6 replies to this topic

[HistoryFan]

Are there details about John Mais and his IndyCar from 1915?

[D-Type]

Have you tried asking the question on Trackforum? They focus primarily on Indianapolis.

[Richard Jenkins]

If it's the man - http://www.oldracing...river/John_Mais

Full name John Anton Mais.

[robert dick]

According to Motor Age/1915, the Mais Special (in the 1915 Indianapolis 500) was powered by a modified Mercer engine, 4.373 x 4.985 inches = 299 cubic inches, OHV-head, wheelbase 108 inches.
"Mais, on the Mais Special, was troubled with a flooding carbureter and stopped for adjustment after covering only three laps. Pulling up again for the same cause after the twenty-fifth lap, he overshot the pit, instead of backing to it, as he should have done, ran around the road behind the pits to return to his proper place. This leaving the course automatically disqualified the car."

#24 Mais Special:
http://2.bp.blogspot...-1915-21-24.jpg

[KansasHistory]

I believe you can find out quite a bit about John A. Mais on the following web page.  Of course, I'm always looking for more information about him but I'm looking forward to finding out what you think of this: http://KansasRacingH...Roller/Mais.htm

Edited by KansasHistory, 02 January 2015 - 16:37.

[Michael Ferner]

Bob, is that you? I believe I can help you on at least a few of those races, maybe even add a few more. Right off the bat, and rolling up your list backwards, I have for:

 

July 5, 1926, Abilene/TX: Mais was entered in a Dodge Special, possibly Slim Harper's (who I believe bought this car from Mais), but doesn't appear in the skimpy results I have of the races (mostly only 1st and 2nd places); Harper however does although he was not on the entry list, so I'm guessing he took over from Johnny. Mais had also entered a Duesenberg-Bugatti Special for Charles Anderson, but no info either. Main event (48 laps) was won by Frank Lockhart on the ex-Bennie Hill Miller '122' in 28'23.4", from Fred Lecklider in the Tarbet/Miller '183' (ex-Lockhart).

 

I also have two more 1926 entries for Johnny Mais, September 6 at Cushing/OK (result u/k, won by Dick Calhoun from George Souders) and Sep 22 at Abilene again: here, John Lindsey drove a Mais Special #1 to 11th fast time, and possibly started an 8-lap race, result u/k, while Johnny himself was entered in a Mais Special #2 but does not appear to have raced. The main (32 laps) went to Chet Gardner (Gardner/Rajo) from Pete de Paolo (White/Miller '183'). No more entries for Mais in my data base, neither as driver nor owner.

[KansasHistory]

Yes.  It is I.  I've really enjoyed doing this research on John Mais.  I've learned a lot in the process too, which, I guess, is what it is all about.

 

Thank you for your additions to Mais' racing record.  Those are from around the time that they quit making newspapers available here due to copyright laws.  Later information is much more difficult to find.  If you run across anything else about John Mais, please let me know.

 

"Cemetery of Koblenz-Moselweiss at Koblenz-Moselweiss, Germany" is right off the official death record for Americans who died abroad but I realize there are nuances to the German language that I have no idea about.  My goal is to write it correctly so that someone in Germany might be able to find John's grave and take a photo of any grave marker there for me.  Have I written that information so that someone there can understand what cemetery that is, where it is located, and (maybe) be able to find the grave for me?  In fact, you are apparently in Germany.  Is that anywhere near where you are (or might be in the future)?  It also appears that "HistoryFan" who started this thread, might be in Germany too.