Vanderbilt Cup Races

That must have been great Howard!  Congratulations and thanks for preserving this piece of history!

From Exclusive Video: Emerson Fittipaldi Driving the Alco Black Beast During the 2011 Indy 500 Parade Lap

WOW! A lap of Indy in the Black Beast, driven by two time winner Emmo. How COOL was that? Are you still smiling? Thanks for the video, and for all of your efforts. See you at the next event. Congrats!!

From Exclusive Video: Emerson Fittipaldi Driving the Alco Black Beast During the 2011 Indy 500 Parade Lap

Fantastic!! The car sounds like it wanted to get back out there. Like all good things over way too soon. Just wait for 2111.
Congratulations and thanks again for your site and the video. Always a pleasant start to Sunday.

From Exclusive Video: Emerson Fittipaldi Driving the Alco Black Beast During the 2011 Indy 500 Parade Lap

CONGRATULATIONS on your ‘victory’ at Indy.

From Exclusive Video: Emerson Fittipaldi Driving the Alco Black Beast During the 2011 Indy 500 Parade Lap

While surfing on this hot Saturday I found the story of Uncle William.  Some of the stories I knew.  I have never touched base again with Bob Bratzler when he was gathering the family history.
The last few years I have been settling my husband’s estate and didn’t find time to do family history. I moved to independent living apt and am still going through many papers. Your dear mother Helen and I both had August birthday the same year year 1914.I am quite well. I remember you and your family and dad when I visited your home.

From A Family Remembers a Vanderbilt Cup Race Driver- William Luttgen

I would agree that lap was not easy.  Remember the Christie could only go 5 to 10 miles before overheating.  So Barney had maybe one lap to get a feel for how much grip he had in the corners. The Christie was bouncing over the slippery, oil soaked bricks with no shocks.  Barney had to quickly judge how fast he could take the corners and then let it all hang out for that one 102mph lap. I would compare it to an all out modern qualifying attempt. Barney was not faking it that day. Sometimes he did put on phony exhibitions, but not that day. 
I will email you the ads that we spoke of.

From Saturday Request: Information on the Christie Racers from Barney Oldfield's Great-Great -Nephew

Howard- Can’t believe I’m so late to the party on this! Shame on me for only checking in today after the great news about the newly approved LIMP trail today!
Congrats on the news about the new trail, and congrats on all the Indy celebrations!

PLEASE enroll me in the LIMP-PS-ASAP! What ever I can do to help would be a pleasure!

-Greg

...And… on an unrelated matter; The last time I spoke with you at the Cradle of Aviation exhibition last year, we were talking about Mackay’s Horse Tamer…hope that restoration is going well!

From First Meeting of the Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation Society

Correction: 102.623 mph

From Saturday Request: Information on the Christie Racers from Barney Oldfield's Great-Great -Nephew

Howard, Lee, & Dean,
William F. Nolan biography of Barney Oldfield states that the 102,623 mph 1916 Indianapolis lap record was official. The story is that Carl Fisher was concerned with Barney Oldfield safety as the front wheel drive Christie was at least 7 years old and felt it was a death trap and a pile of junk on wheels. Barney Oldfield, still thought she was the fastest sprinter in the country and if he did not break 100 mph he would buy Carl Fisher five new White Stetson’s for the White Stetson Carl Fisher was wearing & Barney was admiring. Carl Fisher said you will probably break your neck but it is a deal. Local Papers described the record run as one of the most spectacular, death defying drives ever seen anywhere. Barney Oldfield risked his life for that Indianapolis lap record and thats American history at its best.
Best regards,
Wayne Carroll Petersen

From Saturday Request: Information on the Christie Racers from Barney Oldfield's Great-Great -Nephew

Lee,
I would love to have the Firestone ad or any other information you would like to share and thanks again for all your help. I have researched a lot of information and fully understand the rules that the Indianapolis Speedway have and why Barney Oldfield lap record was not official as he was not running a qualified 1916 Indianapolis 300 race car, But the fact is he was the first to lap the Indy over 100 mph.
Best regards,
Wayne Carroll Petersen

From Saturday Request: Information on the Christie Racers from Barney Oldfield's Great-Great -Nephew

Howard,  We have decided to hold our cruise nights
every Friday (instead of every other)
Thak you. Margaret

From 2019 Long Island Cruises (Updated: July 26, 2019)

Howard it was your glory day ! And with the great “Emmo” you reach the consecration !

From Memorable Images From the 2011 Indy 500 Pre-Race Ceremonies

How exciting!!! Congratulations and thanks for sharing the thrill with us. This was definitely a dream come true and a real honor for this wonderful Beast whom we have all grown to admire. Your smiles said it all !! Happy Anniversary to you and your wife—I don’t think you can top this one !

From Newsday: "Vintage race cars celebrated at Indy 500"

I have a good number of photos of the Christie vehicles run at Datona. A good number of years ago I bought out Floyd Clymers archives and was able to obtain thousands of photos. These were very impressive vehicles.
Dennis Mitosinka

From Saturday Request: Information on the Christie Racers from Barney Oldfield's Great-Great -Nephew

Harry Miller also ran an ad promoting the use of his carburetor on the Christie’s 100mph lap. I’ve got a copy of that too.

From Saturday Request: Information on the Christie Racers from Barney Oldfield's Great-Great -Nephew

The is no doubt that Barney turned that 100mph lap. Firestone Tires took out ads to celebrate the fact afterwards.  And it was widely reported in the press at the time.  I have a scan of the Firestone ad if you want it.
Of course the lap was not official because the Christie was not entered in the Indy race.  The Christie engine was too large, and it could never have run 500 miles anyway.

From Saturday Request: Information on the Christie Racers from Barney Oldfield's Great-Great -Nephew

Lee,
Thanks again for your expertise on the Christie as this information clears any doubt in my mind of Barney Oldfield 1916 Indianapolis lap record over 100 MPH in the Christie.

Best regards and keep American history alive.
Wayne Carroll Petersen
Barney Oldfield great great nephew

From Saturday Request: Information on the Christie Racers from Barney Oldfield's Great-Great -Nephew

The 1916 race cars were much more technically advanced than the Christie. The winning Peugeot car had twin overhead cams with 4 valves per cylinder. They won everything in European Grand Prix racing and were widely copied by almost everyone.  I think they were about 4.5liters or 274cuin. Horsepower was about 112 at 2800rpm. I am calculating torque at about 230ftlbs.  They had shock absorbers by 1916 and probably better tires than the Christie.  One thing that Christie had which no one else had was independant front suspension. I doubt the Christie car was any heavier than the other cars. Christie’s 1906 racer weighed 1780lbs during the Vanderbilt trials.  It had a smaller engine than the 1909 car, but I believe most 1916 race cars were in the 2200-2500lb range. The 1909 Christie was a marvelously compact and well-packaged engineering design.

From Saturday Request: Information on the Christie Racers from Barney Oldfield's Great-Great -Nephew

I saw you take that lap at Indy and it must have been the thrill of a of a lifetime for you…

From Roslyn News "The Alco Black Beast Racer Returns to Indianapolis"

Lee, Dean or Howard
Do you know what the comparison is on the torque of the race cars of the 1916 Indianapolis 300 and the Christie? I am trying to compare the cars of the 1916 Indianapolis 300 to the Christie. I know that the Cristie engine was approx 1,237 cubic inch compared to the 300 cubic inch of the qualifying 1916 Indianapolis 300 race cars. What I have read the cars that raced in the 1916 Indy 300 had over 100 HP with a lighter weight engine compared to the Cristie 1,237 cu. in. engine but had comparable HP.
Best regards,
Wayne Carroll Petersen
Barney Oldfield great great nephew

Keeping American History Alive!!!!!

From Saturday Request: Information on the Christie Racers from Barney Oldfield's Great-Great -Nephew