Vanderbilt Cup Races

Aug 18 2012

Then & Now: The East Norwich Turn of the Vanderbilt Cup Races

The north-east corner of the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race courses was the East Norwich Turn located at the intersection of Jericho-Oyster Bay Road and North Hempstead Turnpike (25A). Here is a "Then & Now" analysis.

Enjoy,

Howard Kroplick

The 1905 and 1906 races went through the heart of East Norwich. After passing McQueen's Store (south-west corner) and W.F. Johnson's Store (south-east corner), the cars headed west with the East Norwich Hotel at the north-west corner.

Then:1905

The course used for both the American Elimination Trial and the Vanderbilt Cup Race

Joe Tracy and Al Poole practicing for the American Elimination Trial in the #5 Locomobile while several spectators look on at McQueen's Store.

Then: 1906

A map of the 29.71 mile course for the American Elimination Trial and the Vanderbilt Cup Race. This section of the course was unchanged from 1905

Bert Dingley driving the #3 Pope-Toledo just before making the turn at McQueen's Store.

A flagman waving the all-clear signal to Felice Nazzaro's #8 Fiat.

The above photo was taken in front of the East Norwich Hotel, later becoming Rothmann's.

The October 11, 1906 issue of "The Automobile" reported the action of spectators at the East Norwich Turn including an accident involving Joe Tracy.

"If it was with the expectation of seeing something exciting that the 3,000 spectators gathered at the East Norwich turn and persistently crowded far out into the road, despite all efforts to restrain them, they were sufficiently appeased when, in his seventh round, Tracy's car skidded and struck two of the onlookers, causing the second most serious accident of the day, and by a miracle just missed causing several fatalities."

PDF of the October 11 1906 The Automobile article "Tracy's Unlucky Skid at East Norwich Turn" It may take one minute to download.