Arizona republican., 1919-03-02

the stunts which might be compared to the thrills of the speedway. and long distance flying which is comparable to he long grind of automobile road rac- ing. And the veteran star lost no time in getting back to his own game. firm in the conviction that it b0A aviation for thrills. Flying seer12 monotonous compared with motor raic- ing.' he said.
 "On a trip several hundred miles you may be making speeds which would be terrific in an auto-140 miles an hour. But at the height of q mile or more you have no realization of speed and sitting up there in the wind and noise is lonesome work. The stunts are more exciting, Of course-but there is no competition, no audience, no ap- plause. Hurdling over the ground at Daytona Beach in d racing car at two and one-haf miles per minute with fifty foot leaps from the ground. or whirling around the Indianapolis Mo- tor Speedway track in the 500mile race. with competitors contesting ev- cry lap-that's very different stuff Every minute has it's problem and its thrill. l prefer to be down on the ground, smelling the gas, eating the dirt, in contact with my rivals and the crowds
 Within a week after his discharge from Uncle Sam's service. he was back In New York tuning up his two Pack ard racers, equipped with aviation en- zines. One of these is his ~big car" l 905 cubic inches with which he has ! just broken all records at Daytona l Beach Fla. The other is his little : car' 299 cubic inches displacement with which he will go after the lions share of the s5o,0Oo cash prize at h. cianapolis on May 31st-
 These two cars had broken every official automobile record in the world. i except one. when war ended The ! German BlitZen Benz achievement of i l42 miles per hour, made by the late Bob Burman, was the only record left De Palma had his eye upon that dur ing the war, and went straight for il as soon as he was free.
 And he got it.
 When you travel two and one-hali miles a minute, he says, you need a good car, good nerves and a cleal mind. There must be no worries nol anthing to interfere with the absolute concentration needed in driving. Nerve and concentration must be such that you meet any emergency as a matter Of reflex action. almost without think inS-at two and one-half miles min. ute emergencies are dealt with in frac- tons of a second.
 Dc Palma trains for his work bI temperate living and a little bicycl, riding daily to keep on edge. Physics training can easily be overdone, how ever, as exhaustion might follow to, severe exercise. Mental training il
 far more important in his opinion Weeks of preparation precede an even like that at Indianapolis, his mind i centered on the car day and night. II, lives with it's mechanism every wax
 ing hour, and at night mentally zoe over it part by part, testing 10 strength and efficiency, seeking detail that call for alteration, making abso lutely certain that everything will worl at it's best on the crucial day. It is thi preparation that gives him the clea
 mind needed for the event itself, be cause not until thousands of mechani cal details have been settled to his owl satisfaction is it possible to dismis
 them. and with them all worry. whet
 he climbs in behind the wheel for tn real test.