The evening world. Newspaper, September 19, 1922, Page 20

a EE LL CA nea 20 THE EVENING WORLD, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1922, —KidMechanic Built Flivver‘out of Junk —WonPikesPeakClimb/ =~ How Noel Bullock, 21, With Discarded * Auto Parts Assembled a Car, Built His Own Engine, Drove His “Tin Can’’ .to Colorado Springs, Entered the Race :“‘Broke’’ and by Sensational Driving Beat Whole Field of Crack Pilots and America’s Highest Priced Cars * By J. B. Day. - aafrrvtens teas Cow York Braning World) by the Frese Pubiishing Company f Pee HIS is the story of a the aggregate, cost me more than all é Nebraska “kid,” the rest of the machine, but no single 4 barely turned voting wheel or tire cost me as much as the age, who carved him- engine block.” self a niche in the On the engino block Bullook riggod automobile Hall of up an eight-cylinder motor—offapring Fame, out in Colo- of his own génius as a mvtur me- rado, Labor Day, chanio, whol he shinnied up the Pike's Peak The contraption was finished a ‘auto pighway in a home-brewed fllv- week before the day of the race. Since veresapproximate cost $400—winning he didn’t have the necessary money to the, fourth annual world's champion- ship the machine by ‘train, Bullock shill climbing contest against @ drove it overland to Colorado Springs humbering many of the highest- —at the base of the famous peak up a a> FF b> | Airplane view of the priged cars turned out of the automo- bil #/ factories of America. His name is Noel Bullock and he hatik’ trom North Platte. He's an autifhobile mechanic by profession; an optimist by nature, and he nurses an “itch” to write his name along- ~wide those of Barhey Oldfield, the Chilvtolet brothers, Ralph Mulford Sthe Hoste of speed demons who have'made racing history. For several years Bullock has en- Joyetoonsiderable of a reputation as which the race course winds. “The engine needed limbering up, anyway,’ the blond youth explained, “and the trip across the plains and mountains between North Platte and Colorado Springs gave me an oppor- tunity’to get a good line on just what my machine would do.’* When Bullock drove into Colorado Springs on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 2, and pulled up in front of the garage where most of the entries for the race were quartered, race enthu- siasts and pilots were hard put to suppress smiles of derision, Bullook eensed the spirit of ridicule in the is Pike's Peak auto high- way, the course on which the world’s championship hill climb run, can a GWE track driver In the immediate titude of the crowd which gathered vicimity of his home town, put the Labor Day race was his first dip into the “big time” game. That the suo- east coms he achieved with his nondescript SAE er raanteen eon Ss ot a ee | @istance annihilator augure well for the realization of his ambition goes ‘without saying. ‘The notability of his feat was en- hanced by the fact that he was pitted gainst many seasoned race drivers. Gevaral of the pilots had participated fn gach of the climbs since the classic ‘was.established, whereas Bullock had Grivph over the course but once and wag!'pnly vaguely familiar with the Many dangerous turns and ewitoh- back@, on the cloud-ridden boulevard. The component parts of Bullock's moypt came from an automobile graveyard in North Platte. The en? wine block cost him $50 and was the most expensive single part compris- fing the machine, The frame was that of a light delivery truck which had extlived its usefulness, supposed- dy, When the North Platte grocer who owned the truck sold it to the dealer fm automobile junk from whom Bul- lock “bought it. The radiator was from « junked car likewine, *Lgot me a set of wire wheels and four new tires," said Bullock, deserth. rg the assembling of Lin brain child, “because L knew I eouldn’t get any- where in the ruce unless wicels A “hairpin” turn on the course—it was on one of these dangerous curves that Bullock came within an inch of disaster and furnished the most startling thrill of the race. about ne “latest arrival,’ but he smiled a 1 said nothing Ranged alongside of the big, poworful, beautifully finished cars that were entered for the event, rep resenting some of the most expensive ones mannfactured in America, the unpainted, hoodless burlesque of an automobile herded by the unassuming Nebraska lad looked, as one spectator expressed it, like “a croap between a kiddie kar and a pushmobile,”’ Saturday night Bullock slept in the machine, He had two ¢ One was that he didn't want to get very for Nin choles of a joduins pin that he was not overburdened with funds. Sunday he took “Old Lis,” as he calls it, over the race course, for the dual purpose of testing its climbing ability on @ real hill and familiariz- ing himself with the road. Bright and early Monday morning he was at the starting point—Crystal Creek Bridge, between mile ports § and 6 on the highway. He greeted race offictals wth a broad amile and a hearty talk shop with the pilots who had preceded him to the atarting tape With the starting Ume of the first = eee at ° SUID ASSOC TOOTTOTUTOTTNOETAPPEONTEAeCLCCTY OALSET From an automobile graveyard in North Platte, Bullock resurrected the miscellaneous parts that were to fashion his racing car. “Junk Special.” of the officials notleed Bullock | Number on his It could truthfully have been entered Bullock poked around Im his tool box and brought out a ‘small can of black forefinger into roared away tape at five-minuto intervals to the accompaniment and handclapping, but there ¥ hor #lde of th "Howdy!" and proceeded to y ' . evinced no aligns of surging blood + Ungling nerves, rson was Nool Bullook ancortained that Noel Bullock and the “home brewed flivver” in which he won the race in competition with some of the best drivers and highest priced cars manufactured in America. don't I'll have to be borrowin’ money to eat on."* The Pike's Peak auto highway runs from the pleturesque little town of Cascade, in Ute Pass, to the very tip- top of Arherica's most famous moun- tain. It 1s eighteen miles in length and the race, starting at a point be- tween mile posts 5 and 6, covers a span of 124% miles in which there are 147 curves. The average grade is 7 per cent. and the maximum grade 10 per cent, The summit of Pike's Peak is 14,- 109 feet above sea level and there is scarcely a day in the year that does not see either rain, snow or sleet—~ frequently all three—on the vast stretches above timberline. Ordinary driving over the motor highway 1s what might be termed “‘tieklish busi- ness.” Racing at top speed around the hairpin curves and letter “'S"’ turns is calculated to make the stout eat heart flutter It had rained and snowed, alter- nately, on the summit Sunday after- noon and night, with the result that when race time arrived the last three miles of the course were almost ankle- deep in soft slush, making fast driv- ing particularly precarious Predic- {ions were made that the pilots would not be able to approach the record of 18.24.7, made by Ralph Mulford in a Hudson in 1916. When W. 8. Haines, veteran pilot and the first starter, flashed up the peak in 20:81, the wiseacres evinced surprise and the chances of Bullock's ‘giing contrivance seemed to vanish in thin alr. But Bullock never quit smiling, His faith in his home- made racer did not falter Harold Brinker, piloting the ma- chine which made the third best showing In the time trials which were held the day before Bullock arrived hil in 20 minutes 45 4-5 seconds King Rhiley, last year's winner, took his car to the top in 20 minutes 5 sec onds. P. R. Abbott went up in 20 minutes 7 seconds, and- Noel Bullock, tdw-headed “kid” from North Platte, Neb., a rank out sider, counted out by the wise guys before the race, crouched over the wheei of what his rivals called a “tin can,"’ flashed over the tape in 19 minutes, 50 4-5 seconds, after one of the most hair-raising exhibitions ever seen on any race course He waa still smiling when he clam. bered out of the improvised seat of his improvised flivve He hed rea son to smile, for he had tail, figuratively speaking, to the elite of the automobile universe; he was king of the hill climbers, ownor of 600 big round slmoleons—tho prize that went with victory—and proné possessor, for a year at least, of the Penrose trophy, a cup fashioned of lorado silver and gold, standing 48 hes high and reputed to ba the richest trophy ever offered fer an av- tomobile race ’s exhibition of driving was tatore who were on the course at evious races as the most startling they had seen. He’ took the dangorous ourves with throt ie wide open and exhanst roaring lke a battery of ma ie guns, Once, he came within an ace of disaster—pos- sibly death—when |.is machine skid Ged to the outer edge of the onnrse and his left hind wheel dropped ove the side. But the transmission hous ing stopped the threatened plunge the tire on the right reat wheel bit into the gravel roadway and got him back on the course “~ wouldn't want to drive ft after dark,” was his laconie comment om the hazards attending the race up "Hope | gel in the money," ‘t starter. hore the world's highest automobile boiler was paore or loss excitement a the Oded to an vard. ste@h up, The whcels enquires, in faraway from bis machine; the @ther machiue but & few minutes away, ome to start an Ne. 34 ‘te F' ta Celoréo, Sarings, “enetied the