Vanderbilt Cup Races

I think that might be Emanuele Cedrino driving the 1908 Fiat Cyclone at the Briarcliff Race in Briarcliff, NY. His mechanician for that race was David Bruce-Brown, who drove in the 1910 and 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Races.

Researching the mystery photo I wasn’t able to identify the driver. The proposed solution however doesn’t fit the facts. Attached the photo I have in my archive showing Cedrino in the Fiat Cyclone, with which he won several events during the Ormond-Daytona meeting in March, 1908. In the Detroit Public Library (DPL) photo archive several more photos of this car can be found, all having the number 2 on the radiator and the hood. One thing is clear: Cedrino has a very pronounced moustache, whereas the man on the mystery photo doesn’t.
However looking at the photos of this event another Fiat Cyclone appears to have been present: one with the Fiat script on the radiator and the text Fiat Cyclone on both sides of the hood. The Fiats are clearly different, not only in body shape, but also in radiator shape, so it really was a different car. This latter car, which can be seen on the mystery photo, seems to have been part of an event with cyclists at the beach. If it was during the car races or at another moment is not clear to me (there is no mentioning of the event in the magazine reports). One of the DPL photos shows the Fiat Cyclone acting as a pace car for a racing cyclist, with a board at the rear to keep the cyclist out of the wind. The pace car has, just like the mystery Fiat, a rectangular reservoir next to the single driver’s seat, which is clearly visible on the otherwise rather blurry photo.
In the magazine reports two other drivers are mentioned to have driven a Fiat Cyclone during the Ormand-Daytona races: S.B. Stevens, an American amateur racing driver, who didn’t have much success; And the young David Bruce-Brown (‘a New York schoolboy’ according to the report in The Automobile of March 12, 1908), who had persuaded Cedrino to let him attack the 4 year old mile record for amateur racing drivers by W.K. Vanderbilt. He succeeded to beat the old 39 seconds record and finished the mile in 35.6 seconds, not bad for a schoolboy! In all cases however these drivers had used the no.2 Fiat Cyclone.
Surprisingly according to one of the captions another famous driver was present on one of the Fiat Cyclone pace car photos in the DPL archive, and that was George Robertson! However I do not have the impression that it is him at the wheel of the mystery Fiat.
So I’m sorry to have created now even more mysteries, but hopefully someone with more knowledge on cycling history in the US can supply some clues to solve these.

A curious observation I forgot to mention: check the location of the feet of Cedrino in the above photo. I was stunned to see this, I couldn’t believe to see this on a ‘modern’ racing car in 1908!

In Ariejan Bos’ photo above, the racing bicycle with extra large chainring, is drafting behind the vehicle in an attempt to break the present high-speed bicycle record. The tightly-packed sand at Ormond and nearby Daytona Beach were optimal grounds for racing at the time, and are still used today for vehicular travel

Ariejan,  I believe we both had the same experience and used the same sources in trying to solve this mystery photo which to me did not add up to a conclusive answer.  More work on this to be done.

Wow what great follow up information. I want to thank everyone who has added to this photo. I do have a tendency towards Steve Lucas’ comment. Why? When I purchased this photo it came with 3 other from the Briarcliff Race.  I was informed the Cedrino at one time (early on) drove without the mustache.  I guess still a mystery. Thank you all.

Well, this was Cedrino during the 1908 Briarcliff race, so he wasn’t moustachless then. Also he already had a moustache during his first race in the US, the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup race. So I doubt if he was ever without it during his stay in the US, which ended tragically not long after the 1908 Ormond-Daytona Beach races.