The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-21
WILL ABANDON
RACING ON
TRACKS
Local Auto Club ReVerses
Decision and Will Conduct
Endurance Contests.

Reversing its original decision to hold a
series Of automobile races at Waverly
track on election day, the New Jersey
Automobile and Motor Club has determined
to give up all track racing for the present
and turn TO endurance contests, which it
believes will be more popular and bene-
fetal. This conclusion was reached after
consultation with the leading automobile
dealers in this city who expressed a
as opposed to rack competition.
Neither the date nor the course for the
proposed event has been selected. The
time will probably be the middle of No
vember, however. and the roads of the
northern part of this State selected for
the course. The club officials propose to
confne the contest to the highways of
New Jersey, the same procedure which was
followed in the case of the three-day con-
test run by the club last spring.
In many ways the fall contest will differ
from the spring event. 1t will occupy
one full day, that is, twenty-four hours.
actual running time. The start will be
made on noon of one day, and the finish
will come the moor of the next. Final
rules for the contest have not yet been
evolved, but the race committee which
will have charge of the contest has them
pretty well in mind.
Definite announcement Is mad that there
will be no economy features, such as the
measuring Of gasoline and oil, connected
with the run. Such a course would be I'M
fair to the big touring cars, the race COM
mittee considers.
A radical departure from the rules of
the previous contest is being thought Of
in the adjustment of all controls except
those at the start AMI finish and possibly
an intermediate one to make 1t. necessary
for the contestants to follow the pre-
scribed route Nineteen miles per hour
will be the speed requirement. The full
filling of this schedule will keep the drivers
busy. especially those on duty during the
night.
Many dealers who took part in the
spring contest considered that event too
severe a test upon the judgment of the
driver and not enough of a trial of the
capabillty Of the cars competing. For
this reason it is very likely that only
enough checking stations will be estab-
lished to keep the contestants down to the
legal rate of speed and also to make GER
tain that there is no prosecuting In an
effort to make up lost time.
The plan Of observers as carried out in
the previous contest will be retained prac-
tically unaltered Each contestant upon
entering a car will be asked to nominate
one observer for each machine he pro-
poses to enter. TIL ese observers will then
be assigned to a car of another make upon
the day of the run, In order that there
may be no collision between drivers and
observers. Because the club intends to
Iyaa~ fhA ao-o 49, two Nnntfn1Ynrrclx 4Nr
twenty-four hours, t may be necessary to
have two distinct sets Of Observers, but
this has not been definitely determined.
Contestants will be allowed to have as
many drivers to a car as are desired, 80
that one driver will not lave to pilot a
machine for a lo-g ger period than he
pleases.N The cars will be compelled to
carry a full quota of passengers, based
on a regulation similar to that govern
Ing the spring contest.
Just what route the committee will Sc
lect Is as yet uncertain. Most of the deal
ers <are in favor of as hilly and hard a
course as it is practicable to fnd. Run
ming at a rate of nineteen miles an hour
for twenty-four hours the cars would
cover something over 45O miles. The Off
Gals having charge of the run have real
lied that it would be very hard to find
one course of this length. AS a result 1t
will be necessary to map out a course and
have the machines cover this several
times. 1t is thought that this will not
only make 1t easier for the drivers, as
they will become more familiar with the
peculiarities of the course, but will also
arouse more interest, as the machines will
pass a given point several times.
A course that has been suggested lies
through Montclair and Caldwell, through
Parsippany to Kenville, then back to
Morristown by way of Mt. Freedom. From
Morristown the car would be required to
go through Mendham and around to this
city through Bernardsyille.
Horace A. Bonnell, secretary of the club,
said yesterday that he expected there
would be at least fifteen and probably
twenty entries. The dealers have shown
not a little Interest in the project, and
several have stated their intention of en-
tering W or three cars.