Evening star., 1907-07-01
READY FOR THE GRAND PRlx
PREPARATIONS COMPLETED FOR
FRENCH AUTOMOBILE RACE.
Contest Promises to Be tho Hardest
Fought-Elaborate Arrangements.
Soldiers to Guard the Course.

nave oeen completed for the Grand Prfx
contest of the Automobile Club of France
tomorrow. which promises to be the hardest
fought and fastest race yet rum
The Madrid-Paris competition last year.
when the cars were driven half the TINA
through surging sea of people. was the
deathblow to strsghtaway speed racing in
France. This year a beautiful. closed.
triangular course. the angles being at
Dieppe, Eu and Londinieres one of which
skirts the sea, has been selected. 1t meas
ures seventy kilometers, and must be cir
Quilted ten times. The roadway is in per-
feet condition. undulating. with a few dan
gerous turnings and many rapid curves.
1t Is expected that Duray's record for speed
over the ArQenneS course VIII be broken.
The most elaborate arrangements will be
made to prevent mobs from Invading the
track. Eight thousand soldiers will be
stationed at forty-foot intervals along the
course. and no person within the Enclosure
Will be allowed to cross till the race Is fin
ished
The club this year has discarded the rule
regarding the weight of cars, substituting a
limit OF essence consumption to thirty liters
per 100 kilometers.
Thirty-Eight Entries
There are thirty eight entries, represent
ing fifteen firms, including twenty-four
French. five Italian. three Belgian. three
German. two English. one Swiss and two
Americans-Elliott F. Shepard and w. C.
Christie. The latter will drive his own
car, which is the highest powered of all
those entered, having 135 horsepower. with
Shepard will drive a Bayard-Clement Two
English cars and one of the French cars
have eight cylinders. The pilots include
practically all the worlds stars. among
them being Nazarro. SzisZ, Lancia, Wagner
Jenatzy. Pougier, Duray and Hemery.
The FoSfocf Niro,,it
In the preliminary trials Navarro has
made the fastest circuit-forty-two min
utes-in a Christie. while Lancia and Wag-
ner have done the best work at the curves,
and have made the fastest spurts. The lat
ter was timed going at the rate of 16O kilo-
meters an hour. The chances favor the
French retaining the cup. on account of
Their preponderating numbers
About one hundred thousand visitors are
expected here tomorrow. Dieppe is already
overcrowded. The fetes have already be-
gun with torchl1ght professions and fire.
works. AS the hotels at this ana the neigh
boring water resorts are not capable of ac-
commodating the crowds. fabulous prices
are being charged for rooms, and tents are
being erected along the course to shelter
the overflow. Prominent automoblists
from America, Great Britain and the conti-
nent are bound for Dieppe to witness the
spectacle. Jefferson De Mont Thomson
chairman of the racing board of the Amer,
lean Automobile Association, has arrived
here to gather ideas for the Long Island
parkway.
President Fallieres and the cabinet m,nis-
ters Will watch the race from a tribune in
the grandstand., The Grand Duchess of
-Schwerin and her suite have
already arrived here.
Some Of the Entries.
Elliott Fitch Shepard of New York, who
will be one Of the two American contest
ants in the race for the Grand Prix. is a
son Of the late Col Elliott F. Shepard of
New York. and a grandson of the late Will
liam H. Vanderbilt. He is we'll known in
automobile circles, and finished fourth in
the first half and fourth in the second half
of the Grand Prix race on June %, 1906 He
competed in the Vanderbilt cup race on
Long Island on October of the same
year.
w. c. Christie drove a car for James L.
Breese In the Vanderbilt cup race of Oc-
tober 10. 1905. and on October g. 1906, but
did not finish In either event.
Felice Nazzaro. who for years has driven
Flat car, is an Italian. He finished third
In the international automobile cup race in
France on July .. 1905. and competed in the
Vanderbilt cup race Of October IA. 1905, and
October @. 1905 falling to finish on both
occasions He won the Florio cup at
Palermo. On April IA of the present year
and on June IA last he won the German
emperors cup over the Taunus circuit
Francois Szisz was born in France. He
drove a Renault car and did not finish in
the Vanderbilt cup contest on October IA,
1905. On June 81 1905, Szisz won the
Grand Prix. for which he was congratu-
lated by Minister Of Public Works Bar
shon.
Louis Wagner was also born in France.
He was contestant In the Vanderbilt cup
race, October IA, 1905. and did not finish,
but October last Wagner won the Van
derbilt cup.
Camille Jenatzy is Belgian. He wen
the international cup race in Ireland in
1903. did not finish in the Vanderbilt cup
race OF October, 1905. and was fifth in the
Vanderbilt contest Of October last.
G. Duray is a Frenchman He finished
third In the elimination trial to pick a
French team for the James Gordon Ben
nett international race. and did not finish
in the Vanderbilt race Of October, 1905.
Duray finished eighth in the race for the
Grand Prix, June q, 1906. won the interna-
tional race over the Ardennes course, Bel
gium, August IA, 1906. establishing a speed
record: finished third in the Vanderbilt race
OF October last and won the Moscow-St
Petersburg race June Of the present
year.
Auguste Hemery was born In France. He
lost the Florio cup race at Brescia, Sep
tember 10. 19O5.-on corrected time, after
finishing first. He won the Vanderbilt cup
October IA, 1905: broke the worlds record
for a kilometer in Paris. December 30.
1905. covering the distance In 20 3-5 sec
onds and was disqualified In the Ormond