Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-11-05
Sixteen Giant Automobiles,
Guided by Worlds Most
Expert Drivers Leave
Los Angeles Just Before
Twelve.
GRUELING TRIP Is
WELL UNDER WAY
At Crack of the Pistol More
Than a Dozen Mechanical
Gladiators Began Great
est Auto Race in the
World.

Los ANGELES. Nov. with a
roar that was heard for many blocks,
sixteen giant racing automobiles lined
up in front of the HOllenbeck hotel,
Second and Spring streets at 1O:45 to-
night, ready to start on the annual
road race to Phoenix. The crowd
that gathered on the streets was i'm
mense and there was some difficulty
in getting space to let the cars
through. A Maxwell, driven by Clar-
ence Smith, was the first to get the
word. and was away in a flash. Then
followed, at one minute intervals. the
Pope Hartford, Tremaine; Franklin,
Hamline; Stoddard- Dayton, Stearns;
Cadillac, Bramlett: E. NJ. F., LaCasse;
Flanders, Soule; Mercer, Hanshue;
Cole, Jenkins; Case. Brong; National,
Herrick; Buick. Nikrent; Fiat. Tetz-
laff: Midland. Seifert; Lexington, Bige-
low; Buick, Ferguson.
This years race goes via San Diego,
thence straight across the desert and
down across the Mexican border and
out again at Andrade. The first car
to reach San Diego gets $1,000 bonus
elapsed time TO count. At the other
in gets $500. The race is worth
$1,000 to the winner at Phoenix.
There are just two men primarily
responsible for the Los Angeles-Phoe-
nix road race, now admitted TO be the
greatest annual endurance and speed
test held anywhere in the world
Those two men are DIR. George w.
Vickers, former owner of The Re
publican, and George Purdy. Bullard,
president of the Maricopa County Au-
tomobile club.
In the first place, it was Bullard.
The Big Idea struck him away back
in the summer of 1908. DR.. Vickers
was the first person to whom it was
confided.
At the banquet given by the local
club in honor of the Los Angeles
autoists last fair week, DR.. Vickers
told of his part in originating the
race that has now come to be a
greater event in the automobile world
than either of them dreamed that it
could become:
Three years ago, at which time
was proprietor of The Arizona Re-
publican. Mr. Bullard, your worthy
president, came to me and said;
doc. 1 have the greatest scheme
on earth for advertising Arizona, and
Phoenix in particular. II it goes
through. Phoenix will be on the map
as it never was before and the terri
torial fair will become of national i'm
portance-all this without costing the
people anything
"Of course, | was Interested. and
asked him what his scheme was, at
the same time inquiring if l couldn't
be of any assistance in putting II
through. He then proceeded to un-
fold to me his plan for an interstate
automobile race. from Los Angeles To
Phoenix 1t appealed to me at once
but. knowing the difficulties and
dangers of the road as | did, | ex-
pressed my doubts as to his ability to
pull it off.
Doe he said, II 1 can get a
silver cup, costing not less than 500
and the assistance your paper can
give me, / will guarantee to have the
first race during the next territorial
fair
knowing Mr. Bullard as / did and
having every confidence in him, ] told
him to go to Hilderbran's. select the
cup he needed and go to it, the sup
port and backing of The Republican
being guaranteed.
You know the result. You were
at the finish of the first race. know
how the streets OF Phoenix were lined
with people anxious to see the com
pletion of one of the most wonderful
tests of endurance ever pulled off in
the United States or anywhere else
Mr.. Billiards. dream was a realty. He
had accomplished something that
helieye no other man in the world
would have had the nerve to under
take"
The route selected for the race wa:
the nearest from Los Angeles to Phoe'
nix and was 400 miles in length. L
Law through San Bernardino and Nee
ca in California, crossing the river a
Ehrenberg. On this side the principa
stations on that course are Quartz
site Salome. and Buckeye. The frs
three races were had over this rout'
and each was a gruelling test of tn
cars that were entered.
Almost every conceivable characte
of road is included. from the boule
wards on the outskirts of Los Angelo
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