INDIANAPOLIS "500"

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 25, 29 July 1939, Page 26

INDIANAPOLIS "500"

v AMERICA'S BIG TRACK RACE

Details to hand of America's annual classic motor-car race, the Indianapolis "500," show that it was a most spectacular contest. , For the first half of the race, the %\ miles circuit was packed with cars, most of which were i averaging over 120 m.p.h., while speeds as high as 160 m.p.h. were reached ill | the straights as 33 of America's finest drivers and fastest cars waged a great battle for supremacy.

After 75 miles'had, been covered, less than one minute separated the first 14 cars. At 100 miles, Shaw and Meyer were only 7sec apart. At 250 miles, J Snyder led, with L. Meyer, Wilbur Shaw, and the .1938 winner, Floyd Roberts, close up. Then occurred a mix-up that involved Roberts and R. Swanton in a bad smash, Roberts receiving head injuries from which he died.

For 30min 40sec, all cars were officially slowed down, holding their relative positions at a speed of 93 m.p.h., until the track was cleared of wreckage and oil from the smashed cars. During the "slow-down," the con^

testants covered 47J miles, thua bringing the average speed to that stage of the race down from 120 m.p.h. to 114 m.p.h.

When the pace was clapped on again, a terrific. struggle for the lead took place between Meyer, Shaw, and Snyder. At 450 miles Meyer was in the lead, but Bad to come into the pits for a tyre change. This cost nim 30sec", which let Shaw get a lead of V/z laps, with Snyder only 20sec behind.

In endeavouring to regain the lead. Meyer got into a skid on one of the turns and hit a guard fence, tearing down 100 ft of 6in x 6in rails. Meyer was uninjured, but his car was a wrecfe.

Wilbur Shaw (supercharged 8-cylin-der Maserati) eventually won by Imin 48sec, covering the 500 miles in 4hr 20min 47sec at an average speed of 115.03 m.p.h. He had four pit stops for fuel and tyre changes, taking in all 7min lOsec. His average speed would have been three or four miles per hour faster but for the delay caused by the unfortunate smash. • Snyder (114.24 m.p.h.) was second and Bergere third.

Of the 33 starters, 11 completed the race, with an average speed of 103.98 m.p.h. and upwards, a really remarkable result, considering the slackening of speed for half an hour.

"Don't argue with me, sir. If you didn't intend driving about the country bumping into people.- you wouldn't have bumpers fitted on the front of your confounded truck." ,