HIGH SPEED CRASH

Taranaki Daily News, 1 June 1935, Page 7

HIGH SPEED CRASH

FATALITY IN MOTOR RACE CAR HURTLES OFF TRACK WINNER’S RECORD SPEED PENNILESS DRIVER’S LUCK By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. Rec. 7 p.m. Indianapolis, May 30. Clay Wegtherly, of Cincinnati, was killed, and his mechanic sustained a broken back early in the Memorial Day 500 miles automobile race ’ when their car crashed into a retaining WallComing out of a treacherous northwest turn 32 J miles- after the start, Weatherly lost control when travelling at 110 miles an hour. The car hit a wall, careered down the track, went through a wooden fence and leaped end over end on to the grass in a field. The machine had already cost the life of Johnny Hannon, of Norristown, Pennsylvania, in practice runs. Kelly Petillo, a Los Angeles driver, who was down to his last penny before his luck broke, won the race in 4 hours 42 minutes 22 seconds at the record shattering average speed of 106.24 miles an hour over a rough brick track. Petillo broke the record at 450 miles in 4 hours'7 minutes 15 seconds, averaging 109.201 miles an hour, but rain forced him to slow down from then on. Thirty-three drivers started. Wilbur Shaw was second and Bill Cummings, the winner last year, was third.