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RACING IN BLAZING CAR.
Major H.O.D. Segrave's Reminiscences.
扑
STOCK CARS” RECORD.
Studebaker's Splendid Performance.
Some of the most humorous exhaust, which let out a roar, the
25,000 MILES TRIAL. incidents of my racing career were horse went up on his hind legs, packed in the two eventful years the police'rushed to pull him down Three stock automobiles--two of 1922 and 1923 (writes Major on all fours again, the crowd Studebaker Commander Sport H, O. D. Segrave, the World's opened out, and we got away.
Roadsters and a Studebaker Com Champion Racing Motorist, In the It was rather a risky thing mander Sedan-havo established Sunday Express. One of the do, and I fully expected a bullet new world records for speed and best occurred in 1920, when Lee in the buckt, for the French gon-endurance, each car travelling Guinness and 1 were on our way darme does not hesitate to fire at 125,000 miles in less than 25,000 to race at Strasbourg. I was three you if he gets a little excited. consécutive minutes on or four miles ahead of him on the roud, both of us doing about 100 mip.h. Right ahead lay a clear, Stretch, on which I opened out and let the cur really go.
At the end of the straight swang round a corner, and was amazed to see a long straggling village sprawling ahead of me. It had been hidden by the hodges, and I was into it before I knew where I was,
.1 wondered what on earth to do. By the time. I had finished wonder ing I was through the village, still at 100 m.ph., out at the other end, and over the brow of a hill."
A
"A Wager,
the
Atlantic City Speedway, according to an annancement made by officials, of the American Automo- bile Association, under whose sanction and observation the run was made.
Just before that particular race at Strasbourg, Julio Mazett!, who was a member of one of the oldest families in Italy, delightful fellow in every way, and the idol of The two Commander Sport Florence, betted that he would go Roadsters finished the race to- sound certain right-angled gether at 1.37 p.m., November 3rd, corner at 75 miles per hour. 15 days, 22 hours, and 48 minutes, We all betted that he could for 22,068 minutes, after the starter not. He said he would, and he had whipped his fag down at the [did—and finished up in the bar of beginning of the run. The aver-
an inn with bricks and mortar lage speed for the entire distance) raining down on him and the bon-was 65,31 miles per hour. All not of his car peering into the stops for gasoline, oil, water, and kitchen beyond.
repairs were included in the 22,968 He was not hurt, although he minutes. was killed
later in
On the night of November 2nd, Italy. All Florence turned out to his funeral, the third car, a Commander Sedan. 1 did not finish at all in that while travelling at a speed of 65 race, but spent the next few weeksmiles an hour, skidded on the ley in bandages. Halfway round my track and turned completely over. mechanic had to fill up with petrol.The car was righted, hurriedly He spilled about half a gallon on repaired, and sent on its way again the seat, and left a great. puddle oaring around the wooden Eval. where I was to sit. I would not Despite the fact that practically wait to waste time in mopping it two hours were lost in getting the p. but jumped in and sat in it. Anished the 25.000 miles with ly
sedan back on the track, this car
Half the population was gather
Soon afterwards I was in agony.ng colours, and set an average of ea gestientaling in the street, burned all the skin off my flest $1.98 miles per hour for the dis- screaming as only Frenchmen can, and Joft me; raw and
bleeding. tanec.. and wondering what sort of Petrol burns are far worse than thunderbolt it was that had dis-Gru burns because they go so much turbed their rural peace.
deeper. It eats into your flesh.
All I saw as I flashed, through was a kaleidoscope of houses and fleeing people and a blur of blue as the local gendarmerie poured screeching and yelling out of the "poste."
Over the hill slopped, got out, and stalked cautiously buck by the hedge side to the village to see what would happen to Bill.
1
The Thunderbolt.
Sidenly the roar of Guinness open exhaust smole on their cars. Nom de Diable! Here was an uther of those "anles voitures," tise cursmi racing motorists.
Saved!
ep
欲
A car, travelling 25.000 miles.in 3,000 minutes is a feat that can hardly be grasped by even the most active imagination. Had it been possible for these three Com- A few minutes later a valve mandors. instead of circling the broke and the car stopped, so. Imeedway, to start duo east of was delivered from the further Atlantic City, they would have j✪ Quick as thought the street agony of having to finish that race one around the world once and emptied, the gendarmerie poured minus half my skin.
then continued on a second cir- into the "poste," the easants
I was burned in a very different mnayiration, winding up their Pushed to the inn and to their
way while racing at Barcelona intrin somewhere in Turkey." houses--and the next moment 1922, when a valve broke, petrol
The run was a unique one in every house seemed to erupt men escaped into the car, caught fire, every respect. Wind resistance with bicycles!
fand I was driving with my feet in something barely considered by These they proceeded to Jaymes until the soles were burnt the average motorist on the high- across the road-a long line of off my sitoes.
way-cut down the speed of cars eighteen or twenty bicycles. Then stopped once to fill up and egg!
s much as 15 miles an hour at they all settled back to cover like rabbits. The street was deserted my feet, and Mr. Contalen said:imes. All day and all night the That's all right, Segravet When timers checked the speeding cars silent,
by ehronometers which were) nrevibusly tested by The U. S.
A second lator Bill shot round you're burnt again, just get out the corner like a tank on wings, and put your feet in a puddle saw the bicycles, gasped with I was only burned when round.Bureau of Standards at Washing-5000 horror, trod on every conceivableng corners, however, for on thean and certified correct within thing in the ear, and pulled up straight I kept the car going at une tenth of a second in 24 hours.
with a recul of tyres 'about a yard from the barricade.
Immediately every house poured forth gendarmes, poilus, peasants yors-there seemed to be lots
Nor was the timing of the cara left to the probability of errors a stop-watch-in, human hands. Electrical recording devices of
on the track which was tripped. reat delicacy operated by a wire ench time the cars passed over it, caught the exact time of every one of the 50,000 inps.. At night, in
over ninety miles an hour, at which speed the flames were sucked back into the engine. I have seen other drivers, however, forced to stop and pat their feet into buckets mayor-and wonten, who of water. screamed, gibbered, and cursed, I shall always believe that the while the fereest of the lot invited fastest mile of my racing career Guinness in thunderous tones towas done, not in Florida, but onespite of the fact that each of the Mean-day when my petrol tank caught cars hore a huge number painted "come and be arrested."
of
» ]while the rest excitedly piled all fire.
the bicycles against his bonnet. It was exactly like a scene from a comic opera.
Strategy,
An Uneasy Seat.
A sheet of flame shot out of the back of the car,
I was sitting on thirty or forty Guinness did the only think posgallons of petrol, with the full sible. He pretended to understand knowledge that i I slackened no French, stared owlishly at the speed in the slightest it would all gesticulating maire, and solemnly run forward into the car, and 1 produced inp, which he un-should catch alight. The road was folded.
on fire as well.
7
"On est la route a Strabourg?" I do not know what speed we did he inquired in an atrocious accent. with that sheet of flames.shooting His unruled caim was too much out of the back, but I am certain For the faire and the gendarmes, the car never went so fust before Thuy seized on this new.issue, and for since.
all screamed together. .There Luckily we had a straight rond, were three roads to Strasbourg at and soon used up all the petrol. the point, as Guinness well knew That was at Nonancourt, near and the crowd divided into 1hree Paris.
campa on the subject. One yelled The most astounding accident directions for one way and the have ever seen on any track hap nther two for the alternative pened at Boulogne in the Boillot routes. Lee Guinness had judged Cup Race in 1928. Gallic psychology very well.
in white on Its hood it'flashed by with such speed that the timers and checkers could not tell which of the three cars had passed. Consequently a diferent coloured riding light was mounted on the running board of each of The Commanders.
At the end of the run, the technical committee of the Ameri can Automobile Association tore down the cars and examined them completely. They were checked against factory specifications for stock carstand again checked against the same model Comman- dera taken from 'Studebaker i dealers' showrooms. At the end. of this critical examination, the committee announced that all three of The Commanders were fully-equipped' strictly stock models in every respect. ·
Many of the spectators crowded just before, the Grand Prix of Suddenly as they were all too far on the track, and one man, 1923. gesticulating anew he backed the apparently a little bored with the It was barely dawn, the ronds car, the bicycles fell down, the fears, bent down, to tie up his were clear, and I wanted to start erowd sprang back, and Bill shot bootlace.
practice at six o'clock. Con- round to one side of the "bar- The next moment he was still sequently we did well over 100 ricide," and was out of the village bending down, typing up his lace-miles per hour. When we arrived like a flash.
but without his head! It was at Tours we had collected over 100 That was not the "only amusing never found,"
rabbits, a pheasant, and a'chicken. feature of the run, for when we This was, how it happened The bonnet was like a game got to Strasbourg, we found the Chassagne was approaching the dealer's shop. approaches to the racing trackman, but well out in the track, Finally, let me tell of "The packed with cars and people. We when his spare wheel broke loose, bogus Segrave," He was a Swiss turned down a side street to avoid bounded forward in front of the mechanic of mine, and
a good them, und were at once stopped by car, travelling at about 115 m.ph. fellow, with a well-developed senso ja gendarme, who refused to let us and beheaded the man.
of humour. We had won a big The head, as I said, was never race in a large South of France pass.
found. It was pulverised. The town, and immediately it was over hat was picked up.
a Frenchman rushed up and offer.
It was useless to tell him that we were actually entered for the race. He refused to believe it Every spitting, snorting little car
An almost similar but merely led my mechanic a bucketful of amusing accident happened to me champagne!
race.
in the city had a number painted on another corner in the enme He, not to be thought wanting,
drank it off-and promptly faded
on it, and an open exhaust, and half the drivers seemed to have There, again, the crowd had out from any further interest in told the police that they were com- pressed too far forward on the life. He was carried off the field petitors.
track, and a woman stood at the of battle, and I never saw him Our gendarme was no more in- apex of the crowd on the corner. again that day. clined to believe us than any of the I shot round, bried to avoid her
Five days later he turned up in others. It looked as though we and missed her by six inches, but Paris, very green, very ill, and should miss the race.
her skirt blew out and caught the very contrite. In the midst of it all, as we were hub of my wheel..
Apparently, when he recovered The next second she was stand from the bucket, he had marched still arguing, there arrived a mounted policeman, who backed ding on the corner in "plus fours," down into the town, announced his horse into the crowd and de-while the shreds of her skirt were himself as "le Major Segrave," and manded to know what the fuss was sticking to my car'a mile away! had been promptly lionised by all
about.
I was about to explain all over again, whon Lee Guinness had an inspiration. He opened
his
That little incident reminds me, the young maidens and old lathe quite why I do not know of a trip in the place. He was a king for made from Chartere to Tours at four days, but a very sick man for 2.30 o'clock in the early morning. a week afterwards!
A 11-30
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st.
1010 1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
Q
- for consecutive Years
For the ninth consecutive year Buick has won first choice of spaceat the National Automobile Shows.
This is Leadership! For this houor goes annually to the member of the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce with the year's largest volume of business,
Chance plays no part in this award. It is con ferred upon the car which has found the most favor antong the buyers of America-the car in which they have invested a plurality of their dollars.
It has gone to Buick every year since 1918 because Buick has built better motor cars, and continually put back the savings of increased: volume and engineering development into still greater value.
Nine continuous years of leadership! For any other car to equal this would mean retaining continuous leadership until 1936-almost another decade.
The industrial history of America records no more brillianz achievement than these ning successive years of Buick dominance.
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