Evening star., 1941-05-18
RoseEarnsPoIe
In Auto Classic
AT 13O M.P.H.
High Wind Hampers
Dozen Thot Qualify
For Moy 30 Race
BY HAROLD HARRISON,
Associated Press SPORTS Writer.

INDIANAPOLIS, May 17.-Mauri
Rose, worker in the Allison En-
gineering Co.'S airplane engine man
ufacturing plant here, today won
the pole position for the Indianap-
oils Motor Speedway 50o-mile race,
as an even dozen drivers qualified
for the May 30 classic despite a high
wind and chilling cold weather.
Rose, driving the same Italian
Maserati in which Rene Lebegue Of
France finished tenth year ago,
reeled off his 10-mile qualifying
jaunt at 128.691 miles an hour barely
to nose out Rex Mays of Glendale,
Calf, the pole favorite.
Rose had one lap Of l30152 miles
an hour.
Mays qualifying speed of 12S.3o1
miles an hour gave him the middle
position in the front row for the
start of the race. The outside spot
in the first row will go to Wilbur
Shaw of Indianapolis, who is try
ing to be the first man to win the
race four times.
Ninth Start for Rose.
Shaw, also driving Maserati-
the same car in which he won the
1899 and 1910 raceS-roared around
the windswept 21a mile course at a
speed of 1886 miles an hour.
Rose, Mays and Shaw also were
in the front row for the start of the
race a year ago, but in different
order. Then it was Mays on the
pole with Shaw in the Middle and
Rose on the outside.
Rose, a slightly built veteran Of
the speedway, will be making his
ninth start in an Indianapolis race.
He never has won, but he finished
second in 1884, fourth In 1886,
eighth in 1889 and third last year.
Had it not been for the high wind
and a slight mishap on his last lap.
Rose said he would have topped
100 miles an hour for the full 10
miles. On the last lap the wind
caught the blue and red speedster
and whipped it off the edge of the
track to the safety apron.
Roses Car Quickly Righted.
Rose quickly righted the car, how
ever, and continued on to the finish.
Roses car is owned by Lou Moore,
a former speedway driver, who also
has two other cars entered. One,
driven by Cliff Bergere, Hollywood
(Calif0 stunt man, also qualified
at a speed of 123890 miles an hour.
The third car did not qualify.
Mays teammate, Ralph Hepburn
of Los Angeles, gained his place
in the starting lineup, with a
qualifying speed of 120656 miles
an hour. The Mays and Hepburn
cars are entered by Robert Bowes,
Indianapolis autom obile parts
manufacturer.
One of Shaw's partners on the
Mike Boyle team also qualified.
That was Chet Miller Of Detroit,
who ran 10 miles at 121.540 miles
an hour. George Connor, another
Boyle driver, has yet to qualify.
The wind whipped across the
track all day, chilling a crowd esti-
mated at 10000 persons Until late
in the afternoon only two drivers
even attempted to conquer the wind.
Two Early Qualifiers.
The early qualifiers were Merrill
Doc) Williams of Franklin, Ind,
who few years ago sold autograph
pictures of himself in his home
town to finance himself in the rae
ing business, and Harry McQuinn,
Indianapolis veteran.
Williams shot his four-cylinder
front-drive machine through the
10-mile test at 124014 miles an
hour.
McQutnn shaded him bit, max
ing a speed of 125.449 in his eight.
cyclinder job, owned by Bill White,
Los Angeles sportsman.