The sun., 1919-07-06

hSs} 81 = S.; ss..ss
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Ralph De Palma to-day surveys the
world OF automobile racing from the
pinnacle OF every race drivers hope-the
all around championship, He 10 the
master driver, IN the same sense that
| there 10 an all around champion athlete.
Every division OF automobile racing
hill climb. dirt track. road and speed
| way performance-pays the tribute OF
its records to his art and courage.
| The eleven years that span his racing
career from novice to champion are decked
with remarkable triumphs and strewn
with curious disappointmentsA He can
look back to one season in which he won
seventeen out of nineteen races in which
he started and to yet another when he
that bsfel him at critical junctures in
big '1syents on the speedways and road
courses are SO well known that De Palma's
sheepshead Bay 10 Santa N onica.
., HIS recent sH d,siodsmsnt from mrs; Place
apo BY 800 tho % SresEss 81 besrns
| while he was Leading the held at a pace
IN excess q ninety miles an hour matches
for drarnatic diEappoin trpent that other
indianapolis race which he lost In the
last iaP F., .v.-v r,,,,or,nn. cha, .,, ,,,
dealt out for him Fortune has smiled on
De Palma moro consistently than on any
other dryer. ana he has gone on ,pi!ing
day. in the Language the ,douEhboy has
bro back from Europe he is citing on
Two weeks to a day from the mish.p
At Indianapolis he led the dsld home IN
the. International Sweepstakes at Sleeps
| head Bay in the new worlds record time
Of itN miles an hour for the nity miles
In almost his nrst season II the wheel
ship from Bsrn.s o AZ ar: rss s. .afy
| eleven years ago--recoGnized a. the old
master" Then he added to his laureis
new and 40 far unspproaehabie records
| for the courses at Giants Despair, Wilkes
barre. Port Jefferson. L. l.. and Piainneid
In two seasons he won more road races
| than any other two drivers In America
have to their credit. and this spring, on
non-compeiitivs record-ss miles an hour
fer the fastest lap ever run on a road
Wss With Il. Raeesrs 81. sp. shs %S s6s This
.ehisyemen. Of both the Eisn National
Vanderbilt classic In which he drove the
whole sos milss without q stop, a feat
Ss ss:ssa sy dsy'
regular appearance at she wheel OF the
and his mastery ot the speedway wa. con- on
frmed last year. when with the same car
no made a clean sweep Of the classics on
set up a perfect tire record for the season.
IN these two year, he has established with
ms Packard new worlds records for the
n Isii Ara thi. yea. he ha. eoneen-
time On shespshead Bay speedway two
seasons ago he drove his Packard special
chassis seuipped with an aviation type
engine OF 200 cubic inches piston displace-
ment In a time and endurance trial recog
nlEed the world over as a unique perform
anSs: In six hour contagious running he
new non competitive records for circular
speedway for all distances from 10 to 6Is
miles. He furnished the curtain raiser for
Packard special 'sO5' ne smashed the rec.
in all distances from the kilometer tC
.wsnty miles and established the maxi
fastest travel In self.propelled vehicle.
Thus briefly recited, the story OF D,
Pslma's rise TO preeminence q driver II
oS.ery easily '9 oo, than /; was vsS tn
share OF hardships and accidents and per
haps more than any one mans share o
ton unhssTinx work and The sunSiest o
PHILOSOPHERS have brought him out on top
the friend Of his every competitor IN hi
throng TO the races, and a champion re
sardsd as uphoiding the finest ideals o
sport Ss by every race official in S The land
revealed. Fred wagner the veteran starter
says the touchstone OF It was disclosed I
him in De Palmh,s very nrst year OF racing
In those days the drivers were quarteret
| with their cars at the racetracks. ''One o
the lesden shoe boys came TO me com
he said. is up at daylight practising Tn
. rest of US boys have Just turned in by ther
The same habit Of work, Of attention Il
business: With its plain implissston of elea
De Palma himself. being much more inter
estes IN fine mechanisms and in racing onl.
as means OF proving them; will credit hi
of studying his MOTOR and chassis for thos
minute effects in tuning UP that mean spill
seconds in . race.
Careful Observers win say the secret ia Il
the right product OF the designers ant
builders knowledge.
: De Palma Is an American. born thirty,fou
moved to this country twenty-five year
ago. and the future racing driver took hi
seat on school bench in Brooklyn az tn
p se of 8 When the teacher asked ever,
bright eyed little fellow from oversees wrot
Rafiaelo De Palma"-and you have 10 hea
an enthusiastic Italian roll that out to &c
5 looked over his shoulder and said: That
/ too hard. Hereafter your name is Ralph"
So Ralph-Bill Pickens. the publicit,
wizard, has told him many times tina
$4,000 in publicity results-entered int
the studies and sports OF the native borl
Americans. The bicycle attracted hin
above all either TsaGs Of
says What chance did q ten-year-ol,
q IN an Italian wheat merchants raths
numerous family have of getting bi
eycle?" He answered the question himsei