This one looks so right. purposeful. I like the nose treatment, would be neat to see some original shots of it.
Anyone recognize this Speedway? I have no clue. My best guess is somewhere in the Midwest. This was in a bunch of negatives I scanned that had Jungle Park and Winchester photos. I know it's not Winchester, don't think it's Jungle Park ??? HG
Jim Benedict entered a "Bluebird" (or "Blue Bird") Special for the opening of Uniontown Speedway in Pennsylvania on Thanksgiving in 1916, but didn't start in the event - in fact, he may not even have bothered to make the trip. However, since we know he already owned the Duesenberg at the time, and it appears rather unlikely that he may have entered another car for this race, it could mean that the car had already changed colour by then, especially since the only other colour notes for the car that I have also state that it was blue. Both are from the Orange County Fair races at Middletown (NY), and the info comes from articles in a local newspaper. Those observations may not always be correct, but I have much more confidence in them than in any attempt to determine colour by studying b&w period photographies. To wit, the notes refer to the Middletown races of 1919 (for Benedict) and 1921 (for Hoyt). The AAA could be quite picky about name changes, and it seems they objected against renaming the car this way, so consequently it ran as the "Benedict Special", or "Duesenberg Special" when owned by Hoyt. I have the following dirt track entries for the car: Benedict: 1917-10-06, Danbury (CT) Fair, ? 1919-08-16, Middletown (NY) Fair, 1st one-mile time trial (1'07.2" TR), 1st 3-mile/lap? heat (1'55.0"), 1st 5-mile heat (6'23.2"), 1st 5-mile handicap? (7'31.5"), 1st 10-mile main event (13'39.5") 1920-08-21, Middletown (NY) Fair, 1st 3-mile and 1-mile heats?, 1st main event 1920-08-27, Flemington (NJ) Fair, 1st 5-mile heat, 2nd to Ira Vail 3-mile heat Hoyt: 1921-08-20, Middletown (NY) Fair, 2nd to Vail (33.0") one-lap time trial (35.0"), 3rd to Vail and Bill Albertson 3-mile heat, dns main event (clutch) 1921-09-19, Syracuse NY State Fair, 2nd to Tommy Milton (16'44.57") 20-mile heat, 2nd to Vail (43'46.85") 50-mile main event 1922-09-16, Syracuse NY State Fair, ? 2-mile heat, 4th to Vail (15'52.4"), Tom Alley and Cornelius van Ranst 20-mile heat, 4th to Alley (38'44.4"), Albertson and van Ranst 50-mile feature, won $250 1923-10-12, Hartford (CT), 3rd to Vail and Norm Batten 10-mile heat, 3rd to Vail and Jack Foley 20-mile main event 1924-07-04, Poughkeepsie (NY), ?
That is the Leonard Kerbs DO Fronty, out of Otis (KS). Raced by Earl Hovenden, Walt May, Sam Hoffman and Pat Cunningham. Sold to R. W. Caldwell in California late 1932, and driven by Earl Mansell in 1933. Very successful "outlaw" car, and pretty competitive when running AAA.
More e-bay finds 1922-Kansas City Milton-Murphy-Elliott Race winner Tommy Milton in the Leach Spl ("Leapin Lena") Jimmy Murphy #35 and Frank Elliott#9 - the other Leach Spl. Eddie Hearne #1 Disteel Spl #4 Pete De Paolo-Junior 8 Spl-Jerry Wonderlich #25-Ora Haibe #31 Eddie Hearne Pete De Paolo #4-Jerry Wonderlich #24 Pete De Paolo was involved in a crash later in the race.
Found this little beauty for Sale 1929/37 1½ Litre supercharged, monoposto racing voiturette Twin camshaft, highly tuned riley based engine with all steel crankshaft & connecting rods, Cosworth pistons, Goldflow cyl head, n 214 valves with lightweight operating gear. 2.1875 S.U. carburettor supplying Methanol fuel to Chinn 855 supercharger. Close ratio, roller bearing, pre-selector racing gearbox with 4.9 differential. . .
Harry Goodwin at the wheel of one of the 70hp. Stars that took part in the Gordon Bennett eliminating trials on the Isle of Man in 1905. Courtesy of the late Jim Boulton . .
One of the 70hp. Stars begins a run in the 1905 Gordon Bennett eliminating trials on the Isle of Man. Courtesy of Peter Lisle . .
Michael, Thank you for the Duesenberg info, I'll check my copy of the Hard Clay of Orange County, for more Middletown, N.Y. info if you don't have a copy. The car was apart in 1970 when I started work at the restoration shop, running gear was in dark gray primer and the body was in bare metal, the tail cone and radiator were never there. Earliest photo I had seen at that time showed Larry Beales in the car in a VSCCA show brochure from the early 1950's. I wonder if they ran other races during the year at the Danbury, Ct. Fairgrounds track. It is covered with a shopping mall today, the start finish line is about were the front door to Macy's is.
Dick Lisle and a streamlined 12hp. Star racing car outside the works. Courtesy of Peter Lisle . .
Dick Lisle and the 15hp.Star that won a gold medal in the Wolverhampton Automobile Club's meeting on October 2nd, 1909. It also won the 1909 October Senior Handicap at Brooklands. Courtesy of Peter Lisle. . .
I found this photo out in Rapid Robert's territory, Salt Lake City with some other racing photos. These two racers are in front of the Hudson Dealer, I don't know if they raced out of there or were traveling. From the limited amount I know about racing there, it seems the fairgrounds were active, perhaps Robert can fill us in on what went on there?
Wow great stuff everybody! Thanks Twin6, that car lives only a couple of miles away but I've only ever seen a wheel off it. Tom who owns it invited me to take a look at it and a later one ages ago but I either forget or don't have time so I should make a point of it. I think it was re-bodied at some stage. Where is the picture from? I read the first Cup was the year before and won by Howard Nattrass in a Cadillac, the motor from which appears to have been used a couple of years later in a prototype of his rail tractor. Wizard Smith also set many Australian intercity records in a variety of vehicles which probably got him the job of driving the Stewart Enterprise LSR car. Harking back to the Hughes Rayfield and Th Schneider and cars of 'the French type' I came across this Brunots Island story looking for info on the Keeton image below which Packard fans should enjoy. I could only find one other reference to Jack Callaghan where he entered but didn't start at Elgin. I know nothing about this picture of Burman or Keeton's racing exploits.
Here's another view of the unknown speedway from the Midwest. For a second I thought it might be Dayton, but I think not? The back stretch is too flat. HG
I am looking for racing photos of a rather rare make a, GJG. It stands for George J. Grossman and they were made in White Plains NY in the early teens. They were an assembled car and one or more of them were raced. I have read reference to a P.G. Thebaud racing one at the White Plains fairgrounds in October 1912. He finished behind a Mercer and a Fiat in one race. I also have a reference to a Carl Limberger driving one there. Grossman was evidently friends with some of the big name racers and they used his shop (The Monmouth Garage) when racing in the area. One of these cars remains and is reputed to be it be this race car . It was owned by the late Tony La Porta from NY, Tony was a friend of Peter Helck's and took care of Old 16 for a while. A friend of mine owns it and the restoration would be helped with some better photos. We are looking for any information or photos of the cars racing and the factory. The poor top center photo shows it as it is today. The last photo is one that I believe Peter Helck submitted to the VMCCA Bulb Horn and was one of a promotional photo spread for possibly Kodak or some other photo company. Does anyone have any good photos or more information?
In the first mystery track photo is a push truck on the far right. I got the negative out to do an enlargement. The lettering on the truck says, "Smiverdeckers Service, 3729 W. 3rd st....with a name like that, surely someone will remember that? Yes, I did a search on Google, no joy in Mudville. HG
Pictures of the Keeton with the Sloan troop? I am guessing this was about 1915-16, it was at either the Minnesota or Wisconsin the state fair races.
Found one more entry for Louis Hoyt and your Duesey, T-Head: July 4 in 1922 at Nassau (NY), sadly no results. Benedict and his "Meteor" were also entered. Hoyt appears to have been a bit of a "character" - searching for his name brought up a couple of interesting incidents, both making the news all over the USA (for several years, actually!). First, his garage was apparently robbed a couple of times, and once the burglars got away with 56 hens, but leaving behind a few spring chicken and a note, saying they would be back once Hoyt had fattened up the little ones! Nothing loath, Hoyt turned loose a couple of grizzly bears to guard his garage!!! The next time he was in the news was on a sadder note, reporting his death from a gas explosion in his garage (August 6, 1935). Police was said to be investigating, suspecting an assault with a bomb , and one report even speculated about the victim being another person, not Hoyt! More sinister things are known to have happened...
Thanks again Michael..... From what I have found in the past he was connected with Barnum & Baileys Circus. He was a very flamboyant preformer and his nick name was "Loop The Loop Lou"
P. G. Thebaud would be Paul Thebaud. Incidentally, I just came about this very race at White Plains, searching for Jim Benedict (who was also entered, along with Ralph Mulford, Spencer Wishart and Monty Roberts). I only found a preview and no results, would it be possible for you to post the results here?
Yeah, he apparently performed the loop on an old wooden bicycle that his father had built sometime in the 1870s!
The Jalopy Journal
