Ray Keech Killed

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 691, 17 June 1929, Page 9

Ray Keech Killed

CAUGHT IN DREADFUL! COLLISION TOLL OF THE SPEEDWAY (Un ted PA. —By Telegraph — Copyright ) (Australian and X.Z. Press Association J NEW YORK, Saturday. Ray Keech. famous motor-racing driver, was killed today on the Altoona speedway, Tipton. Pennsylvania. His car capsized at the 100-mile mark in a 200-mile event. Keech was leading the field when a car driven by Rob Robinson struck a hole in the wooden track, shot up into the air and bounded down in the path of Keech, who was close behind- He tried to avoid the smash, but loat control of his machine and a second later two other machines crashed into him. Robinson and Ernest Triplett, another of the drivers involved, were not hurt, but Clift Woodbury, a fourth racer, was badly injured though he will probably recover. The petrol from the wrecked cars ignited the track, but the fire was quickly extinguished. There were 25,000 spectators crowded around the mile and a-quarter oval, which Keech was negotiating at a speed of 119 miles an hour. The race was stopped after the accident. The awards of the prizes will be made on the basis of the cars' standing at the time. That gave 1 Keech first money. NOTABLE PERFORMANCES The deceased was 28 years old. He. wrested the world's speed record from i Captain Malcolm Campbell at Daytona ! Beach. Florida, in April. 1928, when he raised the mile record from 206.96 . miles an hour to 207.55 miles an hour. He was driving the three-engined Triplex racing car owned by Mr. J. M. White, of Philadelphia, in which Lee Bible was killed at Daytona early this year. Keech’s last race was the celebrated 500-mile event run at Indianapolis on May 30 this year. He won from a field of 33, his average speed over the full distance being 97.555 miles an hour. In that same race, William Spence (Los Angeles) was killed.