Bird's Eye
Page 55
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View BY THE HAWK
Fearless
EADERS will know that Fred Hope has not long returned IX from demonstrating his anti-jack-knife device in America, where the Teamsters Union is pressing for its use. Now that I have read a report of one of his demonstrations I can understand why the Americans were impressed. And F. Hope, Esq., must resign himself to carrying the title of "Fearless Fred" while he keeps this up.
I quote from the Teamsters' own special report: "Most spectacular was the performance by Fred Hope of London, England ... Hope drove a green tanker down a cement runway at 50 miles per hour after the surface had been washed down with hoses from air force fire trucks. The tanker chugged into the standing water and an instant later, Hope stomped on his brakes. The tank trailer began gently coming around and within a moment was jack-knifing like a big steel broom down the runway while the cameras whirred.
"Hope turned his wheel toward the eye of the jack-knife and gradually straightened out, at which point the tank trailer swung the other way like a whip . . until it slammed against the cab. . .. Just to make sure that one and all saw it. Hope did it again with an even more awesome jack-knife that had the tanker going like a giant's toy. . . ."
After that, Fred did it with his device in action: no jack-knife. That's salesmanship.
Forewarned and Unarmed
ARETURN of personal details made to this office by the drivers who have qualified for the final of the LDOY is providing very useful information. We have no wish to influence course officials, nor indeed to alarm them, but it is only fair to warn them that T. Dixon, of Montague Burton Ltd, who competes in Class H, lists his hobbies as judo and ju-jitsu!