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'Junior' supporting events at big car championship meetings


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#1 tsrwright

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Posted 07 April 2013 - 02:16

Auto Drivers at Altoona

Miami News, Sep 5, 1927 .......

Reporting on the upcoming 200 mile championship race at Altoona... the paper notes that 'Twenty junior drivers are entered in the 50 mile race'

Does anyone know anything about this and similar events and what sort of cars were used?

Edited by tsrwright, 07 April 2013 - 02:19.


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#2 Michael Ferner

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Posted 09 April 2013 - 16:12

I have refered to these races a few times in the past; to spare you the search job there were five in all, two in 1927 and one each in 1928, 1930 and '31. There were also some occasional "non-championship" races run in conjunction with the National Championship races at Detroit and Syracuse in the twenties, thirties and early forties. In short, they were support races for (mostly) local dirt track racers, sometimes called "semi-professional races", or "class B events". The cars were the usual dirt track racers of the time, what would be called "Sprint Cars" today.

The 1927 Labor Day meet had a huge entry for the supporting event, at least 36 cars, although only twenty were allowed to start the fifty-miler. Time trials were held in the week leading up to the Sunday before the race, but most drivers appear to have qualified on the Friday. For some reason, five of the twenty fastest entries were disqualified before the race (I either forgot to make a note, or it wasn't properly explained in the sources I used), and only two non-qualifiers joined in to make a field of seventeen. First price was $1,000 (as compared to $7,000 in the Championship event), and second through fifth paid $500, $300, $150 and $75, respectively. The last four entries to retire received consolation prices of $25 each.

Results:

1 Henry Turgeon (RI), #34 Fronty (owner Henry Turgeon), 32'58.4"
2 Benrard "Tubby" McGinley (PA), #17 Chevrolet (owner Bernard McGinley), 33'48.8"
3 Marty Klaus (PA), #25 Essex (owner Marty Klaus), 34'17.4"
4 Ernest Mistlebauer (PA), #14 Olds (owner Ernest Mistlebauer), 35'22"
5 Eddie Murphy (NJ), #36 Fronty, 36'18"

R Frank Bly (PA), #18 Charleroi, 24 laps
R Freddie Bianchi (PA), #45 Bianchi, 23 laps
R Bill Lightner (PA), #31 Fronty, 19? laps
R Guy Clapper (PA), #22 Ford, 21? laps
R Carl Keppler (OH), #19 Fronty Ford, 12 laps
R Tony Boyle (PA), #6 Foster, 11 laps
R Gordy Condon (PA), #8 Dodge (owner Dewey Closson), 9 laps (engine)
R Charley Wall (PA), #5 Scott, 8 laps
R Frank Hollman (PA), #7 Haller, 6 laps
R Speed Gardner (PA), #2 Flying Cloud, 4? laps (engine)
R Lew Shingle (PA), #9 Dodge, 5? laps
R Clifford Hudson (PA), #27 Chevrolet, 1 lap

DNS Ivan Mikan (PA), #11 Fronty, DQ
DNS Lawrence "Mike" Hickson (PA), #12? Bupp, DQ
DNS Joe Spath (PA), #4? Salvatora, DQ
DNS Lou Schempp (PA), #35? Burgwin, DQ
DNS W. T. Morris (PA), #29 Fronty Ford, DQ
DNS Tom Sheehan (PA), #23? Ford, too slow?
DNS William Bordonaro (PA), #3 Oakland, accident in Q
etc.

Time Trials:

1 Gardner, 43.4"
2 Lightner, 45.6"
3 Mikan, 46.2"
4 Boyle, 47.2"
5 Murphy, 47.4"
6 Klaus, 47.6"
7 Hickson, 47.8"
8 Mistlebauer, 47.8"
9 Turgeon, 48.0"
10 Shingle, 48.8"
11 Spath, 49.0"
12 Schempp, 50.0"
13 Keppler, 50.0"
14 Wall, 53.0"
15 Condon, 53.6"
16 McGinley, 53.8"
17 Bly, 55.0"
18 Morris, 55.8"
19 Bianchi, 56.2"
20 Hollman, 56.2"
21 Clapper, 56.2"
etc.

The "semi-professional" track record was 40.8", established by Bill Albertson during the time trials for the June 11 race, driving a 183 CID Duesenberg. Overall track record was 33.0", established by Leon Duray on June 9 and equalled by Cliff Woodbury on September 1, both driving supercharged 91 CID Millers (Duray a front-drive, and Woodbury a rear-drive). The gulf between these performances is (at least mostly) explained by the unsuitability of the dirt track cars for sustained high-speed operation.

Edited by Michael Ferner, 09 April 2013 - 17:12.


#3 tsrwright

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Posted 10 April 2013 - 14:10

I have refered to these races a few times in the past; to spare you the search job there were five in all, two in 1927 and one each in 1928, 1930 and '31. There were also some occasional "non-championship" races run in conjunction with the National Championship races at Detroit and Syracuse in the twenties, thirties and early forties. In short, they were support races for (mostly) local dirt track racers, sometimes called "semi-professional races", or "class B events". The cars were the usual dirt track racers of the time, what would be called "Sprint Cars" today.
....


Many thanks for that definitive response.

Clearly "junior" did not mean what it had done pre WW1, that is under 18 or 16 and for single and twin engined cars.

Will post more and a photo on this when I can find it.

#4 tsrwright

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Posted 10 April 2013 - 14:46

Many thanks for that definitive response.

Clearly "junior" did not mean what it had done pre WW1, that is under 18 or 16 and for single and twin engined cars.

Will post more and a photo on this when I can find it.



Posted Image

This is 1924 and shows Ralph de Palma sitting in #1 at what looks like a prizegiving for boy drivers of small cars - I hesitate to say "midgets".

Just can't remember where I got it but I am interested in knowing what is going on?

#5 Michael Ferner

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Posted 10 April 2013 - 16:07

The "Chateau Art Studios" signature shows it to be a California event, but that is the most I can say apart from the bleedin' obvious. It's another pointer to the fact that Midget racing existed (apparently) all trough the twenties, but was simply ignored by the public, by and large, and the press, obviously.

Looking at it again, I think I can identify drivers Fred Frame (standing beside the woman in the back) and Arthur "Fuzzy" Davidson (in the Midget to the right).

#6 tsrwright

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Posted 11 April 2013 - 05:24

It's another pointer to the fact that Midget racing existed (apparently) all trough the twenties,


That's exactly what I am thinking Michael, but with only this photo as an indication. Can you suggest any other pointers please?

If that is the case then the centenary of midget racing is next January even though the first two races were on the streets of Venice and Culver City.

Thank you for your recognition of two more senior drivers which suggests the scene was the same as prewar with leading drivers helping the lads along.

Edited by tsrwright, 11 April 2013 - 05:28.


#7 tsrwright

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Posted 15 June 2013 - 02:46

Posted Image

This is 1924 and shows Ralph de Palma sitting in #1 at what looks like a prizegiving for boy drivers of small cars - I hesitate to say "midgets".

Just can't remember where I got it but I am interested in knowing what is going on?


Posted Image

I noticed the photo had gone missing so I posted it again from Imageshack by waving my cursor over the thumbnail in My Images, selecting Share and copying the Forum code here - what you might call the Ray Bell Method - and it worked!

Anyway I have now found where I originally saw this photo - on oldmotor.com - where there is currently some new material suggesting there were a lot more of these early midgets about.