New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-04-26
STRANG In GRAND PRlK
TO PILOT THOMAS CAR.
Winrer of Briarclif Trophy to try
for HonOrs abroad.

ike every great fixture, the Briarcllr trophy
automobile road race could not end without IFS
effect on men and things. Ii has placed i'ou''
stranr who drove the winning Isotta car among
the first handful of world famous chaudeurs IL
has shown clearly than ever some OF INC
similltudes and differences in the CONSTRUCTION VI
American and foreign cars 1t has given 10 auoo-
mobile experts and students of mechanics some
more statistics actual working efflciefcF uia'
are as valuable in this line of endeayor as were
the lessons of the Russo-Japanese war III 'iie
study OF military maneuvres.
The first concrete proof that Strang has arrived
with both and return trip ticket at uhe
small platform the top Of the automobile "orlo
came yesterday. lie engaged by Harry .
Houpt the New York agent for the Thomas car 10
drive car Of that make in the Grand Prlx race IN
France next July. Having won the Savannah ROAD
race and carried away the Briarclin honors by an
almost unequalled display Of GOODNESS and sell
control. he is now TO compete in France with the
arfstocracy of the craft
With him will go his mechanician. John Marquis.
who in the Briarclin Friday did his fun
share 10 bring the Isotta in the winner 1t had
been planned TO have Montague Roberts who drove
the Thomas car on Friday. handle the in the
Grand Prix Yesterday however. it was announced
that Roberts needed by the firm for its cars in
this side of the Atlantic and that Strang
would be the Job instead.
AS for the lessons OF the race that bore on the
mechanical efficiency OF the cars. the examples
many. Besides the winning italian Isotta, there
the Fiat. second, and the Rianch fifth. out OF
the five cars that finished But despite this show
ing of the Italian manufacturers a Stearns was
third and Apperson fourth. so that the ability
of the American in way oyershadowed.
This fact is apparent when it is borne
In mind that the winning Italian was driven by
American. and also when the danger Of the
and the unknown quantity called personal
adaptation taken into consideration The Stearns
car showed up the best among the American en-
tries. earning third. sixth and tenth places.
OF all the cars that were represented by a single
entry it is also noteworthy that the Apperson led
by finishing fourth in the entire field OF the other
single entrants the standing follows: BIZ
anchi, second; Hol-Tan third: Benz fourth; Thorn
as. fifth; Panhard, SIXTH Alen-Kingston seventh.
and Maja. eighth. Moreover. the Allen Kingston
end the little Maja doing well in the race
when accidents threw them of the running.
All of the fourteen makes of represented IN
the twenty-five entries of the four-cylnder
type. Eleven Of these of American
manufacture, six Italian. three French, and the
naming two German and Austrian All of the cars
were. il may be noted, water cooled All of them
used the high tension magnetos except the Fiat.
Maja and Bianchi, which equipped with the
low tension make-and-break system.
Considering the turns and twists of the Briarclif
course II is interesting note that the shortest
wheel base in the entered was 1o6 inches ION
the Apperson) and up to l24 inches ION the
Simplex and Lozier). In the last two Vanderbilt Cup
the winning Darracq had only 96-inch wheel
base having been built specially for that course OF
many curves: but the Vanderbilt course did not
compare in constantly recurring hazards with the
Briarcliff tangle of roads. A short wheel base
would have been advantageous on the Westchester
course but short wheel base would not do under
the conditions Of entrance, which provided for
stock cars since a stock of such short wheel
base would not nave accommodated side entrance
body
The Stearns and the Renault used the cone clutch
and all others used the disk clutch except the
Apperson, which fitted with the constructing
band clutch. The race was in many ways one OF
the hardest tests put upon tires. and the way in
wrenching strains Of and ruts has been care
fully considered by motorists. Altogether the race
achieved without serious accident the purpose for
which Il was run-to show machines under a severe
test
There a mild aftermath Of the Briarclin race
in the Harlem police court yesterday. when Paul
Sartori, driver OF the Bisnchi car, which came in
fifth, was held in sl0o bail for trial He had been
arrested Riverside Drive and 18th street while
driving Percy Owens back from the
Sartori said IN that he might have been
going faster than twenty miles an hour, but that
the other returning were hitting up the
same pace. Mr.. Owen went his bond.