Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-28
BRASSARD HONOR
DELIGHTS DRIVERS
Trophy Carries Salary of $75 a
Week to Man Who
Wins It
SHIELD is OF FRENCH ORIGIN
-
Remy Bros. Introduce Awarding
Silver Shield with Weekly
Monetary Reward

INDIANAPOLIS. Aug. 16-What is
asked by thousands who have followed
the battles of the great racing pilots
for the Remy Grand Brassard in the
meets upon the Indianapolis motor
speedway. The Brassard, founded by
the Remy Magnetic company of Ander-
son, Ind, has become one of the great
est racing classics ON the annual auto
mobile calendar. The 100-mile race for
the Brassard at the July speedway
meeting was the fastest long distance
stock car race of history.
The Brassard is derived from the
French, and means a small arm shield
to be worn between the elbow and the
shoulder. Originally a shield for pro-
lection in warfare, it has come to be
an insignia of honor. 1t was never
used in this country in any connection
so far as known until introduced by
the Remy brothers, makers of the
Remy magnetic, who HIT upon the
scheme of offering the Brassard for a
big stock car or free-for-all race to be
run upon the speedway course.
The conditions of the race, combined
with the name, attracted much atten-
tion. The Brassard, which is a
curiously wrought silver shield with a
band to fasten 1t to the arm, is worth
about 500, but 1t carries with 1t a
salary of $75 q week, providing the
winning car Is equipped with the
Remy magnetic. Otherwise, he gets a
salary of $50 a week until called upon
to defend the trophy at the next meet
ing.
The salary feature was also obtained
from the unique custom employed by
the French in the early days of the old
bicycle racing game. One of the great
French champions SO endeared himself
to the public that rich purse OF thou
sands of francs was raised by popular
subscription. However, the thrifty
Frenchmen In charge of the distribu-
tion realized the weakness Of human
nature and decided to reward the ad-
mired driver with a part of the purse
each week as long as he defended his
title.
In that way they famed the flame Of
competition and kept the sport alive,
and also prevented any one rider
spending all of his prize money In one
evening. The quaintness of the plan
and the "Frenchy'' sound OF the word
"Brassard" appealed to the Remy
brothers. Moreover, the prize was one
that made q decided appeal to the
driver 1t meant infinitely more to the
pilot to annex a trophy with weekly
monetary reward than it did to win
the finest silver cup in the world. The
greatest pilots in the country were at
tracted at the first running of the
Brassard on the speedway last August:
The trophy was won at that time by
Oldfield, who defeated De Palma ana
Zongle.
This year the donors. of the trophy
realized that the manufacturer who
entered the car liked to have something
to show for the victory Gs well as the
driver, and consequently the Remy
Brassard was augmented by the ad-
ditional offer of the Remy Grand
trophy. a magnificent vase-shapeo
silver cup. This trophy goes to the
maker entering the car. At the May
races the Harmon driven by Ray Har-
room captured the Brassard ana
trophy cup At the July race meeting
Burman captured the coveted combina-
tion magnetic millionaires' trophy.
The Brassard and Trophy race will
he one of the features of the Septem-
ber meeting on the Indianapolis course.
The event will be open to cars up to
450 cubic inches and will be at 160
miles. The speedway management ex-
poets the 150-mile event to be one or
the best competitions 80 far on the
famous course.