Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-17
GREAT PROGRESS MADE
IN AUTO SPEED TESTS
Records Fall on All Sides During Past
New Speedways Added to ''Circuit."
Year-De PaOla Takes Lallrels-TwO

! grind in 4 hours. ST minutes and Lac
| seconds, an average speed of 101.13
miles an hour. On the same occasion
| De Paolo. in his Duesenberg Special
! shattered the 450-mile record, when he
completed that distance in hours, 2S
minutes and 10 second, at an av.
erage speed of 101.16 miles an hour.
The 400-mile speed mark fell before
Dave Lewis, who piloted his Junior
IS" Special over the Indianapolis
course in 3 hours, % minutes and
SO.l9 seconds. with an average rate OF
10l.l6 miles an hour.
The record of automobile racing for
last year contains a succession of I'M
usual achievements of De Paolo, the
youthful champion Besides setting a
new mark for the longest of the speed
way classics. he surpassed existing
records for five other distances, rang
ing from 5 to 25 miles, on the Culver
City, Calf, track April 10. He nego.
tiated the 5-mile distance in min
utes and 14.6 seconds, with an average
speed of 1887 miles an hour. The TO-
mile record set by him was minutes
and $500 seconds, at the rate of 1876
miles an hour. Six minutes and 35.6
seconds was his running time for IL
miles, at the average rate of 1867
miles an hour. The 20.mile distan
was covered by the champion in the
record time of minutes and 50.4 SEQ
ondS. and an average rate of 1885,
miles an hour. De Paolo's time for
% miles was II minutes and Sc sec
onds. with an average speed of 1851
miles an hour.
Milton Sets Record.
The outstanding feat Of the year
was the new world record for ESQ
miles, the most popular distance on
the racing program. 1t was eStab-
lished by Tommy Milton, veteran
speed demon, who broke his own rec
ord when he drove the entire length
in l hour 50 minutes 1876 seconds in a
Miller Special at Culver City, Calf,
March l last. His average speed was
l26.SS miles an hour, which stood un-
equaled until nearly the end of the
year. Bob MCDOnogh barely missed
upSetting the record on the new Bal
timore- shington Speedway October
26. when he finished first with an av-
eraSe of slightly more than 126 miles
an hour. Harry Hartz, handsome
star of the speedways, pushed the
speed mark for the 50-mile distance
he drove the half century in % min
at Culver City April 10.
Four other speedway records barely
missed being set in 1925. On Deem
Der Il. 1924, Milton shattered the IS
mile record. and Bennett Hill covered
100, $50 and 200 mile in faster time
than ever before on the Culver City
track.
While the kings of the roaring road
We're driving in faster time than ever
al IN, ~ fi,oc
records on the dirt track were mount
ing. Nine new records of the 1926
racing season were made by the
daddy of the racers Ralph De Pal
ma. on the Syracuse, y. Y, 1-mile
track September 10.
New Stars Appear.
De Palma covered the 1-mile cir
cult in 1865 seconds, an average of
S215 miles an hour: miles, ! min
ute 27.51 seconds, a rate of 1888 miles
an hour; 3 miles, . minutes l1.76
seconds, or SI.75 miles per hour:
miles, > minutes 55,37 seconds, an av-
erage of Sis miles an hour; D
miles, minutes 41.17 seconds, an av-
erage of S1.44 miles an hour; 10 miles.
minutes 25.5i seconds, or Si.0S miles
an hour; Is miles. II minutes 9.47 sec
ondS, a rate of SOIL miles an hour; 20
miles, IA minutes 90 seconds, or sos
miles an hour, and 20 miles in Is min
utes 41.29 seconds, at the average
speed of S0.35 miles an hour.
With the new reco.ds have come
new luminaries among that galaxy Of
stars who have made racing history.
The younger generation of speed de-
mons have shown their attachments
and one of their number has secured
the right to reign as undisputed cham
pion of motor racetrackS for 1925.
Peter De Paolo, the newest sensa-
ton in this thrilling profession. also is
one of the youngest drivers. He wears
the champions crown at the age of q
years. He mounted to the top within
two years as IL pilot of the fast but
tiny cars. and by sheer grit overcame
fence busting" tendency, which
had brought him reputation of being
anything but Il skillful race driver.
The 1925 champion is a nephew of
the veteran De Palma, and got the
craze for racing from watching his
uncle and as a riding mechanic for
him He is short and slight of build
and wears an ever-ready smile. He is
Continued on Tenth Page.)