New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-11-20
BROWNS RECORD
Winner of Grand Prize Has
Driven Car Only Four Years.
IS PR0TEGE OF CEDRIN0
He Ran Away from School IN
1908 to Ride on the Beach
in Florida.

David l.. Bruce Brown, driver of the BENZ
car that won the second International road
race for the Automobile Club Of America
Grand Prize Gold Cup at Savannah on NO
vember r. was born in New York city on
Angus, 49, 1857 He did his first automooiie
driving in September, 1896. when Louis
Warren. father of Arthur Warren the rac-
ing driver. taught him how to handie aii
automobile. The car he learned with was
a machine owned by Mrs. r A Bruce
Brown, his mother, and David says
soon put ii on the bum, thinking was al
ready a racing driver"
His first appearance in an actual rae
was at the Empire City track on Memorial
Day in 1907. at an Odsmobile reunion ne
drove his own 1907 Oldsmobiie runaoout
and won the three-mile event. open TO I"'
runab bouts and finished first In pursuit
race. In the latter event he defeated Dr-
.fulian p Thomas, Alan Hudson ana
Julian Augustine.
The driving skill shown by young Bruce
Brown attracted the favorable attention OF
the late Emanuel Cedrfno, who mace heN
ffteen-n1ile worlds record for one-mile
dirt track the same afternoon. with a Spe-
ciaIIv built racing car. Cedrino hked young
Bruce Browns driving 80 much that ne
asked him to go to Florida the next VIII
ter and compete in the amateur events gu
i'm March, 1903, he ran away from mar
etror7.s school at Norwalk. Conn., and
caroa tn New York Cedrino took him TO
Florida as he had no money Of his own.
His mother heard of his taking French
Ieave of the school. and suspected ne hao
gone TO Florida. She telegraphed at great
Ienetb IN Robert Lee MorrelI. chairman Of
tho contest board of the Automobile Club
Of America who was referee of the Florida
beach races. not to permit David to race
or go into the time trials under any cir
o,,-ns+ances Mr. Morrell thereupon told the
how he must not drive on the beach at all
R,1t a number of men who were there stood
around in front of Mr.. Morrel one day
when Cedrino was supposed 10 be gett1ng
ready for one-rnile record trial Just De
fore the signal to start Cedrino got out or
the car and David got in and started away
on what turned out to be his worlds one
mile amateur straightaWay record OF 81 80
seconds.
His other races in 1903 were IN the NIL
climbing events of the Yale University
Automobile Club on Single Hill. at west
Haven. Conn He drove a 6D-horse power
stock car that Cedrino had driven IN the
Brfarcliff road race He won the event TOT
cars Of 600 cubic inches piston displacement
or less and made faster time than the
drivers of cars in the 750-cubic inches pls-
ton displacement He made the fastest
time of the day and the student motorists
gave him a special medal for making the
fastest time of any of the amateur drivers
In March 1893, ne went to Florida again
and this time drove the Benz No
which Hemery drove into second place IN
the first Grand Prize race at Savannah on
THANKSGIVING Day in 1905. With this car
he lowered his own amateur one-Tnile rec
ord to 80 seconds fiat. He also won the Sir
Thomas Dewar cup for the fastest one
mile regardless Of class. and broke the
ten-r1Ie worlds record. rolling start Later
on in the year he won the one and two
mile straightaway time trials at Jamaica
Long Island.
All his racing in 1909 was done with the
No & Benz. which was generally known
as the "Hemery Benz" He competed in
the Giants Despair hill climb at Wilkes
Barre and won the free-for-aI in 1 minute
81 Is seconds In 1909 he drive the Hemery
Benz I'D Single Hill in 81 As seconds, which
is still the record for the grade. This feat
was a remarkable one. as 1t was the first
time in four years that racing automobile
had made better time in a hill climb than
a racing motorcycle.
This wear Bru-e- Brow was running in
thirteenth place in the Vanderbilt Cup race
when the race was stopped E. A. Hearne
drove the car in the Paramount Park race
at Philadelphia David owns a Benz and a
Flat.