Auto Racing 3: The Vanderbilt Trophy
By limiting a nation to three entries, James Gordon Bennett had hoped to encourage manufacturers from countries other than France, and especially those from the United States, to get involved in international racing.
William K. Vanderbilt had the same goal, but a different method. When he established the Vanderbilt Cup in 1904, he stipulated that the first two races would be held in the United States, with the winning country hosting the race thereafter. The idea, of course, was that American drivers and manufacturers would find it much easier to enter a race on home soil.
The first Vanderbilt Cup race started at 6 a.m. October 8, 1904, over a triangular 28.4-mile stretch of Long Island roads that were closed to the public for the duration of the race, in line with what was happening in European auto racing at this time. A crowd of 30,000 to 50,000 spectators turned out.
There were 18 entries, but only 17 actually started and six of those were out of the race by the second of the 10 laps around the circuit. An American driver, George Heath, was the winner, but he was in a French Panhard. Albert Clement of France finished second, about a minute and a half after Heath.
After Clement's car crossed the finish line, spectators crowded onto the track, many of them getting into their own autos to go home over the same roads on which other cars were still racing. The race was quickly ended to clear the way and only the first two places were officially recorded. However, American cars and drivers were running third and fourth at the time, which was encouraging to Vanderbilt.
In 1905, several top European drivers entered the race, which was run over the same course. Vincenzo Lancia of Italy had a comfortable lead before crashing and Victor Hemery of France won, driving a French Darracq. George Heath, the 1904 winner, placed second, and Joe Tracy was third in a Locomobile, the best finish for an American car in a major international race up to that time.
Hemery's victory entitled France to host the 1906 race, but the Auto Club of France wasn't interested, so the Vanderbilt Cup remained on Long Island that year. The course was lengthened a bit, to an even 29 miles, and some hills and difficult curves were added.
A crowd estimated at 250,000 lined the course and often strayed onto it. One spectator was killed, and it was a wonder that that was the only casualty of the day. Again, a Darracq won the race, driven by Louis Wagner, and all five top finishers were from Europe, four of them from France.
Because of the crowd control problems exposed in 1906, there was no Vanderbilt Cup race in 1907. However, the series was revived in 1908, with a 9-mile portion of the newly-built Long Island Motor Parkway incorporated into the course to help improve crowd control.
Two groups were contending for control of American auto racing at this time: The Automobile Club of America (ACA) and the American Automobile Association (AAA). The ACA accepted the international rules laid down by the Automobile Club of France, while the AAA was determined to enforce its own rules.
In 1908, the ACA conducted the first American Grand Prix at Savannah, Georgia, and most European drivers chose to enter that race and skip the Vanderbilt Cup competition. As a result, almost all of the cars and drivers in the Long Island race were from the United States, so it's hardly surprising that it was won for the first time by an American driver in an American car - George Robertson, driving a Locomobile.
American cars and drivers again dominated the field in 1909, when the race course was cut way back to 12.64 miles. Billy Knipper of the U. S. won the race in an American-built Atco, but only about 20,000 people attended, the smallest crowd in history.
The ACA and AAA got together in 1910 to form the Motor Cup Holding Company, which was to conduct both the American Grand Prix and the Vanderbilt Cup race on Long Island. However, the GP was cancelled and few Europeans entered the Vanderbilt race.
Four Americans, Louis Chevrolet, Bob Burman, Joe Dawson, and Harry F. Grant, were the leaders until Chevrolet crashed on the seventh lap, killing his riding mechanic. Grant, driving an Alco, was the eventual winner.
That was the end of racing on Long Island. For five of the next six years, the Vanderbilt Cup race was held in combination with the American Grand Prix, which took top billing. The races were hosted by Savannah in 1911, Milwaukee in 1912, Santa Monica in 1914 and 1916, and San Francisco in 1915. There was no race in 1913.
The outbreak of World War I in August of 1914 had put to a halt to auto racing in Europe, and America's entry into the war in April of 1917 also stopped racing in the United States.
When the sport was revived after the war, it took two very different courses - literally. Europe returned to Grand Prix-style road races, while in America the focus shifted to racing on short, oval tracks.