, Boillot.
Thomas. and GouN are still. at the last
ing as chauffeurs for Gen. Joffre and the
other leaders, allies and Germans, their
fastest cars remain in the United States
and have been entered in the exposition
events.
In the faces in which these cars have
already taken part this season they had
American drivers up. but the Americans
have been able to get fully as much
speed out of their respective cars as
bn In
cases Americans have impaired to these
cars notable improvements in wind-split-
ting celebrity by their own daring driving
and by their mechanical ability and en-
gineering gifts.
year ago such cars as these would
have been able to make short work of
the American racing contingent; they
demonstrated this at Indianapolis. but
such is not the case this year.
In both the big road races held in Cali
fornia this winter American cars were
able to look the foreign speed wonders
in the eye at 100 miles an hour and better.
At both Corona and San Diego racing
representatives of such firms as Stutz,
Mercer. Maxwell and Deusenbers not
only exchanged speed for speed with the
Peugeot and Sunbeam teams. but out
lasted them and wore them down.
In both these races the Americans also
showed ability to make speed for longer
bursts using less gasoline and oil. and
stopping less frequently for changes OF
tires. At both the California meetings
mentioned one of the American cars
each time a Maxwell-went through the
race without stop in the entire flight
of more than 800 miles. This perform
ance was also approached by Cooper. the
star driver of the StutZ team, and by
Pullen, the MERGERS Number l. pilot.
None of the foreign cars in the race
showed anything like the consistency and
economy ma rks of these American cars. =
De Palma a Marked Man.
In the San Francisco races, the Amer |
leans will face for the first time an un-
known element in the new Mercedes car
which Ralph De Palma purchased abroad
last fall and In which he will endeavor |
to retain his present title of road cham !
pion. This car was a money winner !
in the Grand PriX of France last year |
and has a wonderful high-speed motor. !
small enough to be eligible to the Indian |
polls Speedway class, which is this year !
limited to cars of go cubic inches piston |
displacement. Though the Grand Prize
is a free-for-all race eligible to anything |
on four wheels corresponding to the Of |
fetal definition of automobile. and though |
De Palma vii be racing. in both events, /.
against several cars of at least twice
the motor size his ability to keep d car
going from start to finish at a winning !
clip. Is we'll known and he will prob
ably start favorite in the first event.
Another feature which will attract |
special attention to De Palma in the
Vanderbilt Cup race is the fact that, by ,
virtue of his wtice winning of the event. |
he will attain permanent possession of
the trophy. if successful in the 1915 re-
newal
May BE Last Vanderbilt.
Such a victory by the German car and |
the Italian driver would be esteemed a !
real catastrophe by his opponents as |
there would no longer be trophy to |
race for. and the event itself would be |
removed from the list Of road racing !
classics. 1t is. of course. possible that
Mr.. Vanderbilt might. in such a con-
tingency. donate another cup. However. |
the traditions of racing in America CEN
ter so closely around the present trophy
that there is sure to be concerted ef-
fort among the drivers to see to II that |
whoever may turn out to be winner. 1t
will not be De Palma. There is no in
clination to make the italian the victim
Of any foul play: the race officials would ,
not permit this for a moment. But
every driver in the event will delight |
in the use of tactics which. while legiti- !!
mate. will make 1t harder for Ralph to
win. and he will surely have to employ
to the utmost all the native craft for
which he is famous to escape the traps
which will be laid for him.
Even should De Palma and his new
car prove themselves better combna-
ton than the contingent which has been
winning the various events and cutting
up the prior prize money this winter.
he may still fall short of winning.
For Ralph will by no means be the
only pilot with new racing material at |
his command. Already II is understood
in the inside circles of racing that at /
least three of the American manufac-
turers who support teams, will be rep
at San Francisco by cars of |
an altogether new model. built also for
the indianapolis event.
While these new cars will be under
going tryout to some extent. they will
will be likely even to disregard orders
and go after De Palma, In case the
Italian seems to have the best of it and
to be imperiling the future of the VAN
derbilt by another win of the event.
~. Cosrse ChIeAy Asphalt.
The course itself Is unique in several
Instead Of racing over maca-
dam-as the Vanderbilt contenders did /
on Long Island in the early days, and i
It Elgin recently-or over a dirt course
as at Savannah for two years. the cars
will contend for mastery at San Fran
cisco on newly laid sheet asphalt. This