The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-12
INTERNATIONAL AUTO RACE.
SIGNIFICANCE ar CONTEST FOR
AMERICANS THIS YEAR.
In Practical Importance u IL Gseater Thsa
other Sporting E,ents--biisaory Of the
Nace-The Course. Rules, Contestants
and Cars Now Entered for July =.

Otnef sporting HNcnSS-USWVry % WV
Nace-The Course. Rules, Cent estants
and Csrs Now Entered for July ,.
While the Yacht race for tho Americas
Cup IL viewed as the greatest OF all sporting
events Of International interest. there Is
another race, nearer at hand in calendar
reckoning, the result of which is. for vari-
Gus reasons, of more serious importance.
This 10 the international automobile race
for the championship trophy coveted by
all Europe This contest deals with
sport comparatively new. one perhaps less
regal than yachting; the race has attached
to 1t neither the sentiment grown out OF
classic history, nor the popular Familiarity
that has the duel between the big single
stick boats, and maybe II will not ever COM
mand the general interest that the boat
race does. 1t deserves, however, moro
interest than IL has had. 1t bids for patri-
otto sentiment. Instead Of two, there are
four OF the greatest Powers In the compe-
tition. 1t does not furnish beautiful
spectacle, but there 10 practical i'm
portance In tho race, because 1t reflects
upon the commercial prestige Of the coun-
try. a. well as It's sporting proficiency.
Az with the yacht race, the victory in
the automobile contest virtually proclaims
tho superiority Of the victorious nation IN
the construction Of the vehicle employed.
Supremacy in making automobiles may he
said to be q matter OF more general i'm
portance than 1t is in building yachts. be-
cause Of the motor vehicles being more ex-
tensively used and because OF the now rec
ognized fact that they are destined to be-
come the most common means OF Transport
tation.
There are millions OF dollars Of capital
invested In the manufacture OF automo-
biles in the United States, and the eyes
OF the world are watching to see II Ameri-
can enterprise and ingenuity are going to
excel in this line OF industry as in others.
For these reasons, although it lacks tho
sporting favor. the picturesqueness and
historic character Of the tussle between the
yachts, the struggle OF the engine-endowed
road chariots is an event OF great moment
1t is now only little more than month
before the time when, on July 2, represen-
tatives OF four nations, France, Germany.
England and America, will meet with motor
cars on Irish soil to contest in road race
for the International cup. The interest OF
all America is challenged in the race this
year, because II will be the first time that
q team from this country has been regu-
Arly entered 1t WAS not until the manu-
iacturers Of Europe and Great Britain had
been three or four years seriously engaged
In building automobiles that the makers
In this country began to experiment at It,
and until the product of the American
makers for 1903 was seen at the last national
show in January 1t was a common say
ing admitted by all, that we are Ave
Years behind Europe In automobile pro-
duction.'
In one year the American makers made
such progress that they almost closed that
gap--at least they came 50 near to closing
II that there was no difficulty in hnding
men with sufficient confidence in the motor
cars made here TO volunteer to form an
race. That could not have been done .
year or two ago. Once before, In the year
whom this International contest was In
augurated. an American car participated.
That was by one Of tho pionssI build ss,
the race before 1t was finished.
The race was instituted In 1900, when
James Gordon Bennett presented trophy
to the Automobile Club Of France, with the
condition that It was to be a psrps PCT :,
nations having automobiles clubs recog-
nized by the Automobile Club Of France.
In the hrst race France had it all her own
way. The race was run on the road from
Paris to Lyons and ALWAYS has been CON
distance was 3a3A milee. Charron. the
Frenchman, won In hours and ninutea.
with Q Panhard, his speed averaging 3S,45
miles an hour. Giradot was second and
waa the only other competitor to finish.
Aln~tav 1N
abandoned the race. and De Knyf broke
his gears.
In 1901 the race was run in conjunction
with the Paris Bordeaux event on May
20, and again it was practically failure
from the standpoint Of iu a,n Ing E9 dea
In instituting the race was to promote
the industry by inspiring composition be-
tween the manufacturers Of different coun-
triee, but the conditions OF the race we're
such that In the first two years the makers
outside OF France had no chance. The
rules required. and do now, that every part
of the vehicle entered must be made In the
country which 1t represented.
This was a severe restriction on the
ioteign makers. who at that time were
relying largely on France for certain parts
and accessories.
In Illustration OF the difficulty caused by
the conditions 1t may be mentioned that
only one Of three Englishmen entered
for the race in 1901 put In an appearance.
That one was s. F. Edge, hut he WAS unable
to get TO Paris with his English tires. and
having no time to get fresh once from
home he put on French tires: That barred
him from the race. The Germans were
unable to get German made bodies fitted
to their cars 10 time for the race, and 40 It
was started with three Frenchmen In it
Oharron, In twenty-iour horsepower PAN
hard; Levegh, in Mors, and Giradot,. in q
Panhard. Charron and Levegh broke down
and Giradot finished alone In a crippled
condition He made the a27H miles In the
net tirne Of 9 hours SO minutes 50 seconds.
or at about the rate OF thirty-seven miles
an hour.
Last year the race was run In connection
with the Paris Vienna contest, the cup race
finishing at Innsbruck. a distance OF about
$40 miles. s, F. Edge Of England was the
only competitor not Of France. The other
contestants were Gira dot, Fourier and De
Knyfi. Fournier and Giradot broke down
before completing half the Journey, Edge
had only q thirty horsepower Napier.
while De Knyff's Panhard was twice as
powerful The English machine proved
the more reliable, howeyer. for De Knyff
broke down near the finish and Edge fin
ished the race alone and won the trophy.
For the race Of this year there is every
promise Of q rousing composition and a
fine spectacle. The French club feels
very badly over the CUP having been taken
from its country, the English are determined