New-York tribune., 1921-05-29
De Palma Has
Stern Rivalry
u
In Auto Classic
Eight American Entries May
Cause Upset i'm 5OO-Mile
Race at indianapolis
By J. c. Burton

eight hours hence, with the running
b00-mile Speedway race, Indianapoli3
will have contributed sensational,
perhaps a crimson, chapter to the 1921
year book of hectic international COM
petition.
Tonight with thousands of autonlo-
biles from almost every state in the
| Union milling over the main streets of
the city and iostling mobs of speed
| fanatics parked in crowded hotel lob
bies, select coterie of American race
orlvers are completing their plans to
run both England and France out Of
! gas on Monday
The defenders of American speedway
| honors have no easy assignment ahead
of them. Between the hours of 10 and
d of thrill-glutted Memorial Day
| they must meet and defeat six of the
fastest speed creations that have ever
| been sent to this country from across
the Atlantic
Race Not Always to Swift
If the race was always to the swift,
| they might just as we'll count them
| selves out now for the French Rallot
OF Ralph De Palma is conceded 10 be
the fastest of the twenty-four cars
entered in the classic, which carries
prize money. to the amount of SGT, 800.
| There is no driver in the race that
does not respect and fear De Palma.
He will go out at the start and set a
smashing pace. He is confident that
his car will stand up and take the
punishment that he will give it. If he
! has not overestimated the strength of
ti1ee steels Of which his Ballot is made,
1t IS hard to conceive. of anything but
| a De Palma victory, won at record
speed for the brick track of the
The high average for the 50O-mile
race stands at 1884 miles an hour.
made by De Palma and his German
Mercedes in winning the 1916 classic.
1t is commonly predicted that this
mark will be shattered either by De
Palma or the driver who humbles him.
and that the five centuries will be COW
cred at a speed in excess of ninety
miles an hour
Fast as his Ballot has proved to be,
De Palma undoubtedly will be forced
to the limit of his speed during the six
grueling hours that the cars are roll
ing over the Hoosier course There are
at least eight American entries in the
field who have the requisite power to
make De Palma extend himself to win.
These include the two new eight-cylin-
der Frontenacs, built by Louis Chevro-
let and driven by Tommy Milton and
Ralph Mulford, and the six ever-depen-
dable Duesenbergs.
Ninety-nine Miles an Hour
The Chevrolet entries have turned
practice laps at ninaty y-nine- -mile-an-
hour averages. They are the design of
a veteran driver engineer. who knows
the peculiarities and the requirements
of the indianapolis track and who al
ready is credited with the making Of
an indianapolis winner. In Milton and
Mulford, Chevrolet has two experienced
drivers who will get all the speed out
of their cars that has been put into
them, drivers that will combine cool
Judgment with maximrm daring.
Americas hopes. for victory on
Monday rest mainly with the two
Frontenacs and the Duesenberg team.
with Eddie Hearne's Revere Special
possible contender if the faster cars
rebel at the rackng pace that will
surely be demanded of them
De Palma's Ballot, in turn, is thought
to be the only disputed barricade now
blocking an American triumph. The
two French Peugeots, which will be
driven by Howdy Wilcox and Jean
Chassagne, have not shown anything
like dangerous speed so far, and the
best that is conceded them is a place
among the first ten cars to finish.
Just what the two English Sunbeams
and the TalbotDarracq will do is an
Edsonian question, and one guess is
as good as another.
The entries follow: