Lancia Leads Heath and Hemery
Lancia at the Guinea Woods Turn
Lancia dominated the race from the beginning in his 120-hp #4 F.I.A.T, cutting laps at a breathtaking pace to average an astonishing 72 mph over the first 113 miles. As he made the Guinea Woods Turn in Old Westbury on lap seven, Lancia had a commanding lead of over 30 miles.
Christie and Lancia Collide
As captured by the prominent artist Peter Helck (1893-1988), Lancia was impatient to get back on course after replacing a tire on lap eight when leading by over 30 miles. He misjudged the speed of the approaching racer Walter Christie. He pulled onto the road in front of the American car, which hit him from behind. Lancia’s two rear wheels took 40 minutes to repair.
Hemery’s Darracq at the Guinea Woods Turn
With Lancia delayed 40 minutes for repairs, the race came down to a battle between two French cars, Hemery’s #18 Darracq and Heath’s #14 Panhard. As Hemery made the Guinea Woods Turn during lap nine, he led Heath by three minutes. During the last lap, Heath reduced the lead by almost a minute but could not catch Hemery.
The 1905 Finish -->
1905
Feature
The 128-page book by Howard Kroplick, a researcher and lecturer on the races, contains rare images of the races from the archives of major museums, libraries and private collectors. The book Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island will be available from Arcadia Publishing in March 2008.
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