Then slowly up the track is seen the worthy Jake carefully picking his way, with foot extended, and, trailing on the ground, caught between the spokes and the right fork, is his front cover, and dangling from the hub are a few shreds of what had one been a tube. Yes, riding on the rim, with not a scrap of rubber between the metal and the track, came the tough little man from over the water, and, with never a word of anger or annoyance, explained that his tyre had suddenly burst, and the cover come off the rim. Think of it! At 80 miles an hour, Jake the redoubtable held up his racer when the tyre left the rim. "Miraculous!" "Incredible!" were the expressions used by the racing men when they had fully grasped the meaning of it all.
One match each and one to go. What better sport could be hoped for? The wired on Blue Streak was cut off the wheel by Jake's orders, the wheel extracted and another front wheel, shod with a Continental, substituted for it.
The final had now to be run off, and all was ready for the start when it was discov�ered that the Indian machine was loose as to some of its nuts, so that a spanner had to be procured, for these racers do not carry tool-bags. Then, after a false start, it was ascertained that the trailing cover had broken one of the carbon brushes in Jake's magneto, so another journey had to be made to get another one.
Off at last. What a shout! What terrific excitement among the crowd is now caused by these two machines rapidly gaining speed - speed so abnormal that before everyone was aware that these two motorcycling giants had really started on their great deciding battle their engines were roaring under the bridge, and in less time than it takes to write, they were back again past the judge's box, neck and neck, though, after taking the hill and the big banking, the wily Jake tucked in behind the Matchless once more!
In this order the second lap was run, but the sight of the little brown-clad man, with his leather helmet, on his great wobbling racer keeping less than a wheel's length behind his rival, sent many a thrill through those who saw him. The next lap it was Jake who crossed the line first, but Collier came down the straight 10 lengths ahead, and the over-hopeful Britishers shouted for joy. "C.R." did this half-mile in 84.8mph, but that relentless Yankee racer was on his back tyre again at the aeroplane sheds.
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