Apperson Wrecked at Playa Del Rey - 1910

The article in this attachment was published in the April 11, 1910, Indianapolis Star and reports on events of the previous day.
 
The article concerns the first race meet at the first board track in the United States - Playa Del Rey. This was probably the third day of the meet which is reported through other sources to have spanned April 8 through April 17. For coverage of other days of the meet check out the following links to other First Super Speedway:
 

• April 8
• April 13

 
The big news from this day of racing was a spectacular accident involving the Apperson racer from the Kokomo, Indiana company of the same name. The driver was Harris Hanshue and his riding mechanic was Carey King. Both were thrown from the car which reportedly rolled over several times. Despite being unconscious when rescuers reached them they quickly came to and were deemed uninjured. Of course, no one gave much thought to minor concussions in the day. The car was called an Apperson "Jack Rabbit."
 
The cause of the accident, according to the article, was a "broken tire," but that might have meant wheel failure. The 50-mile race involved only four cars, one of which, the Knox of Barney Oldfield, retired early on with a broken valve spring. J.B. Marquis in the Isotta took the lead with Henshue in hot pursuit. The other car, a Stoddard-Dayton driven by Al Livingston, trailed. The article indicates that Henshue and Livingston were dicing when the Apperson driver's tire "went off." The car violently swerved left and then rolled when the wheels on the right side collapsed. King was thrown some 50 feet. While both men were taken to the hospital they were treated and released after regaining consciousness.
 
Marquis won the race with Livingston finishing second. The victorious Isotta recorded a new record for a track race of that distance with a time of 39:20.69 to eclipse the previous mark of 42:02.98 by George Robertson in a Fiat at the November 1909 Atlanta speedway races.
 
Ray Harroun continued his winning ways at Playa del Ray with a record-setting victory in a five-mile race for cars of the 231-300 cubic inch engine class. He drove his Marmon home first in a time of 3:55.97. Oldfield again had his Blitzen Benz in fast form covering the mile with the day's best time of 36.90. Robertson drove his Simplex over three miles at 1:58.98 and Ralph DePalma pushed his Fiat to 3:40.27 for four laps of the mile speedway.
 
Young Caleb Bragg again served notice he was a force to be dealt with in a five-mile "free-for-all" race. He set a new record time for the distance at 3:15.89, besting George Robertson (Simplex) and Ben Kirscher (Darracq). 
 
The article concludes with a nicely organized list of the day's events complete with the winning driver's name, the car and time. Not all events were discussed in the article, but appeared on the list:
 
One mile - Oldfield, Blitzen Benz, 36.9 seconds
Three miles - George Robertson, Simplex, 1:58.98
Four miles - Ben Kirscher, Darracq, 2:40.76 (note that Kirscher's name is misspelled as "Kerscher")
Five miles - Ralph DePalma, Fiat, 3:40.27
15 miles Class C stock chassis, 160 cubic inches - winner, DePalma, Fiat; second, Marquis, Isotta; third, Kelly, Hupmobile. Time: 17:07.81.
Chanslor and Lyon Handicap (five miles) - winner, Lescault, Palmer-Singer; second, Livingston, Stoddard-Dayton; third, Marquis, Isotta. Time: 3:23.16.
Five miles (231 to 300 cubic inches) - winner, Harroun, Marmon; second, Siefert, Dorris. Time 3:55.97.
50 miles Venice Sweepstakes (451 to 600 cubic inches) - winner, Marquis, Isotta; second, Livingston, Stoddard-Dayton. Time: 39:20.69.
Five-mile handicap - winner, George Robertson, Simplex (scratch); second, Lescault, Palmer-Singer; Livingston, Stoddard-Dayton, third. Time: 3:29.28.
Five-mile free-for-all - winner, Bragg, Fiat; second, Robertson, Simplex; third, Kirscher, Darracq. Time: 3:15.89.