The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-11-11
.STRANG RETURNS
TO LOWER OTHER
AUTO" RECORDS
VIII Attempt to Smash "a
Hour Record At the
Fair Grounds
DARE DEVIL" DRIVER
REACHES CITY TODAY
Thinks He Can Go 1900 Miles In "a
Hours-Made Mile Record Here.
Opportunity for Auto
mobiists.

The race track at the state fair grounds,
already made famous by that wonderful
/ drive of Lewis strang. is to serve in the
/ breaking OF still other records.
/ Birmingham is destined to hold the
worlds record for miles covered in "a
hours,
| 1t is probable that the race against
time will be begun Monday evening and
Will be concluded Tuesday night
Lewis strang. the only automobile
driver of international fame ON whom
Birmingham has claims. and to whom
this city is indebted is after the 24-hour
record. out of which broken machine
cheated him October at Brighton
Beach
The young and great driver will arrive
in Birmingham this morning and with
him will be Emile Stricken, the daring
speed merchant who has held the reins
over Harry Payne Whitneys splendid
Mercedes. In addition there will be a
corps of mechanics.
The news of the coming was contained
in the following telegram from strang
received yesterday by Manager Barnes
of the fair association:
Going for 24-hour record with Renault,
Brighton Beach car. Consider your track
the only one on which il can be landed.
viii arrive Wednesday morning with
cars and corps of mechanics. Please ar
range accordingly. l will make the at
tempt not later than Monday"
II
So Birmingham is slated to hold the
worlds record for miles covered in "a
hours.
Strang is coming after it and those who
know Strang believe that he will land
The track at the fair grounds is con-
sidered the finest in the world, and this
is the reason that strang is coming.
The great driver will remain in Bir-
mingham today only. He will return to-
night to Savannah, where on November
26 he enters the Grand Prize events to be
| held in that city He will Immediately
enter his big car on the Savannah course
and spend day or more in practice.
In the meantime Manager Barnes will
get the local track In excellent condi-
| ton and those who accompany Strang
to Birmingham today will arrange all
preliminaries. The great driver is ex-
pected to return to Birmingham Sunday
and Monday night, it is now thought prob
able, the great race against time, some
thing new to Birmingham and Alabama,
will be begun.
George Robertson and Frank Lescault
hold the present worlds 24-hour record.
These drivers, at Brighton Bach, October
%, went HI miles in the allotted time.
Strang in the same event. led the field
for 10 hours, and then his car went to
pieces. Although he missed establishing
this the most TO be desired of all auto
mobile records Strang nevertheless holds
all records from l to 10 hours.
In Birmingham Strang intends making
1900 miles in "a hours. When 1t is re-
membered that during the 24-hours at
least two hours will be consumed in the
changing of tires and the repairing of
damages it is to be seen that Strang
will be compelled to go the 1900 miles in
about % hours of actual running In case
ne succeeds, and every one in Brming-
ham, remembering his first appearance
&
to average about 541a miles per hour
To maintain this speed for "a hours is
Strang's ambition.
Strang's Brief Career.
year ago Strang was unknown to the
automobile racing world. During the 1907
state fair, as is remembered, Lewis Chris
tie, the Chicago millionaire, was booked
| TO make an attempt to break the world
record for mile in Birmingham. But
| OlarIstie became i'll and his nephew,
Lewis Strang volunteered to make the
| drive. Just how well he succeeded is re-
membered. Thousands saw the most spec
| tacular event that has occurred in Bir-
| mingham's history. Thousands witnessed
| the greatest single bit of daring that has
| fallen to the lot of Birmingham specta-
/ tors to see.
Strang broke the worlds record by go
| ing around the mile track of the fair
grounds in 81 3-5 seconds.
The automobile world was startled. Biz
| mingham became the most noted city of
the south and in the Worlds Almanac
and all other publications of records
Strang's feat and the place in which it
occurred are given due prominence.
After making his mile record Strang
stated that the track in Birmingham was
the best In the world-not excepting the
| famed courses of France, Brighton Beach
| and Savannah He became filled with
ambition to cover the mile in still faster
| time, and made a second appearance in
Birmingham. That he did not succeed,
| as every one remembers. is due to tile
| fact that he was unable to complete the
mile. He covered half the, distance how
| ever in "a seconds fiat, and would, be-
| yond all question, have smashed his own
| record to smithereens but for the fact
| that his machine went to pieces
After appearing in Birmingham Strang
| Immediately sprung into fame. He won
with ease the famous Savannah road race
| and then in quick succession captured the
| Briarcliff, New York and Lowell road
races, and In accomplishing these feats
| defeated the best drivers of the world
Four weeks ago, in the international "a
| hour championship at Brighton Beach,
| Strang led the field for 10 hours, averaging
| over 81 miles per hour when a broken
| engine put him out of the running.
| when Strang started south to begin train
| ing for the Grand Prize race Of Savan-
nah on Thanksgiving Day he received in
| structions from the Renault factory to
attempt to gain the 24-hour record. He