The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-08-28

anything on Louis Disbrow wher it
comes to taking chances. The little
speed demon, by his wonderful work
on the dirt tracks of America, has won
a following which outnumbers the adj
mirers of Barney Oldfield, Bob Bur
man, and all the other dirt track spe-
cialists put together. His limit of
speed is always just little more than
the limit of speed permitted by the
conditions of the track on which he
is racing.
Chance Taking Episodes.
When the sport historian chronicles
| the deeds of Louis DisbroW on the
dirt tracks of America, he will have to
devote several red-letter chapters to
the narrow escapes in which the little
demon has figured. Seldom a race
meet goes by in which he does not
| shake the dice with the Grim Reaper
| and beat the old boy at his own game.
And he describes his chance taking
! episodes with the nonchalance of a
Frank James or a Jack Dalton, and eX-
plains that all automobile drivers who
are a success in the speed world must
be fatalists of the most pronounced
type, or lose their nerve.
DiSbrOW comes from a wealthy New
York family who settled on Manhat-
tan Island in the early days of New
Y Ork'S history. He began driving an
automobile long before many of his
admirers in the racing world ever saw
a pleasure car. His first sensational
record performance was at Atlanta,
Ga, when he lowered the worlds 200
mile stock car record, which still
stands. In 1911 he became associated
with the Pope-Hartford Automobile
Co. as a designer and constructor of
racing cars, and developed the famous
Pope Hummer which lowered all the
worlds straightaway beach records
from 100 to 800 miles. He also proved
the biggest winner and the most SEN
sational driver at Old Orchard. Maine,
the same year, when he captured
practically all of the speed events and
lowered several worlds beach records.
Disbrow's Record.
Disbrow first became a success as a
dirt track racing man on the Brighton
Beach race track, where he took part
in several 24-hour races. Later, he
Joined the big Case racing team
which, under the management OF J:
Alex Sloan, became the foremost dirt
track speed organization in the
world. 1t was his work on the Sim
pick car, however that brought him
his greatest fame in the speed world
He took this wonderful little car,
which had been discarded by both
Ralph DePalma and George Robert
son, and made it the sensation of the
circular track world. He lowered all
the worlds records held by Barney
Oldfield and Bob Burman, and won
the $4,000 international Beach Cham
pionship race on the Galveston, Texas,
beach, defeating an aggregation of
great drivers which included such
speed men as Ralph milford, Jack
Tower. Bob Evans Billy Chandler,
Harry Endicott Jack LeCain. George
Clark, and a dozen others who are
well known in the racing world
This year Disbrow has won several
important races, including the 100
mile sweepstakes at Milwaukee, Wis,
and the 10O-miIe free-for-all race on
Brighton Beach track, July 3.
While Louis Disbrow will probably
be the best known of all the drivers
who will take part in the Topeka fair
races yet he will have plenty of trou
BILE winning the lions share of hon
ors from such men as Eddie Herne,
Johnny Raimey, Wild Bill Endicott,
and the others who have already sent
in their entries