Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 303, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 December 1912 — INDIVIDUAL ROAD RACING CHAMPION [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

INDIVIDUAL ROAD RACING CHAMPION

Ralph De Palma Is the individual road racing champion of America for the season of 1912, and the car honors go to the Mat, according to the finding of the jury of critics, which passes upon such things, the American Automobile association declining to undertake the task of picking title holders. De Palma succeeds to the unofficial title, which in the past has been held by Harvey Herrick, Ralph Mulford and Bert Dlngley, through having won four out of the five road races, in which he started last summer. Teddy Tetzlaff might be styled runner-up, because of his having won three firsts, while Harry Endicett is next with two. The 1912 road racing season wound up with the running of the Phoenix

desert events, and following the dropping of the curtain the results of the year have been summarized by C. G. Sinsebaugh, chairman of the contest board of the Chicago Automobile club, who makes his report in the Motor Age. Critics will be surprised to find that 1912 wasn’t so much of an “off” year as anticipated. There were twenty road races run as against twenty-sev-en in 1911. There were 156 entries in the twenty events, as against 202 the season previous, and the average number of starters was slightly in excess of 1911. The distances averaged greater, too, 232 as against 206. A better percentage of finishers, also, is reported, while the same number of makes of cars competed this year as last—forty-four.

Ralph De Palma, Champion Driver.