Auto Racing in America: Ascot Park, 1916, Cincinnati Motor Speedway, 1916; Overland Park, Denver, 1920-1930

Crowds fill the grandstand to watch dirt track automobile racing at Overland Park in Denver, Colorado. Photo taken between 1920 and 1930

Meet us at Ascot Speedway, Sunday, 2 P.M., March 19th.Second title on image: "$5000.00 Washington Sweepstakes, 100 miles, Ascot Park, Los Angeles, Cal., March 5, 1916."

First Annual International Sweepstake Race, 30 miles, Cincinnati Motor Speedway, Sept. 4, 1916.

Hi folks, some early photos of auto racing in the U.S. Busy right now getting the house cleaned before Thanksgiving guests arrive. More on this soon.

John

The National Automotive History Collection and Downtown Detroit

Hi folks -- so I had my book signing this Saturday afternoon, and spent a most interesting day in downtown Detroit. I like this town-- gritty, blue collar, not very pretentious, probably very dangerous. A few things I discovered while there-- American Coney Island hotdogs and loose hamburgers -- very good, although perhaps not so good for my arteries at this stage of my life. I attended the lighting of the Detroit Christmas Tree on Friday evening. Greektown Casino Bistro for a buffet breakfast -- one of the best deals I have ever had for one of the best breakfasts I have ever had. the downtrodden and beaten down at the slots -- 100s of them. A sad commentary on casino gambling. The poor are always the victims in our society.

The signing was a great time. I met some wonderful people while there. Two of my Society of Automotive History (SAH) colleages -- Leroy Cole and Pat Bisson, were in attendance. More Hospitality than I have experienced in a long time. Great car guys and gals. A terrific introduction to my talk on my book by Barbara Fronz. I was glad to see Jenny Wright-King from the Detroit News there. I looked at some interesting books by other authors, including Sirens of Chrome (on auto show models) and the photography of Michael Furman (highly recommended). And I a chance on Friday afternoon to look at a magazine entitled Motor West, suggested to me by Mark Patrick. A very nice set of articles was in these volumes on the Gilmore and Mobil Economy runs.

The most bizarre thing of the weekend? You won't believe this, but it is absolutely true. As I was leaving the American Coney Island on Lafayette Street I crossed over to an area under construction that is sort of a concrete island. There were numerous boxes stacked up that had on the side of them U.S. Army imprinted. But on the ground next to these boxes was what I swear was a rocket launcher, with optical sight and all. This is true. I left there rather promptly, but in reality no one was around. What if I would have gone back to the car, had a friend and I picked that thing up, put it in the car and left? Detroit, a strange place for sure.

Will I go back to Detroit? Absolutely.

The Abduction of Juan Manuel Fangio , part II, February 1958, Havanna, Cuba GP

Havana harbor and "Remember the Maine" Monument in the background -- GP car in foreground
At the 1957 GP of Cuba, Fangio, along with Roberto Batista's son and Fernandez
1991 photo of Fangio with Stirling Moss, who won the 1958 Grand Prix of Cuba

The abduction took place the night before the race, as one man entered the lobby of Fangio's hotel, while two accomplices waited outside. The man walked over to Fangio's chauffeur, frisked him, then walked over to the desk where Fangio was talking to friends about dinner plans. He spoke directly to the champion -- "you are Fangio?"he said."Will you come with me, please, I am from the 26th of July Movement. Don't resist and you won't be hurt." (Fangio later said, "I felt he meant it."

The two men blocking the entrance then showed their pistols. As the abdcutor walked Fangio out of the hotel lobby, he said again to those around the lobby, "Don't move or I'll shoot." That was the last anyone saw of Fangio for then next 29 hours.

With that Havana suddenly went wild, with rumors, reports and a police presence so tight that one observer later said that a cockroach couldn't have passed through a cordon thrown around the perimeter of the city.

Of that first hour, Fangio said "just outside the hotel was a car. The three men with me were very courteous and said please, would I lie down on the floor of the back seat because they didn't want me to be hurt if there was gun fire. I did. they took me to a home where we stayed for perhaps fifteen minutes. Then I was put in another cart and driven -- for not very long -- to another house in the suburbs where I was kept for less than half an hour. I did not know where wee were: I don't know the city of Havana well. I was in the back seat on that trip. I asked if they had a hat I could borrow since I didn't want to be recognized then. Finally I was escorted to yet another car in which we traveled to a third home where I was kept until my release."

(to be continued)

KiIA and West Point, Georgia

The KIA way

The town of West Point, Georgia, was a dying town until last year when KIA Motors built a factory to build cars. On tonight's evening news there was a story about how happy folks in that community were to have this foreign company set up shop. A big sign that hits you as you drive into town:

Thank You Jesus for Bringing KIA to our Town

From the KIA USA Web site:

On March 13, 2006, Kia Motors America (KMA), Kia's sales and marketing company in the U.S. , and the State of Georgia executed the Site Acquisition and Development Agreement, which announced plans to construct a $1 billion automotive assembly and manufacturing plant on 2,259 acres of land in West Point, Ga., the first plant for Kia in North America . "We take pride in how far we've come, creating a foothold in the American market, including our first U.S. manufacturing plant — Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia — currently under construction in West Point, Georgia," said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of Kia Motors America and KMMG. "The state-of-the-art plant will begin producing new Kia vehicles in fall 2009, and at full capacity it will have the capability to manufacture 300,000 vehicles annually. This project is the largest in history for the State of Georgia and is already having a positive impact on the economy. When the plant goes online KMMG will have created 2,500 jobs for which we have already received more than 43,000 applications; additionally, as many as another 6,000 jobs will be created by various plant suppliers."The 43,000+ applications were received in just 30 days, a number that set new automotive benchmarks for both the quantity of applicants during the allotted timeframe and because they were all received online. "The numbers are truly remarkable," says Randy Jackson, director of human resources and administration for KMMG. "These applicants are educated and experienced, truly demonstrating the quality of Georgia's workforce. Georgia and its neighboring states have a prepared, educated and experienced workforce ready to build the future."Currently, KMMG is in the process of hiring salaried and operating team members who will be building Kia's next generation Sorento. Kia is searching for team members who will help reinforce its commitment to sell innovative, high-quality vehicles at affordable prices when production begins in the last quarter of 2009. Construction at the plant is expected to be finished early in 2009. Test vehicles are scheduled to begin production in March of that same year. During the testing phase, vehicles will be examined for quality prior to mass production later in the year.

The Fangio Kidnapping and the Cuban Grand Prix of 1958

From the Article by D.M Bartley, "Not Enough Odds," Sports Cars Illustrated, May 1958, pp.40ff.

"it is questionable that ever in the history of racing has there been an event fraught with so many complications and tensions as the second Grand Prix of Cuba. The accident, which unfortunately killed seven spectators and injured thirty more, was not as serious as that of Lemans in 1955, but the political tension which culminated in the unbelievable kidnapping of world champion Juan Manuel Fangio, the fantastic number of armed policemen and army men crowded into the pit areas, guarding the Sports Palace, stationed at very close intervals around the entire 3.46 mile circuit and even in the hotels where the drivers and crew members were staying: all this made it impossible to forget that one was in a country on the edge of serious revolt."

Hi folks-- i was talking to one of my colleagues the other day -- Juan Santamarina -- about the Cuban GP of 1958. Juan told me that his grandmother's home was on the route of this race, and that his father had seen the race in 1958. It is a perfect time about which to do a study, and so I suggested to him that perhaps we should collaborate on an exploration into this event, and the American response to what happened. Anyone able to add more to the story, or suggest further readings? I will follow with Fangio's account of the kidnapping in the next day or so. And also more about the accident and race.

The Importance of the Ford Fusion and the Motor Trend "Car of the Year" Award

On Tuesday, the Ford Motor Company was awarded the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award for its Fusion, beating out 22 other contenders, including the new Toyota Prius, Nissan 370Z, and BMW 7 series. Those folks who bought Ford stock when it was hovering at a $1 a while back now look like geniuses! The car has had impressive sales, its hybrid has garnered enormous interest, and the fact that Ford claimed "Truck of the Year" honors last year only strengthens its position among a broad range of consumers.

The Ford achievement has significance far broader than the auto industry, however. We are living at at time in which American is seen to be a colossus in decline, with a bankrupt government, a high unemployment rate, fighting a two front war that seems without end -- a mighty power in retreat on many fronts, particularly if we compare ourselves to the rising Chinese economy. Concurrently, Chrysler seems like it doesn't have a hope in hell -- at least if we are to believe the recent statements by Senator John McCain -- and GM is experiencing enormous growing pains as it moves from a culture of consensus to one of decisiveness but also conflict.

Americans must focus on the horizon, at the expense of leaving our past in the background. for if we focus too much on past achievements and not think creatively about future possibilities, we are doomed to drift, if not fail. That has been the case of my place of residence of the past 25 years -- Dayton Ohio. Once a great manufacturing city and a center of innovation, for too long we have been looking back to the great work of C.F. Kettering, John Patterson, etc., etc. And so now we are in quicksand, with a largely apathetic community, many of whom which they could pick up and move to greener pastures. We need more science, technology, business and less humanities, social sciences lawyers, and the arts with the exception of the elite few. In sum, away with laborious thinkers, and on with thinking laborers!