Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, June 26, 1916, Page 5

_THE BEE: OMAHA, MONDAY, JUNE 26, 1916. ANNOUNCEMENT to the Public in Regard to the Championship Automobile Races to Be Held at the Omaha Speed- way Saturday, July 15, 1916...... i Last year the Auto Speedway Company of Omaha advertised a 300-mile | to be a gruelling race on a muddy track. Half of the cars were shot to pieces, | | automobile race to be held July 5th. Over a dozen drivers signed contracts to | and it was impossible for their drivers and mechanicians to make repairs in time Il participate in this race, and their names were duly advertised by the Auto Speed- | to take part in the Omaha race, as they intended to do. | " ekt Dario Resta’s Peugeot was torn to pieces in the Sioux City race. He made I On the day of the race seven cars made their appearance on the track. One | a desperate effort to replace broken parts, but failed.” Similar happemngs were | of these entered the race after it had started. suffered by Ralph Mulford, ]. Rawlings and others. I The race proved a disappointment to those who attended it and particularly The Auto Speedway Company signed its field of drivers in good faith. lt | to the Auto Speedway Company, as the Speedway officials had made a heavy in- believed they would all appear on the local track. But a few hours before the race | vestment in building the track and were extremely anxious to make good with the | was scheduled to start, it was learned several of the drivers could not get their cars 1 public ori their first race meet. But circumstances over which the Auto Speedway | in shape to race, although they worked desperately to do so. Company had no control existed last year. The American Automobile Association ‘ issued ujlcutl;;)x;s t}f‘or races at Sioux City on July 3d, Tacoma, ]uly 4th and 5th, and Last fall the entire circuit of American speedways, profiting by the Omaha experience, organized. With the collaboration of the American Automobile As- “sociation the officials of the various speedways assembled and planned the 1916 A rumber of dnvers entered the Tacoma race because of inducements offered | season. Sanctions were so distributed that only on one occasion is there a con- | there. Others entered at Sioux City and at Omaha. The Sioux City event proved | fliction of dates, Minneapolis and Sioux City will both hold on July 4th |~ Omaha was awarded the day of July I5th. Between July 4th, when Sioux th and Minneapolis will race, and August 7th when Tacoma will race, Omaha is alone scheduled for a race. . “This misars Omaba will not compete with any other speedways for drivers as it did last year. It also means those cars which break down in previous conmts— | | Sioux City or Minneapolis for instance——will have ample time to be repaired. It also means the drivers will be able to come to Omaha several days %efore the day of the Il race so the public may know for itself, may see with its own eyes, that the drivers are on the ground. i Thus far this year nine drivers have signed to enter the Omakia classic. In addition to their signed contracts they have given their personal word to be in Omaha a | week before the day of the race, and speed and elimination contests will positively be held during the week. I In this number is Dario Resta, champion of all drivers last year and winner this year of Indlanapohs and Chicago, the two biggest races held: Resta will drive his | wonderful French Peugeot, which has developed as high as 112 miles an hour. : | Ralph De Palma, who ranks but a shade behind Resta in victories and who Charles Devlin-has entered the big sixteen-valve Duesenberg which was fourth is declared by some ctics to be the greatest driver. in the game, will bring his fa- | a4 New York and fourth at Chicago this year. Devlin drove the car at New York | gt German Mercedes car to Omaha. and Eddie O’Donnell at Chicago. It is not definitely known which of these drivers Eall l(l';oolr::]r comes to Omahadthllax his Arinedrllacnan Stl:nz a:]dthcxf:lllxzh he s:rlon tihe will pilot the mount here. | i Minnea t | | e SE P o mecls e e o | G, T et b O Sl T i e Ralph B ikl g e B v of i mowy the latest type motor and is expected to prove a sensation before the year ends. | Indianapolis this year, will drive one of the new Hudson Super-six cars, which The Auto Speedway company expects to augment this field with a number of | | have created such a sensation the last few weeks. - other of the country’s great dnivers. No expense will be spared to make the July | ! Jou Vil 46 pilof vt thenew: Hisdaon Stpersix niachines; the one with 15th race-meet a success. The above nine drivers, it is believed, alone would | which he won third place at New York and sixth place at Chicago. X make the local event a success, but the Auto Speedway company is still not content | and will not be until every driver available has entered the local classic. | | Wilbur D’Alene, who has made a sensational bid for fame by winning second | ; | place at Indianapolis and seventh at Chicago this year, will drive one of the new There will be two races held July 15th—150-mile Championship Race, and a | | Duesenbergs. Tommy Milton will also drive a Duesenberg. i 50-mile Free-For-All, a purse of $10,000.00 in cash is to be divided. ; | ‘The public can be assured of thrilling and keenly contested races with practically all the World’s famous drivers competing. Announcements giving the names of all | | the drivers competing and prices for reserved seats will be made in the Daily Papers, from time to time. Watch for them and make your reservations early. The 1916 race | | meet will be a big success and will more than make up for any of the unavoidable shortcomings of the 1915 meet. ' The Auto Speedway Company feels that this frank | | statement of facts will secure for them the hearty support of the people of Omaha and surrounding territory in its effort to keep Omaha in line with other enterprising | cities in the way of big and drawing attractions. Omaha Auto Speedway Co.