Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-12
DICK FERRIS IS
HIGHLY PLEASED
DONOR OF TROPHY OFFERS
LIVE SUGGESTIONS
Aetor-Promoter Says Los Angeles Is
Ideal Place for Automobile Racing
and Recommends Two Events
Each Year

Saturdays race was remarkable in
many ways--so remarkable that it will
take Los Angeles some time to realize
what it really MEANS" said Dick Ferris,
donor of the Ferris trophy, yesterday
1T solves some big problems in auto
mobile racing, and l believe fore
shadows the establishment of q race as
an event that will be talked of all over
the world.
There will be in time, I think, two
great automobile races pulled off here
lone at this time of the year and an
other In the winter, and both will be
big things. The races yesterday settled
the fact that the course is available.
More than that, they proved something
that will interest the whole automobile
world, that a course can be laid out to
give the spectators ideal opportunities
for watching the contest.
with a few improvements which
could not be appreciated until after the
first race brought them out the Santa
Monica course can be made one of the
most interesting in the country for a
spectator stationed at any point along
1t. When you can combine the fastest
driving with only a seven minute in
terval before the ear shows up again
there is bound to be more excitement
than other conditions will permit.
THE opportunities at Los Angeles are
so great for winter racing
else in the country is there anything
like the chance here-that this Will not
be oyerlooked the popularity of tho
summer race will impel that. l don't
know of another place in the United
States where two great automobile
races year could be pulled Off but 1t
is easy at Los Angeles. The develop
ment of the automobile racing in Call
fornia will lead many tourists to bring
their cars with them and spend a
longer time here than they would do
otherwise. and winter race Will be an
incentive in this regard,
you can't give the automobile deal
ers too much credit for working up this
race. There is more to this than any
body realizes who has not seen it done.
Especially is this true because the con-
test was a pioneer race. Experiments
and experiences were required in this
race that will at another time be OBJ
Waited.
I'm the first place the feasibility of
the course had to be worked out. Next
year the crowds will go out to a course
which has a reputation and will know
something about the possibilities of the
. race The men who put the cars in
and the drivers will have something
established to look back to. All the de-
tails of arranging the contest will have
precedents which will materially lessen
the work. That the race is such a
tremendous success means that a hope
of the automobile people here is
definitely established. 1t was certainly
accomplished well.
1T is easy enough after the thing is
over and made a success to suggest i'm
provements. but for my part don't see
where there will be many The race
has shown what curves will need to be
bettered, but very little improvement
in other directions can be made
II should think it would be possible
to make, as an added feature. gen.
uine night of revelry at the beach
through the night before the race If
this were worked out with Santa
Monica brilliantly illuminated and n
night Mardi Gras or fiesta or carnival,
whatever ii might be called, 1t would
be unique, especially If in the winter
time. This would bring large, crowds
IL carried out on a big scale. Then the
race could be started at o'clock in
the morning, as the crowds would be on
hand at that time. 1t would be pos
sible to provide vaudeville and other
stunts that would add to the novelty.
THE nature of the course permits
another improvement in the way of a
high grandstand built up eighty or a
hundred feet and equipped with an ele-
Vator. From this a view of a great
part of the course could be obtained
with glasses.
"Unquestionably this race is the first
of a series that will take place among
the big automobile events of the world.
Los Angeles ought to remember the
men who have initiated the plan, for 1t
will be of even greater benefit to the
city than to the dealers"