AMERICAN SPEED KING

Evening Star, Issue 23368, 11 September 1939, Page 11

AMERICAN SPEED KING

The veteran American speed driver, Ab. Jenkins, who has a remarkable string of world’s long-distance motor car records to his credit, has had an unenviable experience in his recent attempts to still further better his records. Jenkins, who hails from Salt Lake City (Utah), about 150 miles from the Bonneville Salt Flats, a few weeks ago set out in his Mormon Meteor 111. in an endeavour to establish better figures than his own record of 3,774 miles 778yds (157.27 m.p.h.) in 24 hours achieved in 1937.

At his, first effort his machine caught fire, and he narrowly escaped incineration. He was'Severely burned before he was rescued from the covered-in cockpit of his machine, and had to be rushed to Salt Lake City for medical attention.

Undismayed and, still bandaged, Jenkins later essayed a further attempt on all long-distance records up to 24 hours. All went well until 14 hours had elapsed, when a leaky gasket in the exhaust system filled the cockpit with deadly carbon-monoxide fumes. Jenkins was gassed, and had to be lifted from the machine. Thus ended his second attempt, but not before this fine 48-year-old American driver had notched several new world’s records.' He improved his own 1,000 miles figures by covering the distance in shr 51min, averaging 170.76 m.p.h. In six hours Jenkins travelled 1,025 miles (170.85 m.p.h.), 16 miles further than his 1937 record. In 12 hours 2,027 miles were covered, the average speed, including stops for fuel replenishment, etc., being 168.99 m.p.h. This is a really astounding performance, being 62J miles further than the previous best, which stood to the credit of the British driver, Captain George Eyston, who recorded 1,964 miles 350yds on the same speedway in 1937. Jenkins’s latest machine has a 12-cyl. 1,200-h.p. Curtiss aero, engine, and weighs about three tons.