The Washington times., 1916-05-20
New Record Expected.

New Record Expected.
A new record for miles per hour Ia
freely expected from these drivers. The
first International race at Indianapolis
In 1911 was won by Ray Harroun In q
Msrmon. 1859 miles per hour; Joe Daw-
son. In q National. won In 1912. average.
D:7o miles per hour: Jules Goux, from
Paris. with a Peugeot car, won In 1913.
average, 1892 miles per hour, falling
from Europe. in q foreign built Delage
hour.
Last year DePalma and Dario Resta
fought Il out. with DePalma emerging
VICTORIOUS. average. 1854 miles per hour.
Goux and Thomas are fighting for
France In the European war, and can
not race this year, but q British sold
ter Josef Christiaens. and a teammate
Y yin drive Sunbeam ,ses cars shipped from
been given military release. With the
distance this year cut down to 800. in
stead OF 800 miles, the contestants will
20 faster from the start and maintain a
iieved. BECAUSE they are saving 800
rniles' wear on their cars.
The Indianapolis speedway. which
was the first in America. offers more
thrilling race because the human equa-
The track, being a brick paved oval
two ana q half miles around. has four
high banked curves and two long
straiRhtaways. To encircle the track
once a driver must change the position
OF his car eight times. At board tracks
where the cars get In a saucer and stay
there automatically. the drivers skill Ia
not called into play so much as at In
dianapolis. where every second may
make winner out Of a trailer.
Races Always Exciting.
Every race at Indianapolis has been
chuck full Of exciting changes. as crisis
or emergency after emergency arise
that prove tho nerve and skill of the
drivers. Dramatic Incidents are never
lacking. as when DePalma pushed his
car to the tape. after having led the
field up to within about five miles Of
victory; Charlie Merz finished one year
with his car In flames. The best known
driver of all il Barney Oldfield.
David Joyce. Of Chicago. who owned
the $4,000 Delage Barney Is to drive.
has made Barney a present of It. wish
Ing him good luck In this. Barney's
farewell race. Darto Resta ranks next.
having won the 1915 Speedway Cham
pionship.
The next in order is hard to dope out
IL 10 probably John Altken In the French
Peuseot, or Gil Anderson. Anderson
won at New York last year. Eddie
; O'Donnell and Eddie Rickenbacher are
being picked as fayorites by many
speedway devotees. Josef Christiaens
ana his unnamed teammate with their
brand new improved English built Sum
beam cars will have to be reckoned with
at all stages OF the race. All in all. the
veterans OF speedway races say this
years event promises more thrills. q
more uncertain race. and a faster speed
than ever before.
INDIANAPOLIS. May 2o.-Eddie Rick
enbacher probably had the most sensa-
tional escape ever experienced since au-
tonobile racing began at the New York
speedway recently. when Limberg's De-
lage car crashed into the outer retain
ing fence at the upper edge Of the board
oval, throwing him and his mechanician
out TO their death. and sending the car
In a mass OF flames rolling down the en-
tire width OF the track. Rlckenba cher
was coming at the wreckage at a speed
better than 100 miles per hour. There
was no time TO delay. The shock at the
sight Of his rivals being suddenly hurled
through the air was enough to shatter
the nerve control of the most hardy In
dividual. The wrecked Delage broke in
two as Il rolled down the track. adding
happened so quickly that the brains OF
those who witnessed the tragedy could
hardly register II.
Rickenbacher did a rare piece OF skill
estrsordinsry crisis. and shot his White
car through the smoke and flames be-
tween the two broken sections of the
wreck. There were still 100 miles of
the race to be run before Rickenbacher
could relax and rest from the shock.
He won with the Maxwell he will drive
at the Indianapolis speedway May 30.
and reports that he is none the worse
fur the hazardous experience.
TITS all part of the game" he said.
as though Diminishing the subject from
his mind. tbut his close friends say he Is
deeply moved by the loss of his friend
and race rival II Is said the late Bob
Burrnan, when In indianapolis prepa ring
for this years speedway race. declared
Rickenbacher to be Americas greatest
race driver. Burman lost his life at
Corona races a short time ago. Both
he and Limberg were entered at In
diana polls. This makes eight drivers
who were seen on the indianapolis track
last year who have been killed since
then.