Omaha daily bee., 1915-10-03

Shore boulevard. Staten Island. They
ended in an accident that killed several
persons. Tho year before the Automobile
Club OF America had promoted a fifty
mile road race from Springfield to Baby
lon and return over the Merrick road. on
Long Island.
The Vanderbilt Cup Race.
Early in 1904 w. X. Vanderbilt. jr.. an
nounced his intention OF offering a tro-
ply to be contested for on an interna-
tional basis. no country 10 be represented
by more than ten cars. Tho first race
was run on october 8. 1904. over course
on Long Island measuring 32.H miles The
total distance was 2S4g miles. George
Heath, an American. driving q Psnhard
car. won his time being 5;26:45.
The race was run yearly until 1904.
when crowding OF the spectators on the
course. and failure to obtain militia TO
patrol the road. caused the abandonment
OF contests on the public highv ays. A
plan 10 build a motor parkway on Long
Island was then formulated, and although
only portion OF the course was enclosed
this was the first American speedn ay.
Then for several years motor compcti
tions we're held on horse racing tracks at
Readville. Empire City, Yonkers Morris
Park and Brighton Beach. About this
time straightaway races were run on the
sand shores at Ormonde Beach. Fla;
ventnor. near Atlantic City. and Calves
ton.
The first specially constructed encloss4
speedway for motor racing vas l'uilt by
Locke King at Brooklands. about twenty
miles from London. This was a saucer.
shaped course. with a cement racing sur
face Of two and eieven-sixteenths miles.
Americas first speedway was 5rilt ct
indianapolis in 1909. II IL two end a
half miles in circumference II had a
gravel surface originally. After several
persons had been killed in misnaps caused
by the poor condition OF the track, thd
surface was rebuilt with vitrifled brick
The first races at indianapolis were short
sprlnts OF no more than fifty miles A
speedway was also built at Atlanta, Ca.
In 1909. Only a few short-distanco raoca
were run. A mile board speedway weG
built at Play Del Rey. near Los Angeles
Cal, In 1910, but failed to retain the
patronage OF the public.
Until 1914 Indianapolis had monop.
oily in speedway racing. In that year
the Tacoma road race course was con
verted into an enclosed and banked
speedway. Sioux City also had two
mile speedway. Now there are In ex
istence or in course OF construction
nearly a dozen enclosed tracks all mea.
surfing two miles or more.
The speedway. as well as the ca
must have credit for the rcmarkabl,
records recorded during the racing sea
son OF 1914 Indianapolis began tn
string with the international Sweep
stake OF 800 miles. won by Mercede
car driven by Ralph De Palma, at Al
average speed of se.A miles an hour
the fastest time ever made on the Indian,
apoiis track.
The two-mile board track at ChicaE
was then dedicated with a 6oO-mile con
test. Dario Resta. In a Peugeot cai
drove at the average speed OF N.50 mile
an hour. establishing a now America
record. Eddie RickenbRcher won the mex
two speedway races In e Maxwell car
On a two-mile dirt track at Sioux cit,
he averaged 1901 miles an hour and OF
the new two-mile board track at omahl
he travelled at the rate OF si.27 an hour
New York Times.