New-York tribune., 1910-09-11
Vanderbilt Cup Has Produced
Famous Drivers.
MANY STARTERS THIS YEAR
The Historic Fixture Will Be
Started at Dawn, as In
Former Years.

calendar. has meant much 10 the automoplle
industry. and this seasons cup race. with
fits daybreak start bids fair to outshine all
the cup races of the past. both in speed and
rill,lfr interest for the contest for the IA
nous trophy viii have fully forty entries
In 1q04 William X Vanderbilt jr-,
America : pioneer motor enthusiast. prompt
ed hy A desire to give America a new form
OF sport and incidentally TO give manutac1-
urers an opportunity to improve their cars
offered q trophy TO he contested for IN
raco of from go 20 500 miles on road
course II was to he competed for by
Teens of cars from all the running clubs
recognized or affiliated with the American
Automobile Association or similarly recog-
nizcd by the Automobile Club of France
connecting as teams and not as individuals
The conditions also specified that in the
years 12A4 End 1905 the race must he run
IN A7.erfC,-7 soil. while later il was pro
y-f6ed that -te contest might he run in the
cr1rrfrv ,,hosc club held the trophy. this
Icing optional.
Since its inception there have been five
e~eat sreed battles FOR the handsome silver
trophy ard this prize has PLAYED an I'M
E7crt4nt Part in automobile politics on one
or two occa sions. Twice the original deco
Of gift has been changed 10 make II meet
1-r-ro-date requirements. and in 1905 the
custody Of the trophy was turned over 10 the
Motor Guns Holding Company. together
with he Grand Prize Cup Of the Automobile
Club Of America. and the Motor Cups
Holding Company has since promoted the
cup races
To = 2 Pardington. as well as Mr.. Van
derbilt Fred !. Wagnar and others. the IN
duStrv and the public are largely indebted
for the success Of the last five cup races.
In connection with all of these races Mr-
Pardin2ton has worked eneTgeteally ana
1intiriugly. sometimes against real handi-
cars 90 make the contests what they We're
Trio, 20 the inception of and his connec-
t5cn with the parkway he had much TO 90
with the c,ID race preparations. and II
should he remarked here that the launching
Of The initial contest, seven years ago, was
in Tho face Of much adverse public opinion
hostile local interests and various legal Cd
strr5ctionS.
A. many motor enthusiasts VIII recall
The first contest took place on October s
zoe. On = circuit in Nassau County. with
sixteen contestants starting. These were
,-,r71os c,l Of teams representing the United
States. France Germany and Italy 1t was
rgn i,v George Heath driving So-horSe-
-.o.-er panhard car. Heath was an AmeTI-
can amateur driving as a member Of the
4-rancF, team. and ne covered 2s4 miles at
an AVERAGE sreed of fffty-twc miles an
hour Tart in another Panhard. however
did several laps At a much faster rate
skfrting ono Al a speed of seNenty-one
miles an hour-sensatIonal. indeed, Tor
those days. America showed third at the
finish with Herbert Lytie, in Pope-To-
ledo The initial contest was success in
every nay. and certainly acted as stimu-
Jus for makers to improve the manufacture
Of cars or this side of the Atlantic The
race was spectacular. and the public be
came enthusiastic over II
When the second Vanderbilt was run, the
next autumn. an elimination race vas nee
e-sa-1- in order 10 select an American team,
T.u Dinglev being the winner Of the trial
When The final was reele5 off five cars each
rerresented America. France and Italy.
while Germany had only four. a second
triumph was scored for France by Hemery.
in 4 Darracq. when he drove in winner
a. an average speed Of ell2 miles an hour
materially better than The time Of Heath
the year before. In this contest Heath was
second. and Tracy. in a Locomohile. third
J-uon this occasion Lancia- the famous
Italian driver piloted one Of the greatest
races in history prior TO his unfortunate
srnasE-up with Christie
France scored its third triumph in the
Vanderbilt race in 1876. The exciting finish.
with lis battle between Lancia. in a Fiat.
and Wagner. in a Darracq, will never he
forgotten hy the thousands who witnessed
4 These two drivers. together with Duray
and Ienatzz. had been going with only a
fer seconds difference in their elapsed
times for some laps. In the tenth and last
Wagner took the lead. only to meet with
min lat
was a frenzy Of exCitiment. The crowds
tore down the wire fences and swarmed
cver the course and il seemed as if they
could not avoid being moved down by the
fast machines.
Down the stretch came Lancia, snorting
across the tape. the first 10 finish the dis
1ance Wagner, however, was going again,
and as he had started several minutes be
hind Lancia still had a chance TO win in
elapsed time. Every one wondered if he
would cross the tape before ii was too late.
He did-in a whirlwind finish. 100. Wag-
ner's speed was about -sixty-three miles an
hour for the 297 miles. Joe Tracy, in an
American Locomobile. scored the fastest
lap OF the event
There was no cup race in 1907. the fourth
taking place on October a. 1908 with driv-
e-s competing as individuals and not as
teams. The big memorable feature Of This
contest was that for the first time the
famous trophy was brought hack 10 Amer
1ca and il was George Robertson, in &
lN-horsepower I,ocomObile. who turned the
trick. Robertson's duel with Sytle, in an
Isotta. toward the finish thriller.
The locomotives average speed was 64.3
miles an hour. the fastest ever made In q
cup race.
Last Octobers cup race was in the form
of q sweepstakes. the Wheatly Hills event
and the Massapequa Sweepstakes for cars
Of smaller cylinder dimensions taking place
simultaneously with the cup race. Like
the 1853 event, contestants competed as in
dividuaIs. This fifth Vanderbilt race saw
Harry F Grant come out the victor in his
six-cyiinder Alec. winning i'll a field of
fifteen starters Grant covered the twenty
Two laps, or 2780S miles at an average Of
SIS miles hour, slightly slower than
Tobertsons record the previous year. Ed
ward II. Parker, in Fiat, scored second
place. Harroun. driving a Marmon, won
the Wheatly Hills Sweepstakes, and Mat
son. in A Chalmers. the Massapequa event
Although the race a fast one, IL was
noticed by every one that the contest, start
ing as ii did at d. m. did not furnish as
impressive d spectacle the former races
which began al daYbreak For this reason
this seasons event will return TO the old
custom of starting around at S a m and
with larger field of contenders than ever
before, including some Of the fastest cars
that have ever been built, and many of the