Motor Age

Motor Age
July 1915

Bob Burman Victor at Burlington

Peugeot Driver Leads Duesenbergs Over Tape in 100-Mile Race on Iowa Half-Mile Track

Burlington, Iowa, July 9 -- In the first 100-mile race held on a half-mile dirt track under the sanction of the American Automobile Association, Bob Burman, driving his Peugeot, captured first money here this afternoon, covering the century in 2 hours 7 minutes 29.66 seconds and averaging 47.06 miles per hour for the distance.

The three Duesenbergs, driven by Billy Chandler, Eddie O'Donnell and Tom Alley, ran second, third and fourth and annexed $1,350, the major portion of the $2,550 prize money hung up by the promoters. Eddie O'Donnell also won three purses of $100 each for leading at the completion of 25, 50 and 75 miles.

O'Donnell Loses Hard Race

O'Donnell, in fact, was more than a serious contender. At the crack of the starter's pistol, he and Alley jumped to the front and at the completion of 25 miles, he had a commanding lead over his rivals. He kept increasing this advantage and was six laps ahead of Burman when he was forced to stop at his pits after covering 86 miles because of a cracked hub and a broken bearing.

This stop lost the race for O'Donnell. While he was repairing his car, Burman made up the lost ground and passed him although he had to make a tire change while the Duesenberg was at the pits.

Burman finished almost 7 minutes ahead of Chandler, who captured second place from O'Donnell by the narrow margin of 22 seconds. Seconds only separated O'Donnell and Alley, making the race one of the most spectacular held on a dirt track this season.

Three other cars started -- Joe Cooper's Sebring; Brown's Du Chesneau and Ball's Buick. The Sebring was put out of commission with a water-flooded carbureter when the car went through a fence and plunged into a pond on its ninety-eighth lap. The Du Chesneau made 199 circuits of the track but did not cross the finishing line. The buick was distanced. The final times were:

1. Peugeot, Burman.....................................................
2. Duesenberg, Chandler..............................................
3. Duesenberg, O'Donnell............................................
4. Duesenberg, Alley...................................................
2:07:29.66
2:14:14.23
2:14:36.80
2:14:51.19

O'Donnell's time for the intermediate distance was as follows: 25 miles, 29 minutes 10.31 seconds; 50 miles, 1 hour 16.91 seconds; and 75 miles, 1 hour 30 minutes 47.18 seconds. Burman trailed him closely until the 50-mile post was passed but in the next 25 miles, O'Donnell gained 4 minutes on the Peugeot and had a most comfortable lead when forced to stop to make repairs on the Duesenberg.

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