His victory, on the other hand,
stimulated foreign interest in the In
dianapolis contest to the highest en
thusiasm, with the result that the
year following a small regiment of
Europeans came in quest of Ameri
can gold and glory; and they have
continued coming, save ' for the in
terruption of the war, ever since.
Goux himself re-entered Indian
apolis competition only last year,
after four years of service in the
French army as an officer in the ar
tillery. Near Belfort, he was struck
by a shell splinter, and is conse
quently decorated with the wound-
stripe that is the highest mark of
distinction in the French army, save
the Croix de Guerre and the red rib
bon of the Legion of Honor.
In last year's contest," Goux finished
In third place, this after having
worked the entire night before the
race rebuilding his motor, the bear
ings in which he had burned out the
day before. But for the fact that he
had to baby his mount during the
early stages of the fray, until he
knew it could be depended on to go
the rest of the distance, he might
easily have finished second or even
better, with a break in the luck.
Not alone Goux's successes on the
Indianapolis speedway, but his gen
uinely delightful, engaging personal
ity have made him the most popu
lar of all European racing drivers.
His friendly enthusiasm and modest
demeanor have won the respect and
admiration of the entire raciog
fraternity, and it is generally felt by
American racing drivers that if they(
must loss to someone from overseas
they would rather it were Goux than
anyone else.
