The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-09-13
ON DEATHS CURVE
Motor Races Begin at 8 O'clock
This Afternoon.
Worlds Fastest Dirt Track
Drivers at the Fair.

Today is the last day of the big 1919
Kansas Free Fair. 1t is the last day
of the year for the half mile dirt
track. When the last car flashed I'M
der the wire in the 25-lap race this
afternoon, a period of fifty-one weeks
of idleness began for the big oval.
Since l o'clock Monday afternoon
the free fair race track has been the
Mecca for thousands of Kansans and
yet more thousands Of speed fans from
other states. For four days the fast
est horses in the west held undisputed
possession of the big dirt oval. Then
the owners of the canned and bot
tied" thorobreds took over the track
Friday and today the worlds great
est dirt track race drivers thrilled the
thousands of spectators with the wiz
ardry of their driving. In the races
Friday no exceptional time was made,
nor were any track records broken
But this does not mean that the dam
ger was not just as great. Every sim
gle driver who ventured himself on
the unbanked oval Friday afternoon
complained of a slippery upper turn
and a badly torn up death curve.
Crowds Kept Off Turns.
These things were bad enough to
contend with and occupied the full at
tention of abe drivers. But they did
have time enough to note that the
crowds kept off of the turns and they
each took occasion to express thank
fulness for this. 1t is only too often
that a cheering, swaying crowd on
difficult turn distracts the attention of
a driver for Just that fraction of
second which spells the difference be-
tween life and death in the close cou-
pied space eaters of the dirt tracks.
1t was expected that the crowd to-
dav would be as thoughtful and as
amenable to suggestion as the crowd
Friday, and would stay away from
the curves"
One attempt was made to lower the
track AMI state record of 1-04 is Fri
day by Fred Horey in his Briscoe ear.
The attempt was unsuccessful on ac-
count of the condition of the turns.
Horey's time for the mile was 1:o9 L 5.
The track record is held by Horey and
was made at the IA ces last year.
This afternoon the feature event
was to be the match race between
Horey and Leon Duray. the noted
French driver. This event was ar
ranged at the last minute and is the
outgrowth of many arguments be-
tween Horey and Duray as to wi ich
is the better driver and which has the
faster and mora reliable car.
Sig Haughdahl the big blond driver,
who won for himself big following
of local fans last year. was unable to
enter the meet here this year. He
was CAli-O " N. Oh the
eve Of his start for Topeka and had
to withdraw from the events here.
Fridays Events.
The summary of Fricay's auto races
follows:
Three mile race-A. Jennison Buick
first: G. loft. Super-Zip. second: r. Ryan
White Special. third. Time, 3 SO 3D.
Five-mile race-L. Duray. Chevrolet
first: L. Allen. Wisconsin Special. second
V. Soules. Paige Special. third Time. 6 81
Vn-u1
Briscoe. first: Jennison. Buick. second: G.
loft. Super-Z!p, third: r. Ryan, White
Special, fourth. Time, IL Is
Trial for one mile reeord-F. Horey,
1 90 1-5.
Free-for-al three-miIe race-Duray
Chevrolet Special. first: Soules, Paige Spe-
cial, second; Horey. Briscoe. third; loft
Super-Zip. fourth. Time. 2 81 2-5.
Victory Derby" twenty-one laps"