Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 January 1913 — AUTOMOBILE SPEED CLASSICS OF 1912 [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AUTOMOBILE SPEED CLASSICS OF 1912

"” ■■■• - - - Distance, Miles Race, Winning Driver— miles per hour. Vanderbilt cup, Milwaukee—Ralph DePalma. 300 68.9 Grand Prize, Milwaukee—Caleb Bragg.. 410 ' 69.3 Free-for-all, Elgin—Ralph DePalma 302.5 68.9 Elgin Trophy, Elgin—Ralph DePalma 254 68.4 Free-for-all, Santa Monica —Teddy Tetzlaff 303 78.7 Free-for-all, Tacoma —Teddy Tetzlaff. 250 ' 65.8 International sweepstakes, Indianapolis—Joe Dawson.. 500 78.72 Desert road race, Los Angeles-Phoenix—Hamlin 511 28.2 Grand Prix of France, Dieppe—George Boillot 956 68.7

Ralph G. De Palma, the sensational auto racer, was born in a small village in southern Italy, Dec. 26, 1883. When the future Huto driver was 7 years old his father decided to become an importer instead of an exporter of dive oils, and moved with his family to America. Ralph was placed in school, but after he had made the primary grades he decided he had absorbed enough learning add quit his books to take up the bicycle racing game. He was a successful bike rider, but the “two wheeler” was too slow for

him, so he abandoned the bicycle for the automobile. De Palma made his first appearance as an auto driver in 1908 at Briarcliff, N. Y. He was mechanician for Al Campbell, but in practice the machine was wrecked and the pilot injured. Ralph agreed to take the wheel after the car was repaired and showed his ability in his first start. Last May De Palma established new records from one to twenty miles at the Los Angeles motordrome, and iii October he won the Vanderbilt cup event at Milwauke.

Ralph G. De Palma.