Unknown Hero of the Race
The Mechanician Who Sits in the Seat of the Lowly is the Man Who Spells Success
The mechanician may be said to sit in the seat of the lowly. The honor, the glory, the laurel wreath, the golden trophies, and not to mention the sack of double eagles, are generally handed to the winning driver and the car.
But from these mechanicians of to-day come generally the championship drivers of to-morrow. It is he who must watch the car, the tires, the lubrication, and everything about the mechanical monster that is annihilating time and space under the guidance of the driver.
It is he who constantly watches road conditions, must warn the oncoming car, and practically is responsible for everything except the course and speed the car takes.
His judgment in the racing motor car of to-day must be at least as great as that of the man at the wheel, and while he has heretofore been overlooked. Motoring Magazine wishes to place him on record, and in its humble way give him his just dues.
John Jepsen.
John Jepsen comes from Denmark, and is 25 years old; he has for the last two years been Ruckstall's mechanician. Jepsen has ridden with Ruckstall in the San Diego, Corona, Bakersfield and Fresno races, and in fact has ridden with Ruckstall in every race except the one in Tacoma when Joe Thomas helped out.
Joe Thomas.
Joe Thomas, rider as mechanician with Eddie Pullen in the world's speed record Mercer, is a Seattle boy, 26 years old. Thomas has been in the racing game since 1908, and has made a reputation of his own as a driver, being known as the "Speed King of the Northwest." He began his racing career in 1908, winning two events in Yakima. In 1909 he drove in the races at Cohasset Beach, Washington. In 1910 he continued his winnings at Yakima, Tacoma. In 1911, his principal races were in Yakima, Tacoma and Vancouver, besides a number of minor racing events in the Northwest. 1912 saw him driving in the same events and in the same territory. In 1913 he made quite a reputation driving at Tacoma, Vancouver and on the Portland speedway. In 1913 and 1914 he won the P. I. reliability tour. In 1914 he drove in one of the Tacoma races, and rode as mechanician with Guy Ruckstall. Later he joined Pullen, and was with him when he broke the world's record at Corona.
F. A. Schultz.
F. A. Schultz, who will ride with Louis Nikrent in the Baby Mercer, was born in Trenton, 24 years ago, and has come up as one of the experts in the Mercer factory in his home town. Schultz has been relief mechanician on the Mercer racing team in 1913 and 1914. This is his first year as a regular member of a crew.
C. Quicksell.
C. Quicksell, who is to act as mechanician for Caleb Bragg, a Trenton boy 38 years old, has been with the Mercer people as factory expert for several years, and has acted always as one of the mechanicians. This, however, is the first time that he has been a member of a regular driving crew, and comes West to act for the noted millionaire driver.
R. Dutton.
R. Dutton, who will act as mechanician with Earl Cooper, was born in Rochester, N. Y., 27 years ago. In the early part of last year he joined Cooper as mechanician in the races at Tacoma, and since that time has been the assistant to this well known California driver.
Dave Louis.
Dave N. Lewis is a Native Son, having been born in Los Angeles 34 years ago, and will be mechanician for Howard Wilcox. Between 1902 and 1905 he acted as driver and mechanician in the White steam car racing team. Between 1905 and 1910 he was out of the game, but returned at the latter date and joined Teddy Tetzlaff, with whom he rode until the beginning of 1912, when he joined the Stutz combination. His most prominent event in that year was in the race held over the Santa Monica course. In 1913 he went East and drove all summer on the Brighton Beach course, where he won the title of the "Race King of Brighton Beach." In 1914, he drove 120 h. p. F. I. A. T. in the Corona race, and came back this year to join the Stutz team as Wilcox's partner.
Jack Rooney.
J. A. Rooney, who will act as Gil Anderson's mechanician on the Stutz car, was born in Waltham, Mass., 32 years ago. He began as a mechanician in 1909, and in 1910 and 1911 was with Frank Lee when he was driving the fast Alco car. In 1912 he was in the light-class contest at the Milwaukee meet. In 1913 he joined the Stutz racing team, and since that date has been racing with Gil. Anderson.
Walter McHenry.
McHenry, who will ride with Louis Disbrow in his Simplex as mechanician, has acted in the same capacity for Teddy Tetzlaff in 1912. He has also been at the wheel of racing cars in some of the prominent contests held in Honolulu.
"Bob" Hopkins.
Robert S. Hopkins, who will act as mechanician on the Edward's Special, is 36 years old, being born in Brockville, Ontario, Canada. Hopkins has been an expert mechanic, but this is the first time that he has ridden in the extra seat in a racing car.
Harry Rose.
Harry Rose, who will be with Kennedy in the Edward's Special, was born in San Francisco, 24 years ago. He has been riding with Kennedy in the Santa Monica races, the Tacoma speedway, and other events, as well as in the Portola and Panama races over the Oakland, Haywards course. In some of the coast races he has been mechanician for Teddy Tetzlaff. He has signed up to follow the Edward's Special through its racing program for 1915, a car which he has built.
——The famous Yellowstone Trail was put on the map of Portland for all time recently by A. L. Love, of Bozeman, Mont., who made a speech before the Portland Automobile Dealers' Association at the Commercial Club. "The Yellowstone Trail has been blazoned from St. Paul to Montana already, and yellow guide signs are plastered intermittently, in some places on every telephone pole. Arrangements already have been made to extend the highway and post the Trail signs as far as Spokane."
