The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-06-26
Races Get Off to Record
Smashing Start in First
500-Mile Grind on Chicago
Track.
EARLY TIRE TROUBLES
Races Speed at Rate of 1O7
Miles an Hour Before First
Ten Minutes of Long Race
Are Up.

CHICAGO, June 26.-Twenty-one a0-
tomobiles got away to q flying start
in the first 500-mile derby staged at
Chicago's new two-mile speedway.
promptly at 1890 o'clock today. paced
by Resta In q Peugeot. favorite In the
race.
Before they had gone ten minutes
the speed was 107 miles an hour. The
pace told on some of the entrants be-
fore ten laps. Tom Alley. In q Deusen-
berg: Chandler, In a Ogren. and Hen
ming in a Mercer. and Carlson In q
Maxwell. stopped for tires or other
troubles. Earl Cooper's Stutz at the
end of twenty-four miles was forced to
stop for a tire. On the next lap An
derson changed a tire. Resta. who
had been in front for twenty-eight
miles, also lost thirty seconds chang
ing tire. Billy Chambers Ogren was
forced out at the end Of twenty miles
on account of a broken crank shaft.
The first twenty miles were reeled
OF in the record smashing time OF
II minutes and 40 seconds. At this
period Resta in his Peugeot was first.
with Howard Wilcox in Stutz only
one second behind him. After thirty
miles Wilcox of the Stutz team, who
had snatched the lead from Resta. was
forced to change tires. At the end OF
eighty miles Porportia In Sunbeam
was leading. His time for the distance
was ~ minutes and IL seconds.
Howard Wilcox of the Stutz team
was out of the race after he had gone
ninety miles, when a broken piston
put his engine out of commission.
Standing at 12o Miles.
The standing of the leaders at the
end of 12O miles, Earl Cooper. Stutz;
Resta, Peugeot; Porporato. Sunbeam;
Van Raalte. Sunbeam.
Earl Cooper was leading the field
at the end of 100 miles. This wins
him $1,000. The speed was IL miles
an hour faster than the record Get by
DePalma at Indianapolis.
At the end Of 40 miles RestI had
moved into the lead again. At this
stage of the race the hardwood track
had become slippery and coated with
oil. 1t was very dangerous on the
turns and the drivers were compelled
to cut down their speed. Following
Resta was Porporato. Earl Cooper
had dropped back to third place.
Make Fast Time.
Resta retained his lead at the 16O
mile point. The time for the distance,
1:36:44 and average of 1928 miles an
hour. Porporato of the Sunbeam team
who was in second place lost A Sec
onds taking on a new tire and gaso-
line.
Bob Burman in a Puegeot. although
not driving a spectacular race was
holding his own, not far behind the
leaders.
The wood track was hard on tires.
The most severe strain was on the
right rear tire of every machine. the
entire weight of the heavy racing ma
chine being thrown on that wheel in
negotiating the turns. The car driven
by Resta was in first place at $50
miles. Cooper of the Stutz was Sec
ond and Porporato third. Resta's
time was 1:49:32, an average of IS
miles an hour. Every standing speed
way record for every class of car for
every distance had been broken up to
this point.
With 220 miles of the race COM
pleted. Resta. Cooper and Porporato
were running in order ahead of the
field. To this distance Resta's aver.
age was 97.95 miles per hour
Cooper of the Stutz team was at
the fence for seven minutes on ac-
count of a punctured radiator after he
had finished 200 miles. This cost him
second position and he dropped to
sixth. Porporato moved into second
and Grant in a Sunbeam into third
place.
BY II o'clock an Official announce
ment said that $4,000 persons had paid
admission into the enclosure. There
were thousands of vacant seats in the
grandstands and bleachers. Many Of
the crowd preferred to walk around
the infield rather than sit. After 240
miles had been run, Resta was still In
front. His time was 2:21:23 an av.
erage of 96:02 m,.es. Behind him
came Porporato. Sunbeam: Grant,
Sunbeam and Van Raalte. Sunbeam
Resta was leading by two and one
half laps at the 230 mile mark. REQ
ords are falling with every lap. Res
ta's average for the 300 miles was
9S miles an hour. Harry Grant was
second and Cooper third DePalma's
record for 300 miles at Indianapolis
May 81 was 3:19:32S7 Resta's time
today for the distance was BIS: 0065
Porporato pushed into second place
at the 333 mile post and was leading
Grant, his partner, by 30 seconds. Res
ia IN first place, was eight miles ahead
Of Porporato. At $40 miles Resta was
steadily increasing his lead. He was
driving at an average speed of 9S5
miles an hour for the distance
The condition of the course was ex-
tremely dangerous. Most of the driv-
ers were taking the turns with power
shut off. Resta and Porporato were
taking chances, making every curve at
top speed. Since the early stages Of
the race the crowd has been manifest.
ing only casual interest
RlG ElRE