Evening star., 1912-09-15
FORMER VANDERBILT CUP WINNERS.


several minutes behind Lancia. still had
chance to win in elapsed time. Every
one wondered If he would cross the tape
before il was too late. He did-in
whrlwind finish. Wagner's speed was
about siNty-three miles an hour for the
.31 miles.
There was no cup race in 1907, the
fourth taking place October "A. 1908, with
drivers competing as individuals and not
as teams The big memorable feature
of this contest is that for the first time
the famous trophy was brought back to
America, and ii was George Robertson,
in the ninety-horsepower Locomobile,
who turned the trick. Robertson's duel
with Lytie, in the Isotta, toward the I'm
ish was thriller"
In October. 1880. the Vanderbilt cup
race and two small car races-the Wheat
ly Hills and the Massapequa sweep
stakes-took place simultaneously Harry
r. Grant won the Vanderbilt trophy in
sixty-cylinder Alec in field of fifteen
starters. He covered 2Is miles at an
average of 6c.S miles an hour. Harroun,
driving a Marmon won the Wheatly
Hills trophy, and Matson, in Chalmers,
the Massapequa event.
Broke Four Records.
In a race that broke four records Harry
F. Grant, in an Alec. won the sixth run
ming of the Vanderbilt October I. 1910.
was the fastest, closest, largest in point
of entries. and by far the hardest that
has been run for the cup. A Marmon
driven by Joe Dawson was second. and
Johnny Aitken, driving a National. was
third There were thirty-one starters
Ten finished the contest of twenty-five
laps over q 1264-mile circuit and f1ve
were running when the race was calico
off. Grants time was 211.oS minutes, ana
that of Dawson was 256.3S minutes.
Last year the race was carried away
from Long Island for the first time, Sa-
vannah, Ca. landing the plum. 1t was
the fastest Vanderbilt ever run and. in
deed, one of the fastest automobile races
in history Ralph X. milford, in Lo-
zier car, was evolved the winner. his av-
erage for the 231 3s miles being I4.O1 miles
per hour. Ralph De Palma, in the same
Mercedes car which he is to drive at Mil
waukee and with which he recently v N
at Elgin. scored second place in that last
Vanderbilt, and Spencer Wishart in an
other Mercedes was third.
Run in Savannah.
On Thanksgiving day, 1908. the first in
ternat.onal grand prix road race for the
Automobile Club Of Americas gold cup
was run over a course in Chatham coun-
~, near Savannah, Ga. The contest was
then run and has since been run under
the International Jules adopted by the
international association OF recognized
automobile clubs. The Automobile CLUB
of America co-operated with the SaFan-
nah Automobile Club, and in this fourth
running of the international classic the
Milwaukee race committee mas received
the cooperation of the Automobile CiuD
of America.
foremost cars and drivers set out on
402-mile trip. Countries represented were
Italy Germany. France and the United
States. Wagner. French driver, In an
Italian Fiat. scroed hard fought VIC
tory over Hemery in Benz. NazZaro
ran third in Fiat Wagner covered the
distance at a rate of 65.4 miles an hour
No Race in 1909.
There was no Grand Prize race in 1899.
In 1910. when il was decided not to run
the big event on Long Island, owing TO
the immense crowds which swarmed the
course in the Vanderbilt cup race. Savan-
nah bid for the event and secured it.
Bruce Brown sprang into fame by win
ming this on a Benz car, driving a much
faster race than Wagner had two years
before. His average I0.5l miles an
hour for 41o miles. He noSed out Hemery
in Benz for a victory by only Few
seconds, while Burman drove remark
able race in a Marquette-Bu!ck. scoring
third place. after making eighteen tire
changes. This was the race in which
Ralph De Palma was hoodooed badly IN
much the same fashion as at Indianapolis
last May. With the race practically won
his car broke down next tu the last lap.
Last year Bruce Brown repeated his
success in the Savannah Grand PriX.
driving the race of his career when i'll
order to win he was forced to hit up a
pace OF I4.45 miles an hour. K. A. Hearne
ran a splendid second In a Benz. while
DE Palma. on the Mercer, took third