The sun., 1918-08-18
DEPALMA WINS
AUTO CONTEST,
SETS RECORDS
With Aid Of Liberty Motor
He Betters fiye Marks
at Sheepshead.
MILFORD rs SECOND
Resta Third in Series of Five
= Heats-Winner Betters
115 Miles an Hour.
~ GEORGE n. UNDERWOOD.

Bay Speedway yesterday. The dark
haired. brown eyed Italian shattered
Ave records. Circllns the big bowl at a
clip that daxsled the spectators and left
all contestants in his wake. De Palma
convincinsly proved his skill and daring
~ a driver and demonstrated that the
Liberty Motor Is the best on earth.
Five other worlds famous drivers.
Ralph Milford. the twenty-four hour
king pario Resta Of England, the speed
champion Of 1918 and 1919: Arthur Du-
ray Of Belgium. who drove 147 miles In
an hour over the straishtaway course at
Ostend In 1918: Louis Chevrolet Of
France. the Speedway champion OF 1917,
and Ira Vail Of Brooklyn. challenged the
superiority Of De Palma. Mulford m
ishsd second. Resta third and DuIsy
fourth. The other two starters did hot
complete their stint.
The contest was run in Ave heats OF
two miles. ten miles. twenty miles.
thirty miles and nifty miles, and In each
the cream colored car Of De Palma shot
with cannon ball speed up the stretch
ahead Of the field. Speeway records
were wrecked by Ralph in four Of the
Ave heats and In one OF them two former
marks were shattered to smithereens.
De Palma started his assault on Father
Time in the opening heat Of two miles,
in which he whlzzed across the line in
faster than the former record made by
Resta at Sheepshead Bay last year.
Two Records in One Race.
Then De Palma drove ten miles in
1928 80. exactly one second better than
his own worlds mark Of s "a 80, made
In Chicago last July. De Palma covered
the last two miles Of the heat in :02 1-5,
surprising the record he had made few
moments before in winning the first heat
II was the fastest competitive two miles
yet driven on a circular track. though in
a special time trial in Chicago on July %
Dc Palma was clicked for two miles
IN 1 :o2.
In the third heat Of twenty miles De
Palma crossed the line in 10 81 go. a
little more than a second slower than
the record. In the fourth heat at thirty
miles. however. the iron nerved Italian
again put Father Time down for the
count, crossing the line in the remark
able time IT 1854 20. 1t carved two
minutes twenty-four and nine-tenths
seconds from the former figures Of
10 :56:10, set by Johnny Aitken at In
dianapolis several years ago.
De Palma's final record wreciing feat
Of the afternoon came In the last heat
when by tornado burst on the last
Resta and crossing the line in ct: 29 30
It shaved 45.43 seconds from Resta's
former best on record figures made at
Eheepshead last year.
In the two mile race De Palma aver
aged ITO miles per hour in the ten mile
race III miles per hour in his fifty
mile race 100 miles an hour. In the last
two miles Of the ten mile race De Palma
SKINNED around the huge wooden
saucer at the astounding pace Of l15&
miles per hour.
Vail did not start in mo two, ten and
twenty mile races and engine trouble
forced the Brooklynite to drop out Of
the thirty and fifty mile heats
De Palma Draws the Pole.
De Palma. Duray. Chevrolet RestA
and Milford answered the call to post
for the f,rst heat Of two miles. and lined
UP across the track in the order men,
toned. with De Palma on tho pole.
Under the flying start system the drivers
circled the track onoe for tho getaway.
The FIRST attempt did not satisfy Starter
Fred ]. Wagner. but on the second break
It was "oo!'
The nose Of De Palma's cream colored
racer flashed across the starting line q
foot ahead Of Rssta's pearl hued car,
with Duray's weirdly camoufiaged
speed boat" Chevrolet's black demon
and the wine colored craft Of Milford
almost on even terms.
The five racers swooped the first curve
and shot into the far stretch still closely
punched. As they entered the straight
away, however, Chevrolet suddenly
dropped back and It was seen something
had happened to his car.
1t was in the far stretch that De
Palma threw the speed into the full. His
light colored car, flashing in the sun,
was seen to leap away from the others
like an arrow from the bow. De Palma 5
jump won him a two lengths lead, but
on the far curve Resta took desperate
chance and, like a striking hawk, moved
up on De Palma. Entering the home
stretch the nose Of Resta's Special was
almost even with the steering gear of
the Packard. Mulford and Duray were
perilously close up.
In the drive for the line, however, De
Palma called on his Liberty motor for
a little more steam" and the Packard
jumped away to lengths lead on
Resta's car at the line. Only half a
length behind came Milford in his
Dusenberg. Ten lengths IN the rear nm
ished the camouhases Frontenao of
Duray. The announcement that De
Palma had been clicked in ! :05 80. a
new record, was greeted with a wild
roar from the stands.
On account of a broken crank shaft
Chevrolet did not start in the second
heat OF ten miles. De Palma, Duray.
Resta and milford came to the starting
line. Milford got away In front, with
De Palma hanging on his flank. closely
pursued by Resta and Duray.
For three laps, six miles. the order
was maintained. On the seventh mile,
in De Palma's favorite spot on the far
straightaway. Ralph cut loose and sud
denly Jumped Milford. Resta was not
caught mapping and he too opened q
canSon ball burst that took his light
gray steed past the wine colored Dusen-
berg.
De Palma, with Resta racing him neck
and neck, swooped the far turn and
headed down the straightaway. Inch
BY inch and then foot by foot De Palma
drew away. Keeping straight and true
on the victory trail Ralph crossed the
line length ahead OF Resta.
In the last lap drive Mulferd failed
and fell far behind. with Resta giving
MIN desperate battle De Palma covered
the last two miles In tho record time of
1;o2 l.b, and completed the fun ten