The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-05-31
Huge1hrong
Sees Indiana
Sweepstakes
0ario Resta and De Palma
Favored to Win Hoosier
Race Classic
BULLETIN
AgaNu DnuaS ~ N - n a


~ conditions were ideal today
for the renewal Of the American
motor classic. tho 50o-miic event.
Records were expected Ia drop
under the attack Of 30 driv~rs,
among them tho bs~t In the
world. Fairly Indications wore
for . record threading crowd.
INDIANAPOLIS. May al
Thirty -tisre~ auto ssar~--dous~~-
tic and forvixD--werc 10 esscir.
cie the Indianapolis speedway
zoo times today In ti,e 5oo-milc
Liberty sweepstakes. Fifty
thousand do,larS In prime money
n thu goal. thu winner TO 70
cciye $4,000.
NOR than $1,000 auto fAm
from every stale In the union.
h<rc 10 witnsps the spectacle,
crvwtjrd hosek Of Interchangeable
and surrounding towns and
even thu housing facilities Of
accommodate ttsesn- ThousAnth
slept In tts~ir auton,obi,r~ an tho
wtr~~ts and nj the sg~e6wHy
and ott~r hundreds awakened
today In Pullman cars parked
In the grouDdA
Tho greatest racing talent IN
America ard Europe was on hand
at the brick oval early today. The
raco was To start at II O'Clock n,
the sound Of a gun fired BY w. 4.
Gilbert. Detroit. assistant starter.
Tho participants trailing five
abreas; behind the pace car and
gradually gaining speed were 10
leap ahead on fhc real grind when
Y. c. Patterson. Chicago. fired a
bomb at tho end OF tho first lap.
Capt Eddie Rickcnbacker. erstwhile
racer. acc OF American filters on the
western front sat In the referees
box
Built In France
The Ballot team OF four wns an un.
known quantity. inasmuch ms the
cars were constructed by a French.
man OF that name especially for
this race. Rene Thomas. winner
OF the 1914 race. headed the team.
None of the fsvoritcs wero recsiy.
ing great odds. because the talent
was considered rather evenly di.
vlded. and many OF the entries have
long lists Of victories TO their credit.
Confidence Of Tho wngererx
was PLACED In tho drivers rather
than Tho cars. because the track
has comparatively short and fiat
turns and requires the utmost
skill. combined with n disregard
Of safety. Hero DcPaima was
again favored. In view of his abb
ify as y driver jules Gouv. VIC
tor I'm the 1913 racc. didn't want
any confisbcnce misplaced In his
car. 10 he took Il apart and cx-
nsnfned evwy piece Of metal. cv-
cry fibv, with n magnifyinx
glass and then suspended the
metal parts on q string and
struck thcm with q sounding
iron TO mako sure that they rang
truo
Tho sweepstakes II the sole major
event on the international racing cal.
endar for the year. and this fact
served an n drawing card. The
French Grand Prix, which divided
honors with Indianapolis in this
game prior TO tho war, will not be
revived until next year. The race
today was expected TO replace this
sport on the solid foundation OF re.
awakened public interest. The races
were abandoned during 1917 and 1918
because OF the war.
Ballot Here
Special trains and chartered cars
arrived hero on every track last
night and today. The largest dele.
cations naturally were from adjoin.
Ing states. but New York sent a
large number and the coastal states
q the Pacific wero well represented.
w. Ballot. hacker of Thomas and
owner OF the Ballot cars. came over
from Paris and brought a few friends
and enthusiasts with him.
Ballot has invested $4,000 in his
four cars. and his returns from the
race could not possibly be more than
s3s,50o. even II he should take first,
second, third and fourth places. The
prize money Is to be divided ms fol.
ows: First. $4,000; second. 10000:
third. $4,000; fourth. $4,000; fifth.
$4,000; sixth, $4,000; seventh. 1880;
Eighth. $1,000; ninth, $780, and
Zenith. 81 400.
The thlrty.three drivers were SO.
ected by an elimination contest
May 81. The starting posi-.
lions in the race were based on the
records of the time trials.