The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-10-23
Last Day of Practice For
Big Vanderbilt Cup Race

NEW YORK, Oct. "a score of
the fastest racing cars in the world
are today sweeping furiously around
the great Long Island course, engaged
in the last days practice for tomor-
rows Vanderbilt Cup race This years
contest for the cup. promises to be
the most successful road race ever
held in America. Thousands of people
will begin congregating tonight in the
big grand stand of the Long Island
motor parkway and at advantageous
points along the route, ready to wit
ness the start early tomorrow morn
ing.
Numerous changes and improve
ments suggested by the recent sweep
stakes race made to the course, includ-
ing a new subway under the track to
connect the grand stand and press
stand. While of course, all of the TWEEN
ty cars entered in the race have a
chance of winning the experts figure
out that the real race of the day will
be between Herbert Lytle in the Iso-
ia, who won the motor parkway sweep
stakes; Lewis Strang, in the 115-
horse power Renault which made a
worlds record Of 100 miles in 70 min
utes Sc seconds at Ormond last winter,
averaging 50 1-2 miles an hour, and
George Robertson, in the LOcOmobile,
Vanderbilt cup race.
That there will be a far greater
crown present at the Vanderbilt cup
race than on the opening day is
shown by the big demand for boxes
and seats. and the management an
nounces that nearly all of the choice
positions have already been taken.
Among the prominent box holders will
be William K. Vanderbilt, Harold Van
derbilt. Harry Payne. Whitney Robert
Graves, who has three boxes; 3. F.
Yoakum, who has two; Commodore r.
G. Bourne, Anton Hodenpyl, Harry P.
fHollins. ]. Adolph Nollenhauer, ]. H.
Dick, August Belmont.
About eleven miles Of the course
is over the magnificent cement road of
the Long Island motor parkway, and
the excellent highways in that section
of Long Island will be used to COM
plete the course.
The race will start as usual. soon
after daylight, and the grandstand,
which is located on a portion of the
new cement way where the spectators
can get the finest view of the cement
course, will be reached directly by the
i,I T
road. A branch of this road runs di-
rectly from Long Island city to Gar
den City. which is about four miles
west of the beginning of the course.
Never before have such complete ar
rangements been made for the accom-
mediation of visitors to an automobile
race. There are eleven miles of park
ing space on either side Of the cement
way, under the control of the Wander
bilt cup commission. Heavy steel wire
fences line the parkway from begin
ming to end, so it will be impossible
for cars to pack at any particular spot.
The course affords one of the finest
SUGGESTIONS of roadway to be found
in the country for such race. 1t will
be possible for the cars, it is said. to
attain an average speed of seventy
miles an hour. There are no hills Of
considerable length or any steep
grades while most of the way is slight
ly down grade. The other half is
practically a dead level, including
eleven miles of specially laid cement
highway more than twenty feet wide
at it's narrowest point, banked and
dished upon all turns, with easy grades
approaching railroad and public high
way crossings. The rest of the circuit
is made up of state and county roads.
which are in the trim of condition,
and over which the racing cars can
travel equally as fast as they can over
the cement parkway.
There are eight sharp turns on the
state and county road portions Of the
course. but the parkway turns are all
beautiful. rounded and banked. The
surfaee Of the cement il az smooth as
CITY conhreted street. and the pos
sibilities for high speed are quite
enough to satisfy the ambition of the
most daring racing driver in the world.
After leaving the grandStand the
racers will have a very fast run over
the cement for six or eight miles east
ward TO PethDage. where the mark
way joins what is known as the Round
Swamp road which runs north on a
slight Grade to the beginning of the
plainview road Following this road,
the car continues on north to its inter
section with new extension of the
Jericho turnnil1e At this point the
course bends directly west around what
has been termed the "fiat'ron turn"
The cars have very sneedy stretch
nearly all downerade westward along
the Jericho turnnike extension TO Jer-
icho one of the turns on the 1906 Van
derbilt course there the new