Evening star., 1925-06-28
RACING STARS ON LAUREL TRACK
PORTRAYED IN Word PICTURE

, old brick track at indianapolis, where
| the test of an exceedingly rough road
is given the cars.
The racers themselves are sports
men purely and simply. They are men
| who thrill to the touch of the wheel
| as surely as the spectators feel the
drama of the spectacle they offer.
| How do they enter the racing game? f.?
| Well, how does the sandy-haired
urchin of the sand lots develop into a
big league base ball player? That 8
the answer. It's in them, and some
how it has to come out. The only
way the urge to race can be satisfied
is at the wheel of the fastest car vet
built
A few high lights from the life his.
tory of new hero of the motor
courSeS-Peter de Paoio-wiII show
the way they come all the way from
the wide-eyed kid, through the me-
chanic stage, to the champion Of the
SpeedwayS.
Noted Speeder a Young Man.
De Paolo, who recently leaped into
1ame as the winner of the Indianap-
oils classic, with an average of 1Ol. .l3
miles an hour, and of the Altoona
championship feature, is but 81 years
old and has had his enthusiasm for
racing nearly that long. He began
his life as farm boy. He wanted to
be racing driver from his earliest
days, and dates his first hopes of
realizing that ambition from the time
he went to live with his uncle, Ralph
de Palma, at the age of 6 years. 1t
was only to be expected that the
little fellow would have the ambition
to grow up to be good enough to
beat Uncle Ralph" and that trick
was turned by Pete at Indianapolis.
To get close to automobiles he
worked for a tire company in New
ark, n. j., and when the war came
along Peter joined the Aviation Corps,
becoming proficient in engine me-
chanics. He was given the oppor-
tunity he wanted following the war.
when he was taken into the racing
camp of De Palma. De Paolo later
broke away from his uncle and, after
considerable fence smashing, finally
proved he could hold a fast car on
the course. The rest is too recent
for comment. He is well on the way
to the years championship.
The drivers don't spend all their
time racing. There are comparative
ly few races a year. There are other
ways, too, for preparing for a race
besides sitting at the wheel Of one
VI lliS WI III ldSlGSl. MORE likely
one will find a group of racers out
pedaling the roads in the neighbor-
hood where they are waiting for a
race. Motor racing drivers are bicycle
devotees. De Paolo Is almost as proud
of bicycle record he hung up at the
Indianapolis track as he is of the
motor feat he performed there May
80. Nearly all the big drivers are
golf enthusiasts. De Paolo, who
again can serve as an example, is
the holder of a championship in the
ancient Scottish pastime in California
Thrills Many and Varied.
The thrilling events of an automo-
bile race are many and varied. The
race itself covers more than two
hours. if a 250-mile feature, and
correspondingly longer time if the
length is 500 miles. We're it merely
a matter Of watching about a score
of speed demons dash around the
board or brick oval, interest might
lag. But there is little chance for
Tagging interest in a championship
motor race.
First there is the start, when the
cars are sent flying from the line.
There is the usual jockeying for posi-
ton. The grind is on, but not for long.
Bang" goes tire. The pit of the un-
fortunate driver is sought on the next
lap around. A crew of mechanics
jump to his assistance, and the chang
ing of a tire may be accomplished in
little more than 20 seconds. The