The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-11-25
This Opening Day Of Americas
Greatest Long Distance
Road Race
THE GRAND EVENT WILL
BEGIN TOMORROW MORNING
cltv Is Crowded With Visitors-Two
shiploads of New York Enthusl-
asts Have ArriVed-Enthus-
iasm and Excitement.

Savannah, November A.-Al1 of the
foreign and American drivers who are to
pilot cars in the International light car
and grand prize races here were called to-
ge+her tonight at the headquarters of the
Automobile Club of America in the Hotel
De Soto and given their final instructions
for the races. The light car event. "
Lap jaunt around a short 10-n1tle rectangle,
will be started tomorrow morning at Il
o'clock, and the Indications point tonight
to Is Anal entrants. The grand prize race
of 4o2 .0S miles. the longest road race
ever run in America, will be started at
o'clock Thanksgiving morning with 70 OF
the fastest cars representing France, Ger
many, Italy and the United States en-
tered.
The conditions of the races and the rules
of the course we're read to the drivers TO-
night. and the doubtful points were dis
cussed.
The Light Car Race.
Everything is in readiness for the light
car race tomorrow. The tiny racing ma
chimes will be seen away at half minute
intervals, and if all goes well the last
of the Is should hardly be under way be-
fore No. / comes swirling down the home
stretch in completion of the first lap.
The unusually large number of laps to
the race and the short intervals separat-
ing the cars are expected to furnish plen-
" of excitement to the thousands of peo-
pie gathered in the grandstands at the
finish. The only serious accidents of the
practice period for the racing here have
occurred to the light cars, and there is
not little apprehension tonight lest the
more daring of the drivers should send
their fran little charges along tomorrow
at too great a speed for safety.
There are but four turns on the rec
tangle, however. and all are well banked.
six hundred troops are to be thrown
about the racing roads, fiagmen are to be
stationed at the shortest of intervals and
everything possible in protection of the
course will be done.
With the light car race starting at IL
o'clock the result should be known
shortly after 3 O'Clock, for the experts
are expecting that the little racers will
be able to maintain an average speed of
between As and so miles an hour. The ex-
act distance of the race is 1856 miles. 1t
was announced last week that an addi-
tonal lap would be required of the driv-
ers in order to bring the total mileage
above 200 miles, but it has now been de-
cided to let the race stand as a 2O-lap
affair.
The Fifteen Entrants.
The two absentees from the II starters
originally announced for tomorrows race
will be the American Aristocrat, which
did not arrive and the Gregoire, a French
entrant, which George Robertson, the
winner of the Vanderbilt cup and Fair
mount park races this year, was TO have
driven. Robertson did not receive the
car until yesterday and found that it
could not be got in condition in time
to make proper showing.
The s. P o. car which crashed into
two trees and went completely through
a 12-inch telephone pole last Saturday
when Mechanician DeRosa was killed,
is announced as a sure starter tomorrow
morning. Herbert Connors will be at
the wheel instead of Jean Juhasz, who
was injured in the wreck.
The revised list of light cars and driv-
ers starting tomorrow morning Is as toF
lows:
No /, s. P. O., Connors.
No. 2, Lancia, billiard
No 3, Chalmers-Detroit Bergdoll.
No o, Cameron, Cameron.
No. 6, Isottay Poole.
No. g. Buick Burman.
No. 9, Maxwell, See.
No. 10. Chalmers Detroit, Lorimer.
No. II, Buick, Hearne.
No. II, Maxwell, Costello.
No. ID, Chalmers-Detroit, Burns.
No. IA, Buick, Easter.
N. 15, Maxwell, Mnweiler.
No. IS. Buick, Jefferson.
No. H. Maxwell Kelsey.
Visitors Crowd the City.
The rule closing the course to practice