Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-24
READY ron BIC AUTO RACE
Famous Cars and Drivers 40 o6ntest
Gun.

SAVANNAH, Ga, Nov. undetermined
that there shall be no more serious acct
dents to mar the closing days Of the prac-
tice period, the officials of the
Club of America Ia charge Of the light car
and grand prize races nave warned the
more reckless OF the foreign drivers that
greater care must be exercised In the fu-
ture. No practice trials Of any sort were
permitted today.
All Savannah is racing mad. There were
more than a score of arrests on the streets
yesterday for violation of the speed law.
Most Of the drivers OF the light and cup
cars will have their final practice spins
tomorrow afternoon.
Tuesday will be devoted to the last
touches of course preparation, and Wednes-
udy morning at IL o'clock, eastern time, the
light car race will be started. The distance
OF this race will be 26.s miles, the little
mosquito fleet OF fifteen probable start
ers, making twenty-one laps OF the short
sS-plle course. The winner OF this race is
expected to average about forty-five miles
an hour. The running, consequently, will
require approximately four and one-half
hours' the finish being around $3.50 p. m.
ne grand prize race on THANKSGIVING
uay, which will include many of the worlds
most famous cars and drivers. will be
S5atteo at y a. m,- eastern time. The total
Instance will be 402.O8 miles. or sixteen laps
OF a course which measures 25.13 miles. in
Ihls race an average speed OF from sixty
sven 10 seventy miles an hour is antici-
Nv StIu, ana the running will require about
siN hours, bringing the finish to 3 .. m. or
AFTER. The Savannah cup" as the race
popularity is known, is the longest of the
International events. "
me strain of hurting a car forward at
Dursts or speed which will exceed 100 miles
an hour. and around hIgh-banked turns
m.ere the slightest deviation means dis
aster and possibly death. Is a nerye-racking
experience at any time, but to keen mn
we terrific pace for six continuous hours
SOaerlns a distance almost as great as from
, DO.on TO Washington. is placing a task
upon the drivers on which hazaTd is tba
prTaominating element
me savannah course Is calculated IN coax
sne utmost of, speed from the drivers. I'm
meuiately after the start. following q shor,
eurn 70 the left, there is a straIRhtawav
stIetch OF four miles down the White Bluff
Loau snort stretches and easy turns soon
eau INTO a second a-row-flight stretch three
ana a half miles in length and sixty feet
miue: rms part of the course was specially
constructed for the race, a cut being made
through a virgin forest of towering mines.
IN tne grand prize race there will he five
french, six Italian, three German and six
american cars. The foreign drivers and
cars are favored in the speculation as 10
tne outcome. Two of the drivers engaged
are FORMER winners of the Vanderbilt Gun
victor ii. Emery, who is to drive one OF
me German cars. won the Vanderbilt I'm
1870 ana Louis Wagner, who this year is
a member of the Italian team. won the
race IN lSO6. Navarro, the Italian, is cred
Neo with having made the fastest time
ever accomplished in a road race. when he
recently maintained a speed in excess Of
seVenty-four miles an hour i'm competition
1or the Florio cup in Italy. Henry Flour
hler, Louis Strang. FRANCHISE Szlsz, Alexdre
Cagno Arthur Duray, Ralph de Palma and
others among the men who will sit behind
the big steering wheels in Thursdays race
nave been long identified with feats OF
automobiling.