Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-29
BOOSTING GREAT
PORTOLA RACES
Committee Promises Finest Entertain
ment Amidst All the Luxuries,
and Many Cars Will Be
Shown on Field

The men who are carrying out the
plans for the big PoTtola automobile
road race in Oakland were guests OF
the reception committee OF the Call1or-
mia promotion committee at luncheon
at the Fairmont, San Francisco, rev
days ago. The purpose and hopes OF
the race officials were told, and the
promotion committee promised lts sup
port to the enterprise.
M. J. Laymance Of Oakland, chair
man of the finance committee, toid
what Oakland plans to do. describing
the course, the advantageous position
of the grandstand and the valuable
prizes which will be offered.
Oakland always wants to do what
it can for San Francisco" said Lay
nance. "What helps the one Dement'S
the other"
A. B. Watson of the executive COM
mittee told of the origin of the idea
of holding such race. This is an az
fair which will attract many big drlV-
ers and cars to the Pacific coast ne
said, land it will be a meeting worth
seeing. From the enthusiasm which
is now being shown l feel eonhdeht
that it will be grand success from
every point of view"
Time Is Required
"a great race requires time" said
NJ. H. de Young, president of the Au-
tomobile Club Of California. 1T does
not require time so much to raise the
money or to arrange the course as to
get the great cars here.
I'VE have secured this concession
from the east, that If the Automobile
Club of California declares any race
off because of the performance of any
particular car, that car will not be al
lowed in any race in the east in the
future.
"This coming race is matter in
which both Oakland and San Fran
cisco should take an interest, as it Will
be of mutual benefit. What is of ad-
vantage to the one is of value to the
other.
Oakland ought to be proud that she
can say that the finest road for such
race in California Is in Alameda
county. The people across the bay are
to be congratulated for that fact"
The speaker then described the
Dieppe races of July, 1908. to give an
idea of what big thing a great auto
mobile race really is. He described the
crowds, the enthusiasm and the feat
ures of particular interest. He held his
watch on some of the men who were
changing tiresg he said, and found that
in the case of one French machine a
| tire could be removed and new one
|
ute.
"The crowds were so great that 1t
was almost impossible to get accommo-
dations in the neighborhood," said De
Young. 1--WE had to get up at O'Clock
in the morning to go to the course.
1t was curious t. see some of the
women who had not gone to bed until
2 or o'clock in the morning getting
up again to go to the races. Some OF
them did not go to bed at all that
night 1t required three hours to go
a distance which could be covered by
an auto ordinarily in fifteen minutes,
because of the vast crowd. Any ma
chine which broke line in an effort to
get ahead was sent back to the end
of the line. The police regulations are
very strict over there.
"There is not much danger in large
machines participating in big race.
They all went through the races there
without mishap, though on the pre-
vious day the small cars had done
nothing but have accidents. They
were too light to stick to the ground.
This coming affair is a great feat
ure for California, and we will do our
best with the aid of the Oakland peo-
pie to pull off great race"