New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-26

toned hill climbs, all Of which fur
nished prizes TO the winners.
/ During the year six new speedways
were opened. They are at Chicago, New
York, Minneapolis, Des Moines, Iowa;
/ Omaha and Providence.
/ After the running Of the Vanderbilt
and Grand Prize races in California
/ the next big event was the annual In
ternational Sweepstakes on the Speed
way at indianapolis. The Chicago
B Speedway was ushered in by the run
ming of the Chicago Derby June 26, a
distance of 900 miles. On July 3 the
Sioux City Sweepstakes was run, and
on July 4 the Tacoma, Wash, Speed
way was the scene Of the Golden Pot
ZACH. 200 miles, and the lntercity
( Century, 100 miles. The Montamara-
/ thon, $50 miles, was held on the Ia
/ coma, Wash, Speedway, on July .. The
/ new Omaha Speedway made it's bow
I July 5, with o 300-mile inaugural. The
/ Des Moines Speedway held its premier
/ event August 6, a distance of 300 miles.
The Chicago Automobile Club con-
/ Quoted its annual road race at Elgin,
/ H., August 20, a distance of 3Ol.84
, miles. Minneapolis was the next city
| to open a speedway, with the running
of the Twin City Inaugural, dis
| lance of 500 miles, on September !.
/ Then the first speedway TO be built IN
| the East was opened at Providence
| R.. l., with 350-mile race. The sec.
ond speedway for the East, and the
| fastest track in the country, was
/ opened at Sheepshead Bay, Long Island
! October 8, with the running OF a ooo-
mile race for the Aston Cup.
A new track was started at Phila-
! delphia and others are scheduled ioI
| Detroit, New Orleans, Los Angeles
/ Harrisburg, Cincinnati and Plttspurg'
They are to OPEN in the spring oil l9Io'
The American Automobile Associa-
ton, which sanctions and controls mo
tor racing, has revised its rules 70
meet the conditions developed Dy
speedway racing.
DESPITE the fact that it was impos-
sible for the racing promoters TO mus
ter any new speed machines during
the year the board surfaces, wide, hlgh-
banked curves and long, straight,
Always Of the up-to date tracks enaoled
the racing drivers TO break many
worlds records.
The American car made finer snow
ING In the events of 1915 than ever
before, but it might be undignihed Tor
US TO crow over this fact, since inc
fast cars and the drivers OF the ola
World were doing military duty ana
the factories, which might be expected
TO send cars to defeat ours, were en-
gagged in government work.
While the improved tracks were
largely responsible for an increase Oh
speed, a certain percentage OF the IN
crease was undoubtedly due to better
cars and greater skill in driving
The average speed for the twenty
two events on roads and spcedways
| mot dirt tracks, Wa 74.S6S mues an
hour. in comparison with 65.2O6 miles
an hour for seventeen races on speed
WAYS and roads In 1914, and b5.1o3
miles an hour for eighteen races In
| 1918.
Tho average speed OF nine speedway
races, not including events at Tacoma
and Providence, two slow speedways,
was s9.4l miles an hour.
Earl Cooper (Stutz) was again de.
| clared the champion racing driver OF
| the wear. He won this title in 1918.
ard lost it In 1914 TO Ralph De Palma,
| who this year won only one race, the
indianapolis Sweepstakes.
Although the average speed at In
dianapois this year was slightly better
than in 1914, no worlds records were
broken until the new Chicago board
speedway was opened, when Dario
Resta covered 800 miles at the rate OF
07bs miles an hour, or about eight
miles an hour faster than De Palma did
200 miles a month before on the In
d!anapolis speedway. This record OF
speed held until October. when Ander-
son (Stutz) did $50 miles on the new
sheepshead Bay track ut the rate OF
. l02 SO miles Nh hour