Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-27
ROAD RACES
NOW IN ORDER
AUTOlSTS WANT ORDINARY
CONDITIONS TESTED
EXCELLENT COURSE SUGGESTED
AFTER PRACTICAL TRIAL
Would Be Near Los Angeles, Is Easy
to Patrol and Has First Class
Transportation and Grand
stand Features

Track racing having had IT'S DAY as
a means of promoting the motor car
trade. and speed being still neees-
sary requisite of automobiles. road
race events have taken the place of
the contests formerly held on the oval
AS the speed of motor cars on cir
cuIar track is limited only by the
nerve of drivers and the resistance of
centrifugal force, those interested in
the sale Of automobiles are devoting
more attention to the road race events
as a means of demonstrating what
cars Will do under conditions such as
all drivers meet.
The demand for a road race has
grown rapidly in Southern California
in the past few months, and within
a few weeks sentiment has grown
strongly in favor of pulling off u con-
test in March or April, or as soon after
as weather conditions will permit
Suggestions as to various courses
have led to an inspection by The Her
aid of those proposed, and one that
appears to meet all the necessary re-
uuirements was found last week.
The course is triangular in shape,
with two legs four miles each and a
DdSe nearly IIlIte lllllCb lOiA6s - Tvs
east of Los Angeles toward Whittier.
The total distance would be slightly
in excess of ten miles, with a chance
to lengthen 1t several miles by contlnu-
ing across the river, which, however,
would detract from the advantages OF
the shorter course.
Llong the Downey road, or. as 1t is
better known, 1.-The Anaheim Telegraph
road" and the Whittier road. from
their point of junction, east the road
is broad and comparatively level.
The surface is rough at present and
needs working for ordinary traffic To
improve the road would be of immense
benefit to the traffic that travels daily
to and from Los Angeles.
The cross road from the brick yard
on the Anaheim road TO Montebello
on the Whittier road is in very much
the same shape, as are the two other
sides of the triangle.
The two longer legs are part OF the
road that eventually will be improved
by the county as part of the boulevard
system for which the road bonds were
voted.
Could Avoid Settlement
The stretch of the Anaheim road is
Just four miles long, while the con-
Meeting road measures 81 miles and
has an IS" turn caused by a jog
block long. By turning west to a road
parallel with the main road into Mon
tebello it would be possible to avoid
passing through that village, which
would be of considerable advantage
when it came to patrolling the course.
On the four-mile stretches, with a
good surface, cars could be let out to
the limit, and fast time for the entire
circuit would be possible on account of
the few turns and because of the fact
that the two at the west end of the
course are rather close, as are the two
that form the 81 shaped jog.
No hills or grades would interfere,
and none of the turns is dangerous. A
safer course would be hard to find.
Ample opportunity is offered for
grand stands that could be so ar
ranged that it would be impossible to
reach the finish line without paying an
admission fee.
If the finish We're at the west end
near the city limits it would have the
advantage of local street car service
with a double track and two lines as
feeders.
There is a large section of unoccupied
territory at places suitable for finishes
that could be controlled by short lease
making the paying of an admission fee
to see the finish obligatory
A short extension of the existing lines
would land the public directly at the
grand stand, and a short walk under
the present conditions would do the
same thing.
If a point at the southeast corner of
the course were chosen advantage could
be taken of the Whittier interurban
electric line, which comes near crossing
the corner Of the course. The Santa
Fe line TO Whittier would pass within
hundred yards of the finish, if the
eastern location We're chosen.
From slightly elevated grand stand
at either point it would be possible to
see the cars ON all parts of the course.
except when they pass behind the few
buildings that would intercept the view
occasionally
There are four railway crossings that
could be bridged or tagged, but as the
train service on neither of the lines is
very frequent there ought to be little
difficulty in arranging with the railway
ofhclals for change of schedule on
the date of the race.
Investment Would Pay
1t doubtless would be possible to have
the county cooperate in repairing the
road, and the section through which it
passes might do its share The benefit
that would accrue to Downey. Whit
iler and Rivera would be worth manvl
times more than the cost.
10 open that section of the county IN
automobiles by fixing up the roads and
making the trip one Of comfort and
pleasure would result in a large nu,n
Der OF persons seeing and becoming in
w