1915 Grand Prix season

Grand Prix season 1915 Grand Prix season 1914 1916 The 1915 Grand Prix season saw Grand Prix motor racing continue in the United States. Racing was suspended in Europe due to the outbreak of World War I. The American Grand Prize was held in San Francisco for the first time, in conjunction with the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. Several of the latest European cars had been imported to the USA before the war started. Briton Dario Resta had a Peugeot and Ralph DePalma raced one of the Mercedes GPs. While Resta won both races at San Francisco and DePalma won the Indianapolis 500, just ahead of Resta it was Earl Cooper, running a Stutz, whose consistency gave him the unofficial AAA national championship. Major races Sources:Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gpw1.htm 2019-07-08 2009-04-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20090413060254/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gpw1.htm deadGEL Motorsport Information Page http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/1914/1914.html 2019-09-06 2011-09-28 https://web.archive.org/web/20110928031309/http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/1914/1914.html deadRendall 1993, p.358Monkhouse 1953, p.232-79 Date Name Circuit RaceRegulations RaceDistance Winner'sTime Winning driver Winningconstructor Report 27 Feb United States 1912 VI American Grand Prize San Francisco AAA 400 miles 7h 08m GBR Dario Resta Peugeot EX-3 Report 6 Mar United States 1912 X Vanderbilt Cup AAA 300 miles 4h 28m GBR Dario Resta Peugeot EX-3 Report 31 May United States 1912 V Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Indianapolis 500 miles 5h 34m United States 1912 Ralph DePalma Mercedes 18/100 Report Regulations and technical This year the Grand Prize and Vanderbilt Cup's engine limits were both matched to those of the Indianapolis regulations - down to 450 cu in. Then Indianapolis lowered their engine limit down to 300 cu in (4.92 litres) along with the additional restriction that only three cars from each manufacturer could be entered.Grand Prix Winners 1895–1949 http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gpw5.htm 2019-08-26 2007-09-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20070930012944/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gpw5.htm dead The war in Europe meant some of the most technically advanced cars were sold and crossed the Atlantic, adding vitality and innovation to the American manufacturers just as they were making their own technical strides.Rendall 1993, p.76 Season review With no racing in Europe this year because of the Great War, the only motor-racing of note was the AAA National Championship. It ran for virtually the whole length of the year, from January to November held at seventeen separate venues with a total of 27 races. Most of the venues were now wood-board or dirt ovals that gave the spectators a full view of the racing. The series was very popular with nearly 150 drivers contesting the series.ChampCar Stats http://www.champcarstats.com/year/1915.htm 2019-09-23 Naturally the biggest fields were at the three blue riband events, the American Grand Prize, the Vanderbilt Cup and the Indianapolis 500. The first two were held together again. This time they were in San Francisco, staged on a temporary road-course through the grounds and grand pavilions of the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. Unusually for a road-course, most of the surface was covered by wooden boards.MotorSport AAA results https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/circuits/san-francisco 2019-09-23 thumb|300px|right|Starting grid for the American Grand Prize A big field of 30 cars was entered for the Grand Prize.Rendall 1993, p.78-9 A number of American manufacturers were now producing racing cars and running works teams. Stutz had signed Howdy Wilcox, Earl Cooper and Norwegian-American Gil Andersen. Billy Carlson and Eddie Rickenbacker ran Maxwells for the United States Motor Company team, while Barney Oldfield ran one for the Maxwell company. The Duesenberg brothers had former riding mechanics Eddie O'Donnell (for Rickenbacker) and Tom Alley (for DePalma); Case ran with Harry Grant and Eddie Hearne. At the end of the abbreviated 1914 season, a few of the leading European cars had been purchased and shipped across to the United States. Ralph DePalma had upgraded his older Mercedes with the 18/100 car that Louis Wagner6th Gear History http://www.forix.com/8w/f14.html 2019-09-16 (or Lautenschlager) had raced at the French Grand Prix. Peugeot Auto Import entered a 7.6-litre EX-3 for Dario Resta (which had been raced by Georges Boillot at the previous year's Indianapolis race), which had been overhauled by Harry Miller. Just prepared in time, it was still in its primer-white colour.Vanderbilt Cup Races- Peugeot http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/index.php/blog/article/tuesday_april_20_2010_the_peugeot_ex3-_winner_of_the_1915_vanderbilt_cup_ra 2019-09-23 Claude Newhouse was running a Delage Type Y. thumb|300px|right|Eddie Rickenbacker - Maxwell thumb|300px|right|Dario Resta, winner of the Grand Prize Barney Oldfield was fastest in qualifying, but it was British driver Dario Resta in his Peugeot that dominated the race. Half-way through a heavy storm swept across the circuit, making the wooden boards very slippery. A dozen drivers retired due to the treacherous conditions. Resta carried on to win by 6 minutes from Howdy Wilcox, with Hughie Hughes third in his FIAT Special (fitted with a Pope-Hartford engineVanderbilt Cup Races- FIAT http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/index.php/blog/article/tuesday_july_6_2010_the_1914-1915_ono_combination_of_a_fiat_and_pope-hartfo 2019-09-23). Only two other cars ran the full distance.Rendall 1993, p.78-9 The bad weather stuck around, forcing the Vanderbilt Cup race to be postponed. Virtually the same field assembled again for the race a week later. Bob Burman ran a third car in the Case works team for the race. This time the day was sunny and warm with 100,000 spectators coming out for the event. Rickenbacker briefly led at the start until a fuel line broke, whereupon Alley took over in his Duesenberg. An exciting duel for the lead then ensued between Resta and Eddie Pullen in the Mercer as they built a two-minute lead over the chasing pack led by Burman. Then a series of accidents occurred. Alley went wide and ripped up 50 metres of fencing along the roadside, then his teammate O’Donnell hit a hay-bale and rolled but was uninjured. Soon after Cap Kennedy lost a wheel that went into the crowd injuring a spectator. The worst accident was on the 44th lap when Burman crashed and rolled his Case. Although Burman was thrown out unhurt, his mechanic suffered a broken leg and ribs. In the latter part of the race, it was the Mercers of Pullen and Ruckstall that led the pursuit of Resta out in front. But with only five laps to go, Ruckstall's car broke its axle and then Pullen had to pit to tie down his fuel-tank that had been shaken loose. The pressure off, Resta cruised to a consecutive victory seven minutes ahead of Howdy Wilcox who inherited a lucky second place. Pullen got running again to finish third while DePalma came in fourth.Vanderbilt Cup Races http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/races/story/1915_vanderbilt_cup_race 2019-09-23 Over fifty cars were entered to qualify for the twenty-four starter places for the Indianapolis 500. This year the maximum engine size was 300 cu in, meaning that many cars in the regular AAA Championship were ineligible. Stutz entered with their three works drivers while Duesenberg added Ralph Mulford as their third driver, and the US Motor Co team added Tom Orr. The Peugeot Import Team provided Dario Resta and George C. Babcock with Peugeot EX-5s from the French Grand Prix. Ralph DePalma was racing his Mercedes GP which set up an intriguing rematch from the epic contest from the previous year. Another significant entry was from the British Sunbeam team, with two works cars for Italian Jean Porporato and British Noel van Raalte and a third privateer entry for Harry Grant. A new driver to the race was Louis Chevrolet, racing his own Cornelian car. Fastest qualifier, taking pole position, was Howdy Wilcox in the Stutz. The front row also included DePalma (Mercedes) in second, Resta (Peugeot) third and Cooper (Stutz) on the outside and the cars were numbered according to their grid position. None of the Mercers qualified. However, after qualifying, Bob Burman's privateer special was ruled by the officials to be a Peugeot, and as that meant there were now four Peugeots in the starting line-up. One had to be dropped – and it was Jack LeCain's (although there were five Duesenberg-based chassis running). Van Raalte (travelling under his wife's surname, “Graham”, to race during wartime) had used Barney Oldfield to qualify his Sunbeam further up the grid. He was demoted back in the field to his own timed runs.Ivan Wheaton: Early Aviator https://ivanpwheaton.blogspot.com/2011/10/indy-500-1915.html 2019-09-23 thumb|300px|right|Ralph DePalma, winner of the Indianapolis 500 Race-day Saturday was stormy, so the event was postponed to the following Monday. For those spectators who did turn up on the Saturday, Ralph DePalma put on a display of his team's quick tyre-changing pit-stops – changing a front tyre in only 19 seconds.Indianapolis Star https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33038873/the_indianapolis_star/ 2019-09-23 The race became a duel between Resta and DePalma. The Peugeot was faster on the straights but the Mercedes could catch up in the corners.Rendall 1993, p.78-9 DePalma led for a majority of the race and in the end it came down to the Peugeot's tyres again. Resta needed to take one extra pit stop and was unable to make up the time. History almost repeated for DePalma with his engine failing and running on only three cylinders. But he won by just over three minutes from Resta, with the two Stutz team-mates Andersen and Cooper (who both had Johnny Aitken as a reserve driver) finishing third and fourth over eight minutes back.Racing Reference https://www.racing-reference.info/race/1915_International_500/UO 2019-09-23 In August Resta won the first 100-mile race in less than an hour, at the Maywood board-oval near Chicago. But the lethal nature of the high-speed ovals was evident with over a dozen drivers and mechanics killed during the year. These included Harry Grant, who died in a practice crash at the Sheepshead Bay oval.Motorsport Memorial http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/query.php?db=ct&q=year&n=1915 2019-09-23 thumb|300px|right|Earl Cooper, AAA Champion As with previous editions of the series, there was no overall champion declared. However, when a retro-active points system was calculated in 1927 it was Earl Cooper who was unofficially awarded the championship after winning five races and getting four seconds. The wins included the inaugural 500-mile race at the Minneapolis speedway and the final two races of the championship. Dario Resta was beaten to second, having also won five times but only had the single second place, at Indianapolis. Citations 30em References Cimarosti, Adriano (1997) The Complete History of Grand Prix Motor Racing London: Aurum Press Ltd 1-85410-500-0 Fox, Charles (1973) The Great Racing Cars & Drivers London: Octopus Books Ltd 0-7064-0213-8 Georgano, Nick (1971) The Encyclopaedia of Motor Sport London: Ebury Press Ltd 0-7181-0955-4 Higham, Peter (1995) The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing London: Guinness Publishing 0-85112-642-1 Monkhouse, George (1953) Grand Prix Racing Facts and Figures London: G.T. Foulis & Co Ltd Rendall, Ivan (1993) The Chequered Flag – 100 years of Motor Racing London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd 0-297-83220-4 External links Grand Prix Winners 1895–1949 : Part 1 (1895–1916) https://web.archive.org/web/20090413060254/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gpw1.htm 2009-04-13  – list of the races and winners. Retrieved 28 Aug 2019 Grand Prix Winners 1895–1949 : History https://web.archive.org/web/20070930012944/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gpw5.htm 2007-09-30  – Hans Etzrodt's description of the annual regulations, and changes. Retrieved 7 Jun 2019 GEL Motorsport Information Page  - Darren Galpan's list of the races, entrants and results. Retrieved 6 Sep 2019 6th Gear  - list of the major races and winners each year. Retrieved 20 Sep 2019 Motorsport Memorial – motor-racing deaths by year. Retrieved 28 Aug 2019 1915 AAA Championship – list of all the races, entrants and results of the AAA Championship. Retrieved 20 Sep 2019 MotorSport magazine – race results of AAA championship. Retrieved 28 Aug 2019 Vanderbilt Cup Races – race results and report of the Vanderbilt Cup. Retrieved 20 Sep 2019 Vanderbilt Cup Races – 40-second video of the Vanderbilt Cup. Retrieved 20 Sep 2019 Racing-Reference – race results of AAA championship. Retrieved 23 Sep 2019 Category:Grand Prix seasons Grand Prix season Grand Prix season