Thunder At Sunrise

On a bright October morning in 1904, thousands of people flocked to Nassau County in rural Long Island to witness the first American motor sport competition of international status - the newly created Vanderbilt Cup. By 1906, the number of spectators had multiplied to a quarter million and America's place in motor racing history was assured. With the beginning of the French racing boycott in 1908, America gained another international sporting event with the inaugural running of the International Grand Prize, the first race of its kind to be run outside France. By 1913, the United States, with typical American ingenuity, had ushered in a new era of motor sports and forever changed the face of the country's newest spectator sport with the world's first oval track racing at Indianapolis. Concentrating on the years between 1904 and 1916, this book examines the early (and to some, relatively unknown) history of American motor racing. Beginning with an overview of motor racing history, it covers the French origins of the sport and the first international competitions such as the annual Gordon Bennett Cup and the ill-fated Paris to Madrid race. The primary focus is the first three American races of international stature: the Vanderbilt Cup, the International Grand Prize and the Indianapolis 500. Compiled in great part from contemporary sources such as newspaper accounts and automotive journals, the book covers not only the inaugural runnings of these original American races but also the ways in which each spurred on the development of the American automobile industry, making it at last a true competitor for that of Europe. A wealth of photographs is also included.