New-York tribune., 1909-01-01
AUTO ROAD RACING
At ITS ZENITH
INTEREST IN SPORTING
SIDE OF MOTORING.
Tests of Speed attracted Huge
Croacds for Vanderbilt and Grand
PFfze Contests.

paradoxical as the statement may SEEM the i'm
pcrtanoe Of the sport has become greater than
ever ROAD races that furnish at once tests Of
speed and 90 endurance dominate the sporting
side Of the industry. and this is it should be.
Short races on circular tracks are losing their
hold on the public and with the legislation Of
the American Automobile Association against
such contests their day may be considered as
drawing to a close
But the day of the road race is at its zenith,
Judging from the tremendous interest that has
been taken in such contests in this country
within the last twelve months Nine such con-
tests took place in the last year, the distance
travelled by the racers varying from 80 miles
TO more than 40o. and huge crowds turned out
at inaccessible points TO the daring
drivers in the world match their skill and nerve
against one another In not one of these races
a contestant seriously hurt In 1909 four
races are already scheduled and as many more
are practically certain TO be held, with more
than a fair prospect Of renewal of races held
this year ct Philadelphia and Lowell TO bring
the number 10 ten.
year ago America without great road
race for the first time since William X. Wander
bilt, Jr, offered. in 1904. the cup that bears his
name. The Vanderbilt Cup Commission had
decided wisely. in 1906. after the fatal accident
that marred the over the Long Island
roads, not to hold another contest near New
assured. and. despite offers Of course from
Savannah. ST Louis and other cities. this de-
c3son was adhered TO.
Savannah had become nightly enthusiastic
about automobiing. however, and last March
splendid stock car race was held preceded by
G shorter race for smaller cars. That started
the boom for road races for the year and the
next contest soon followed. This the race
for the Briarclif trophy. In April, over the
Cd h.-1 aJfo jia
msnufactur and aided and encouraged by
the Automobile Club of America. This race was
held against the wishes, implied. though not
openly expressed. of the American Automobile
Association, which wanted such races near
New York until the Motor Parkway was COM
pleted
4 race at Lowell followed the Briarclif con-
test on Labor Day. and then in quick succession
came the Motor Parkway Sweepstakes and the
Fairmount Park race at Philadelphia, the Van
derbilt Cup race and the Automobile Club of
Americas light car and Grand Prize races at
Savannah in November. with the last named
CT which the road racing Of the year ended.
II will be readily understood that considera-
zion Of the road races Of the year finds them
sharply divided into two classes. those for stock
cars and those for specially built racers. Two
races OF this latter class were held. and. al
though owing TO the dispute over rules between
the American Automobile Association and the
recognized automobile clubs Of Europe mod
ern foreign racers We're entered il the Wander
biit Cup race. that contest had good deal of
interest even though eclipsed by the great
struggle at Savannah Thanksgiving Day
The stock car races have a peculiar interest
all their own. and the lessons Of the seven races
Of this character that were held. with the grow
ing tendency 10 confine automobile racing to
contests for such models, Justify later con-
sideration Of this phase Of the sport in sepa-
rate article II is the present purpose to deal
With the international races designed primarily
: for racing machines. These were the Wander
k,tilt Cup and Grand Prize contests held respec-
Htively on Long Island on October "a and at Sa-
vannah on Thanksgiving Day.
In former years the Vanderbilt Cup
ranked with the Grand Prix OF France and the
F1orio Cup Of Italy, with the defunct Bennett
Cup races but the fixture held somewhat
anomalous position this year. yielding much Of
sts prestige TO the Grand Prize race at Savan-
nah which attracted the leading manufacture
ers of Europe whose racing models. built for
the earlier races abroad. would have been either
ineligible or seriously Handicapped in the Van
derhilt Cup affair.
The best OF the foreign drivers, too, were re-
served for the Grand Prize They had unpleas-
ant memories Of the 1906 Long Island race, and
were by 10 means convinced that the crowds
would be handled in such a way as to assure
safety for spectators and drivers The race
showed their fears in this respect TO be well
founded for only a miracle prevented a disaster
after Robertson won the long contest.
Seventeen cars started in the Vanderbilt Cup
race and two finished; but several more would
have finished had they been allowed to do so.
The croxding of the course made this tmpossi-
ble however and after George Robertson, in an
American Loconobie had beaten Herbert
yvfle In an Italian Isotta-F -Fraschin by less
than tyro minutes in a remarkably fast race, MI
Vanderbilt stopped the contest No particular
iessons were learned IN the race. except that
some manufacturers had produced some ex-
ceedinglv fast stock cars Robertsons car,
which took part in the 1906 Vanderbilt race,
and driven by Joe Tracy, made the fastest
..,rla Ian was not a new model. and the two
Mercedes racers that Il defeated were also old
models neither OF them having taken part in
the European races.
Rv the peace agreement between the Ameri
cau Automobile Association and the Automobile
Club OF America the contest for the Vanderbilt
C,ro has become a national one instead Of an
international one L lies within the province
Of the Vanderbilt Cup commission TO determine
whether the race shall remain one for specially
br,lt racers or for stock cars. but, in all p-Jba
bflitv the latter Will be the decision. as few
racers are likely TO be attracted
The conditions in the Vanderbilt Cup race. de-
sp:te its traditions and its quasi international
character left the Savannah the TO
which the e-es Of the sporting automobile world
had 10 turn for demonstration CT the advances
NJ racing construction since the last Vanderbilt
contest in 1906 There many lessons were to
he learned and chief among them was the
demonstration Of the increasing reliability OF
the speed machines
Twenty cars started in the race and nine nm