Vanderbilt Cup Races

In reply to Brian’s letter above… There was never any drag racing at Bridgehampton and I doubt if there was any at Riverhead.
Your dragster photo could have been at Westhampton Dragway or Center Moriches National Speedway

From Highlights from The Bridge V: The Alco Black Beast

Brian- While I haven’t seen it myself, Google Earth shows the entrance to the club is the original straightaway with the crossover bridge still intact. Sadly, the light bulb, nor any other part of the track is recognizable. A missed opportunity would’ve had the original developers keep the exact original track layout as golf cart access path.

From Highlights from The Bridge V: The Alco Black Beast

Wonder if any part of the raceway is still evident? Have to look at aerials to see. Below is a polaroid of me, no older than 5, sitting in a dragster. Around 1972, not sure if it was at Riverhead or Bridgehampton Raceway.

From Highlights from The Bridge V: The Alco Black Beast

That’s the 1906 Locomobile Racer being prepared for driver Joe Tracy to participate in the American Elimination Trial to determine who would qualify for the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race. The right front wheel support has “Loco” painted on it. Since the date of the race was September 22, 1906, I suspect the date of the photo would be within a day or two of that. The service location would have been Maple Cottage on Lakeville Road in Lake Success which was Locomobile headquarters at that time. The other racer was number 12’s identical twin Locomobile which served as a back-up.

From Mystery Foto #38 Solved: Working on a 1906 Locomobile in Lake Success

I too, like Greg O, did many laps at the old Bridgehampton circuit. In the late 50’s racing with LISCA and then in the late 70’s racing with EMRA. The track may no longer be there but I can still drive every inch of it in my head having done hundreds of laps there. I was doing racing in the LISCA days and…. Racing and Time Trials in the EMRA days.
My ride in LISCA racing was my ‘55 Porsche Speedster shown here. My ride in the EMRA days was a Formula V King for racing… and Volvo 122S and Ford Capri forTime Trials. I do miss that track and those special days.

From Highlights from The Bridge V: The Alco Black Beast

Looked like a fun day with some great cars!

I haven’t been to The Bridge since it was a race track. In the late 80’s/early 90’s I had an older Porsche 944 that I used in EMRA (Eastern Motorsports Racing Association) events called the Vanderbilt Time Trials. In the 70’s, EMRA needed a name to call their events and the only race name that was not trademarked was The Vanderbilt Cup, so that was the name they chose for their events for many years.
My last dash plaque from the last event I drove in back in 1994:

From Highlights from The Bridge V: The Alco Black Beast

That was a Great event. Thank You to All.

From Highlights from the amazing Dash Drags New Hyde Park

1906 Locomobile.
“Loco.” is written on the right front wooden jackstand.
It was being prepped for the eliminations for driver Joe Troy.
I’d guess the date would be around September 18, 1906 since the race was held on September 22, 1906.
Possibly the other car would have been Old #16, the first US-made car to win the race in 1908.

From Mystery Foto #38 Solved: Working on a 1906 Locomobile in Lake Success

The year and manufacturer of the racer:
- 1906 Locomobile
Where in the photo is a hint of the manufacturer’s name?
- Block of wood on front right of car says Loco.
What race was the Mystery Auto being prepared for and for which driver?
- 1906 American Elimination Trial held on Saturday, September 22, 1906
- Driver was Joe Tracey
The approximate date of the Foto:
- Mid-September, 1906
The location where the racer was being serviced:
- Maple Cottage in Lakeville
What other racer was being worked on at the same location:
A backup Loco just in case needed for the races

From Mystery Foto #38 Solved: Working on a 1906 Locomobile in Lake Success

Hi Greg O.,
You’re correct about the ‘missing’ mechanician in some of the photos and I had noticed that too. However in a photo at the start of one of the races you do see an AK-driver with mechanician (see below). I didn’t analyze all races, so I don’t know the reason for this, but it could be that the longer distances were raced with a mechanician and the shorter one’s without. Moreover there were two AK-racers at Readville, so possibly that explains the differences between the cars.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: The Allen-Kingston Racer during the 1909 Readville Races

The absolute opposite of what the Alco was built for! But some great racing regardless! A little longer of a run and the Alco surely would’ve caught some of the cars it ran against!

From Highlights from the amazing Dash Drags New Hyde Park

This is a tough one.  Most of the photos appear to be taken at the same spot on the track, same fence in the background.  However, that is the 1907 Christie GP car in the photo, not the same configuration as it appeared in 1908.  I am pretty sure the original Christie bodywork and radiator are visible in the photo.  On June 5, 1908 there was a straightaway speed trial held on Long Island, on Hillside Ave.  The Christie had been in an accident and the radiator and bodywork were removed/destroyed. Morton Seymour was driving, I believe.  Morton Seymour also drove another Christie at this time, a Christie raceabout or speedster. More like a street car with Christie’s transverse 4 cylinder engine. But if the big 1907 Christie GP car was back at Readville by June 25, 1908, it would have looked like the last photo below.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: The Allen-Kingston Racer during the 1909 Readville Races

Great job identifying the mystery photo!  Guess my initial guess that the AK was for Art Kleiner wouldn’t have been correct!

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: The Allen-Kingston Racer during the 1909 Readville Races

Arijan Bos-
In the first photo you posted with the AK crossing he line, there was 2 minor details that cast a little doubt in my mind when I came across it also in the Detroit archives.
First, was a lack of a riding mechanician, and second was a lack of the front fender supports which we’re both present in the top mystery photo.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: The Allen-Kingston Racer during the 1909 Readville Races

Howard, The manufacturer is the Allen-Kingston Co., model C or H from 1908.      AK won the Meadow Brook Sweepstakes class of the 1908 VCR with Hugh Hughes at the wheel.                                                                            The mystery photo was taken at the Briarcliffe Trophy Race in the Spring of 1908 in Westchester, NY with Ralph DePalma at the wheel.                                    Believe the Simone Museum has an Allen-Kingston from that era.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: The Allen-Kingston Racer during the 1909 Readville Races

I have to agree with you on that one Mark! Great work she did there!

And nice seeing you at the New Hyde Park drag races yesterday!

From Restoration Update: Video: HotRod Jen recreates the hand-painted #26 racing numbers and bullets for the Holman Moody Challenger III

Two more Detroit Library photos of DePalma’s FIAT leading the #5 Renault in the 1909 Readville races and a better view of DePalms’s FIAT crossing the finish line.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: The Allen-Kingston Racer during the 1909 Readville Races

This group of photos has been a challenge.
The best that I have is the main mystery photo is a 1908 Allen-Kingston racer driven by Arthur L. Cambell. A photo on Pinterest captions the photo as 1908. However, after browsing Detroit library photos, I’m leaning towards this being the 1909 races held at the Readville Racetrack in Boston Mass.
The 3 other cars are the #5 Renault, FIAT and the 1907 100hp V-4 Christie racer.

The connection to the Vanderbilt Cup Races is Hugh Hughes driving the #35 1908 Allen-Kingston in the 1908 Meadowbrook Sweepstakes, a photo of which is below.
Also below is an image of the #5 Renault from the 1909 Readville races which is a match to the above photo in the way the number is affixed to the car. I believe the FIAT was driven by Ralph DePalma also at the 1909 Readville races. It certainly looks like his usual driving posture. Included is a photo of DePalma crossing the finish line

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: The Allen-Kingston Racer during the 1909 Readville Races

The fence photo and the race report in Motor Age.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: The Allen-Kingston Racer during the 1909 Readville Races

There is no doubt for me that at least three of the pictures were taken during the Readville track races in June 1909. In the Detroit Public Library similar pictures can be found of the Allen-Kingston, with only A-K on the radiator, as well as of the Fiat, with only FIAT on the radiator, with Ralph DePalma at the wheel. And also the Renault with the nr.5 attached in a rather improvised way, driven by Charles Basle. All DPL photos were taken at the start/finish side of the track, but the mystery photos were taken on the other side. I have only one photo to prove that, taken during the Readville races the year before (published in The Automobile, June 25, 1908 on p.873): on this photo the light coloured fence can be seen in the far, and zooming in you can just see the poles sticking slightly out above the fence.
Two drivers raced Allen-Kingston cars during this race, Hugh Hughes and C.A. Glenworth, but comparing with other photos this driver seems to be Hughes.
One mystery remains however and that is the 1907 Christie on the last photo. In the reports of the 1909 races this car was never mentioned, but the car is clearly photographed at the same location as the other photographs. The only solution I can think of is that the photo was taken at the Readville races a year before, when Morton Seymour drove a Christie at this track.
Ralph DePalma was the winner of the 1912 and 1914 editions of the Vanderbilt Cup races. Charles Basle competed in the 1910 edition with a Marion. Hugh Hughes drove a Mercer in the 1911 and 1912 editions and a Fiat-Pope-Hartford named Ono in 1915. Joe Seymour drove a Thomas in the 1908 edition and an Isotta-Fraschini in 1909.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: The Allen-Kingston Racer during the 1909 Readville Races