Rosemeyer's Race

This year's redesigning of the pretzel-shaped Roosevelt Raceway at Westbury, L. I., scene of the 300 mi. George Vanderbilt Cup automobile race, was intended to encourage more thrilling, more dangerous speeding, confine the dull, slow driving to seven turns. But on the simplified course this week's Cup contest resolved itself into a grinding 90-lap parade much like last year's except that this time specially-built German, as well as Italian, cars thundered steadily and safely down the straightaways.

Favorite was blond Bernd Rosemeyer of Germany who last year won seven out of eight Grand Prix races in Europe, easily outclassed Italy's Tazio Nuvolari, the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup winner. Rosemeyer got away fast at the start this week, temporarily yielded his lead to his countryman Rudolf Caracciola until the tenth lap. Noisiest and swiftest (160 m.p.h.) on the straightaways, Rosemeyer roared up a lead of two-thirds of a lap before the race was one-third run. Headed only when he dropped out for tire changes on the 79th lap, Rosemeyer soon caught young Dick Seaman of England piloting a Mercedes. Then for ten laps Seaman tore like the wind scarcely 15 sec. behind Rosemeyer. Before the finish he stopped for a fuel lap, let Rosemeyer streak home for the $20,000 first prize. The winner averaged 82 1/2 m.p.h., snail slow compared to the 229 m.p.h. he recently clocked on a ten-mile European stretch, but fast compared to Nuvolari's 1936 average of 65.9 m.p.h.

Rosemeyer drives a sleek, silver Auto Union with the motor mounted in the rear, amuses grease-stained U. S. racers by strolling about the track in dressy shorts and green Tyrolean hat. In off hours he has been taught to fly by his wife, Elly Beinhorn, Germany's most famed aviatrix.

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