Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-03-27
IN HIS PACKARD CAR
De PALMA PULLS DOWN
ANOTHER BIG RECORD

Just as it was getting dark on the
beach at Daytona and the tide was
narrowing the shelf to a ribbon, Ralph
| De Palma in his aviation motored
| Twin-Six shattered the record for a
mile with standing start by a mark
of $3.50. This was formerly held by
Oldfield at 40.53. And the young
Packard pilot after three days of the
most spectacular bursts of speed in
the annals of motordom, quit the
beach with all the records ever made
at Daytona.
De Palma's performance was as
founding. Records had been estab-
lished in this country and in Europe,
at wide intervals, but no one man with
the same car and within so short a
time had ever established such an I'M
precedented string of new worlds
marks. To quote Fred Wagner offic-
ial starter: an all my experience that
has been the finest demonstration of
cool driving skill co-ordinated with
mechanical perfection" And it is true
that in other days when a racing car
had done one of these distances in fast
time it did not appear again on the
course for four or five days as it was
so much in need of oVerhauling.
The first new record to startle the
motoring world was a mile straight
away with a flying start done by De
Palma in 24.02, or at the rate of
1887 miles per hour, on February -.
This lowered the mark set by Burman
eight years ago in a Bitten Benz, on
the same course, by 1873 seconds. Fol
lowing this lead, four days later the
invincible Twin-Six set new marks for
the two, three, four miles in 1884,
1:1.04, 1877 respectively. Even the
Darracu record of 2:34 for five miles,
made by Hemery thirteen years ago,
went by the board as the stream-lned
Packard covered the course in 2:04.5S,
nearly half a minute faster than the
French cars time.
As De Palma heightened his course
to longer and longer distances, the
superiority of ibis mount became more
and more evident. The ten miles was
covered more than a minute faster
than the record, 5:14.40, set by Bruce
Brown in Bitten Ben nine years
ago. De Palma's new mark was
1880.
The twenty-mile mark was shatter-
ed twice, the final record being
S:54.20. nearly five minutes faster
than Burman's Buick Bug mark of
l3:11.92 made at Jacksonville, Fla,
eight years ago. In getting this DE
Palma had to swing out 1872 yards be-
hind the finish line of the 10-mile
Straight away, doubling back on his
course But the crowning achieve
ment of his last day on this course was
his mark of 6:4S.75 for the 15-mile
straightaway, clipping over three min
utes off the record held by Lancia in
a Fiat at ten minutes flat.
In addition to applying aviation eX-
perience to the design of the fast
Packard and using streamline prin-
ciples in axles, frame, etc, as well as
body, tire development had much with
making these tremendous bursts of
speed possible, and great credit is due
the Goodyear straight side cord tires
with which the car was equipped. for
at such high speeds the centrifugal
force is terrific.
Above all things, De Palma's speeds
on his last day at the beach demon
strated that the special aviation Twin
Six Packard was not built for flash
mile, but an engine and chassis of en-
during qualities and consistent design.
There was but slight variation in his
miles-per- hour in all the events.