As the (Cycle and) Automobile Trade Journal mostly deals with indeed trading/selling issues of cars and car parts, usually racing events are not that intensive highlighted. But the Indianapolis Sweepstakes do get some interesting reports. Here a very concise summary of the 1912 Sweepstakes.
Text and jpegs by courtesy of hathitrust.org www.hathitrust.org, compiled by motorracinghistory.com
Automobile Trade Journal, VOL. XVII (17), No. 1, JULY 1, 1912 page 106-108
Joe Dawson in National Wins 500 Mile Race
Averages 78.72 Miles Per Hour and Sets New Mark For Course.
DePalma In Mercedes Leads Until Within Two Laps of Finish and Forced to Retire After Shattering all Records.
Tetzlaff Finishes Second After Striving to Best DePalma.
Ten Cars Survive.
BY WILLIAM J. JOHNSON
Joe Dawson, driving a National, won the 500-mile race on the 2½ mile oval, brick track at Indianapolis, Decoration Day, and established a new mark for the course, averaging 78.72 miles per hour. Teddy Tetzlaff, in a Fiat, finished second. Dawson won the first prize of $20,000 and side money, which makes the total about $35,000. The order of finish was as follows:
Pos. Driver and Car…. Elapsed time. Prize.
1. Dawson (National) 6:21:06 ……… $20,000
2. Tetzlaff (Fiat) ……. 6:31:29 ……….. 10,000
3. Hughes (Mercer) .. 6:33:09 …….… 5,000
4. Merz (Stutz) ……… 6:34:40 …..……. 3,000
5. H. Endicott (Schacht) 6:46:28 .…… 2,500
6. Zengel (Stutz) …… 6:50:28 ………… 2,000
7. Jenkins (White) …. 6:52:38 ………… 1,500
8. Horan (Lozier) …… 6:59:38 ………… 1,400
9. Wilcox (National) . 7:11:30 ………… 1,300
10. Mulford (Knox) … 8:53 …………….. 1,200
Average speed, 78:72 miles per hour.
De Palma’s Hard Luck.
As tough luck as ever befell a race driver was that experienced by the intrepid Ralph DePalma driving a German Mercedes, the fastest car on the track, judged by the time made. After the third lap DePalma held the lead up to the 198th lap at which stage of the race one of his pistons was fractured so that he had to withdraw and he and the mechanic pushed the silent car back to the paddock. In two more laps DePalma would have captured first place and all that went with it and would have had further consolation in setting new marks for all distances.
Dawson, who took his winning as a matter of course, was extended a rousing ovation at the conclusion of the race.
Endurance and High Sustained Speed.
From the outset it was apparent that records would be smashed. Tetzlaff led off and drove at terrific speed. Bruce Brown was out for glory and opened up the National but was destined to drop out early. DePalma and Wishart had ideas of their own as to speed, and Wild Bob Burman, in the white Cutting, impressed one as being well worth watching. So severe was the grind that but ten cars finished the race, out of a field of twenty-four starters. De Palma’s speed was amazing and lap after lap he averaged better than 83 miles.
No Fatalities.
There were no fatalities, and though there were several accidents no one was severely injured. Early in the race Knight in the Lexington, left the track, but was not hurt much. The McFarlan „six,“ on the home banked turn, struck the wall and snapped off two wheels. The driver and mechanic scrambled out of the way and the car remained up the bank. Burman, after having run very consistently, left the track on the back stretch and the big Cutting plowed through the loose earth. Bob and his mechanic escaped little hurt.
One of the Stutz entries left the track in a manner similar to Burman, but the Occupants escaped.
Much Engine Trouble.
A feature of the race was engine trouble which was in evidence from the start of the contest. The German Opel, of which much had been expected, in certain quarters, went out early with a broken connecting rod; engine trouble put Matson out of the running with his Lozier; a faulty clutch put a damper on Mulford’s aspirations and caused him to finish the race all alone and long after the others had left the track. One of the Case cars had cam shaft troubles; the Wishart Mercedes broke a water connection. At the end of the 157th lap twelve cars were still in the race with as many prizes to fight for.
Photos.
Page 106: Dawson, the winner, at the finish. Wagner, the starter, can also be seen holding a black and white checkered flag, meaning „You have finished.“
A rear view of the pits above the canvas tops of which several of the contesting cars and their pilots can be seen.
Page 107: INDIANAPOLIS SWEEPSTAKES – No. 1. Bunched on the home stretch. No. 2. The wrecked Cutting. No. 3. Bob Burman after the accident. No. 4. At first turn after start. No. 5. Horan in Lozier, De Palma in Mercedes and Jenkins in White on back stretch. No. 6. The winning National after the race. No. 7. The start. No. 8. White, Cutting, Firestone-Columbus, Marquette-Buick and Schacht. No. 9. Bruce Brown’s National and Dawson’s National. No. 10. The Mercer a consistent performer.
