Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-09-18
VANDERBILT CUP
SPEED TESTS
TOMORROW
Bv Arthur W. Greiner.
ELwAUKEE, WIS, Sept. Is.
M With the officials here
- ~ e,,o,,4;o =. -, andoax,o,. 20 ,ra1

M With the OmctalS mere
frantic in an endeavor to get
the Wauwatosa course into ccndi-
lion for the first speed trials of
the racers who will participate in
rhis weeks promised classics, the
drivers themselves keyed to a high
pitch of Impotence and doubt, the
final preliminaries are being con-
Guided and road practice Is being
started in a small way. The road
is not yet entirely open and is far
from completion.
BY tomorrow we will be able to
tell whether speed of a high order,
commensurate with the honored I'll
ties of the two big events, will be
possible If the road proves a
failure and crowds are seriously
disappointed it will be a blow that
automobile racing. already on the
decline through the apathy of man
ufacturers and the concentration of
power in the hands of a few. will
find the most serious in its his
tory.
Thus far, though everybody who
has a deep interest in AUTOMOBILE
ing knows the races are about to
he run, there is lack of that
frenzied zest which has in the past
surrounded a Vanderbilt cup or a
grand prize race. These two events
are traditional classics which in
their time have engaged the inter-
est of the world and set the blood
of millions tingling. The night be-
fore a Vanderbilt when it was held
on the Long Island course Broad
way was up and on its toes tin
daylight saw the endless stream of
enthusiasts cars vending to the
the track.
East Bemoans Loss.
When the classic was moved
West the Eastern papers devoted
more space bewailing their be-
reavement than the Western papers
have since utilized in announcing
the event Milwaukee itself is not
as excited over the presence Of
the worlds greatest sporting event
as New York was, and New York
is still considerably larger than
Milwaukee. which still regards
quite another exhilarating product
as that which made Milwaukee
famous"
That the Cream City will have
the cream of speed drivers Of the
day none can deny. All the best
that the game affords are here, so
much so that if there should be
serious difficulties between the A.
A A. officials and the drivers gath
cred here it would be a fight, to
the finish that would tie automobile
racing into q knot that would hold
it Nothing like that will happen,
however. because the wheelmen
who hold the entire industry in
their grip are divided into two
classes-gentlemen sportsmen who
love the grim contest and shrewd
professionals who live by it. But
the one big spine that held them
together is gone-the factory in
fuence Now auto racing is de
pendent on the private drivers and
the professional racing officials.
Always Broke Records in Past.
Milwaukee promised to give to
the two big races all the neCes-
sary elemnts Of impressivenes that
they merit and that should help to
perpetuate them as the derbies of
mechanical speed events. Wheth
err these assurances will be made
good depends in the main upon the
condition Of the road. In all JUS
tee it must be said that no eff
forts are being spared to get ii
into shape. but it is a Herculean
task. A Vanderbilt without broken
records would be unfortunate.
There never was one For the good
or the game we all hope that the
course will prove capable of the
highest speed and that no tarnish
VIII visit the shining Vanderbilt
cup.