Eatin’ Dirt

Woah… Thanks to “Minewithnoshine” for the tip. Seems like he was doing some research for a photography class and stumbled upon this series of photos from the Vanderbilt Cub in 1910. The vividly imagery really gives you a feeling of danger and risk. These guys were daredevils man…

Of course, the venue makes this set special as well. The Vanderbilt Cup was really the first major American racing event. A crazy fella by the name of William Vanderbilt got the idea in 1904 and decided on Long Island, NY as the perfect locale. Unfortunately, the politicians weren’t digging the idea and public hearings were soon held. After months of lawyers and suits, William managed to win out and have his race.

The publicity of the legal battle ended up being a blessing. William was so confident in his turn out that he put up a large cash purse for the winner. Word of the purse got out and many race teams from Europe decided to make the trip over the big pond.

Of course, the Europeans were much more experienced at this kind of thing. Crowds came out to see if an American could dethrone the foreigners, but it wasn’t to be as a Frenchmen named George Heath won in his Panhard. Still, folks loved what they saw and continued to come back in herds.

By 1906 crowd control was becoming a huge problem. In fact, it was in that year that a spectator was taken out during a crash. Another Frenchmen won in a Darracq, but the politicians finally got their way and the race was canceled.

Pissed about the French dominance and the canceled race, Elliot Shepard (a cousin of Mr. Vanderbilt) decided to compete in the French Grand Prix of ’06. To the amazement of people everywhere, he damn near won the race in his inferior contraption.

At this point, Mr. Vanderbilt was confident Americans could drive and as such decided he was going to get his race back one way or another. Showing more than guts, Vanderbilt took out a huge loan and formed a company with a single goal – build the finest and safest race track in the world. By 1908, the Long Island Motor Parkway was complete under the premise that when it wasn’t being used as a race track, the state could use a section of it as part of its highway system.

Bingo… Vanderbilt had his track and the politicians had an excuse for it – economic development. Even better, the inaugural ’08 race was won by George Robertson from Garden City, New York. Finally, an American took home the trophy.

The cup was held on Vanderbilt’s dream track for two more years, but began to move around the country after that. It was finally canceled for good when America entered World War I. The images you see here are from the last event held on Long Island. Enjoy.