Briarcliff, NY Road Race

1908
This category currently includes four files sourced from Barney Oldfield’s scrapbook. The race was run by Lewis Strang in an Isotta. The field was large for the day – 22 competitors in all, including: Ralph De Palma, George Robertson, Herb Lytle, Barney Oldfield and Emanuel Cedrino. Briarcliff proved to be the final great road race for the Italian ace Cedrino, who was killed in his Fiat at Pimlico the following month.

Briarcliff Herb Lytle
Briarcliff Road Race 1908
Briarcliff Road Race
Briarcliff Strang 1908
Morrell on Briarcliff

Robert Lee Morrell, a prominent leader of early auto racing with executive positions at the Vanderbilt Cup and with the American Automobile Association (AAA) is quoted in this December 22, 1907 Indianapolis Star article about preparations for the Briarcliff road race of 1908. Briarcliff is not mentioned but I am confident that is the race the article refers to.
Briarcliff Threatened

This interesting article is from the Indianapolis Star, February 23, 1908 and notes that the big Briarcliff road race of that year was in jeopardy. The race, scheduled for April 24, was expected to bring commerce to the Westchester County of New York but state officials feared excessive damage to the dirt and gravel highways that made up the course.