By RAGHAV PATEL
High speed cars zoomed by cheered on by thousands of spectators from all over the United States. The races were pure chaos. Cars got into accidents left and right, spectators were hit by cars, giant clouds of dust were kicked up on loose dirt roads, and everyone loved it. Many Jericho High School students drive on Jericho turnpike on a daily basis. Little do they know, over a century ago, the first racing series in America, The Vanderbilt Cup, was held on the same roads.
The Vanderbilt Cup races helped popularize the sport of auto racing in America. The sport attracted large crowds and generated significant media attention, which helped raise awareness for the sport, making it popular with the general public. The Vanderbilt Cup races pioneered the sport of racing to be what it is today and was a significant foundational piece of racing history.
Photo courtesy of Vanderbilt Cup Races
William Kissam Vanderbilt II and his father were two of the first people to have cars on Long Island and promoted automobiles and automobile racing among their wealthy friends. On October 8th, 1904, millionaire sportsman Vanderbilt sponsored the first automobile international race right here on Long Island.
Photo courtesy of Long Island Pulse Magazine.
Vanderbilt chose an almost 300-mile course that started and finished west of the Westbury Meeting House on Jericho Turnpike. The circuit evolved annually but usually consisted of 5 to 7 laps that lasted 5 to 7 hours.
Photo courtesy of New York Heritage / Manhasset Public library
The cup cars raced around the track reaching speeds up to 80mph. Mechanics rode along with racers to apply the brakes and keep up oil pressure and make repairs during the race if needed.
Photo courtesy of Vanderbilt Cup Races
Photo courtesy of Hemmings
There were many influential, successful teams in the Vanderbilt Cup racing series. Old #6 was considered the most famous racing car in America, was driven by George Robertson and was kept in D.F. Maltby’s Jericho garage.
Photo courtesy of Vanderbilt Cup Races
Despite the exciting new sports’ popularity, the cars were dangerous and with little to no safety for drivers and spectators. All the cars had thin tires and hand-operated brakes, which were inefficient and unreliable. The dirt roads kicked up dust, making it almost impossible to see. Many spectators gathered at the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Oyster Bay Road (now known as Route 106) to watch what was know as “death corner” or “suicide turn.” Although there were attempts to make the race safer such as soaking the dirt in oil to keep the dirt down, there were too many flaws in the cars and the course.
Photo courtesy of Long Island Pulse Magazine
The unsafe cars combined with spectators that had no experience with racing resulted in many people wandering around the road. The majority of the population had never seen cars at the time and didn’t expect them to race past, which created a very dangerous environment. Additionally, local farmers and businesses opposed the roads being closed for the day because it delayed their work.
Photo courtesy of Vanderbilt Cup Races
In 1906, the first paved highway called the Long Island Motor Parkway was created after a spectator died in an accident and Vanderbuilt was forced to create a private road. It was the first road to implement overhead bridges to eliminate intersections.
Photos courtesy of Vanderbilt Cup Races
The sport led to a significant amount of innovation in automotive technology making cars faster, more comfortable, more reliable and more competitive. Much of this technology trickled down to production cars, making better cars for the public to use.
Photo courtesy of Spectrum News
The Vanderbilt Cup races were highly competitive, and automakers were eager to win the prestigious trophy. The tradition, culture and innovation of the Vanderbilt Cup had lasting and groundbreaking impacts and is valued history for locals and auto enthusiasts alike.
Sources: Howard Kroplick’s Special Centennial Edition of the Second International Race Guide, Betsey Murphy’s “Jerico: The History of a Long Island Hamlet ” and the sites linked above in photo captions.