| Show 0 t OPI 0 us by A T roberts A near fatal injury was sustain ed by one of the drivers at the bit and spur clubs presentation of the in adget auto races last satur day at the rodeo grounds it brot out all too clearly to the spectators that here in reality was a death defying sport nearly every sport has in it the element of danger and the b lity of bodily injury this is es specially ally true when man combines I 1 is brans bra ns and brawn with a ma cl me ine and matches them with other men and machines the drivers of these m adget automobiles are fully aware of this and know that with every turn of the wheels death is only as far away as the driver s skill in manu evering his car SAFETY precautions it is not humanly possible to eliminate entirely all the dangers that accompany midget auto rac ing but certa n ons and safety measures can and should be taken to eliminate as many un necessary dangers as possible the accident that occurred sat arday was the result of a broken steering pin faulty me mechanism chanis in and NOT foolhardy driving or the taking of reckless chances caused the tiny car to get out of control and crash headlong through the f fence ence all of the dr vers participating in this thrilling sport are members of the salt lake intermountain rac rae ing association and have commet ed against each other many many times each man is his own per bonal mechanic taking care of his car and performing all tae the main ta nance he believe believes s necessary however these nen are in the game for just one reason a and nd that s to race th s can be attested by the injured driver whose first words after the smashup smash up were how bad is my car hurt can I 1 be in the next race raced each car is attended by a three man p t crew whose job it is to service the car between events and get it rolling for the next race the association should ap po nt rit one man or better still a committee of men whose sole duty should be e to give each car a thor ough inspection prior to each nights program this would assure the drivers and the spectators that all cars are in perfect mechanical condition fans like to see a thrill packed show and the s of these tiny cars roaring around a irth mile track throwing dirt 30 feet in the air certainly satis ties fies even the most rabid fans ap petite but the sight of a car out of control crashing through a fence and seriously injuring the driver is not what they pay to see jack clarke of the bit and spur club is anxious to bring this show back to tooele thoele the M adget rac rae ing association would like to come back and present the r show a gain but mr dark clark will not bring them back until certain safety pre ons have been taken ordinarily everything was done to provide the maximum safety for the drivers and the spectators and certainly no one could foresee such an accident however before the mighty midgets return the track according to mr clarke will be in much better conditions and if poss ble a guard rail will be built around the track this will pre vent any more accidents of the kind seen saturday night NO ONE TO BLAME no one was to blame for sat arday s accident the driver gasn wasn t taking any unnecessary chances the car had been checked and bales of straw had been placed at every curve under normal circum stances no one would have been hurt still a man was seriously injured and before some driver is killed or maimed for life it would be wise to take more stringent steps in examining the mechanical parts of the automobiles HELMETS NOT ENOUGH these contestants drive simply because of the r love of the game and to know the thrill ot of a power full motor under their feet plus a cut of the gate and the prizes offered by the local merchants for their own protection they should insist on a rigid examination of their cars a crash helmet and goggles are not ample protection when a car gets out of control the bit and spur club is to be congratulated in bringing tooele thoele something new and i different diff erent in sporting thrills merchants wh who do 0 bated the special prizes were jack clarke of jack jacks s service who gave 5 gallons of gas A D tanner who contributed 5 gallons of oil the glenwood club in new town and russel s billiards s gave a case of their most popular beverage to the various winners tooele thoele sporting fans are truly sorry an accident marred the races and wish stan rock who at the latest word was recuperating at the L D S hospital a speedy re covery and an early return to the sport he loves so well A word of praise and thanks is due to the doctors for the quick and efficient care mr rock immediately after the t he accident mr rock was rushed t to the dm c by the ambulance a and prompt treatment given to him was largely responsible in curtailing more serious injury |
