1910 Grand Prize Plans

The attachments below contain articles about the revival of the  American Grand Prize. The first article (attachment GrandPrize021310) was originally published in the February 13, 1910, Indianapolis Star. It concerns plans to revive the race - the forerunner to the United States Grand Prix - after a year hiatus.
 
The article notes that it was not on the American Automobile Association (AAA) Contest Board's calendar, but this is no surprise as the event was deemed "international" and therefore under the governance of the Automobile Club of America (ACA), the recognized sanctioning body representing the racing a activities in the United States to the International Association of Recognized Automobile Clubs in France.
 
The International Association of Recognized Automobile Clubs had held a world congress in Paris on January 19. One of the outcomes of that meeting was an endorsement supporting the contest on an autumn date for the Grand Prize suggested to be October 15 or 22. Joining the ACA in the production and promotion of the event was the Motor Cups Holding Company an organization formed as part of a settlement in a dispute over governing authority of American auto racing between the AAA and ACA that raged through much of 1907 and 1908.
 
ACA Acting Secretary Harry Fosdyck was very careful not to commit to a specific date, saying: "The contest committee of the ACA has fixed upon no definite time or place for the race."
 
The location of the event was also not settled although strong rumors centered on Long Island, New York as reported in a November 1909 article elsewhere on First Super Speedway. While the plan did call for Long Island and its Long Island Motor Parkway a tragic Vanderbilt Cup a week prior to the planned Grand Prize postponed the race until November when it could be moved to Savannah, Georgia where the inaugural contest in 1908 had been staged.
 
The article also discusses the possibility of limiting the number of entries from any given country, an antiquated concept even in 1910 and dating back to the original premise of the James Gordon Bennett Cup road race (1901 - 1905). In those days teams of three cars were allowed to represent any one country and it was this thinking that triggered the advent of the French Grand Prix in 1906 where any number of cars could be entered. The French, the world leaders in automobile production and technology at the time, felt particularly abused by this rule and decided to start their own event in 1906.
 
After suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of a German entry in 1908 the French had discontinued their Grand Prix but speculation persisted of its renewal in 1910. It was not until 1912 that another French Grand Prix would be conducted.
 
Another point raised in the article is the opening of the rulebook to allow for unlimited displacement engines or what was commonly called "freak" racers. This was another ongoing debate in motoring circles as manufacturers - especially those in America - vehemently resisted purpose-built race cars due to the added expense. They defended this position despite fan interest in the faster cars by insisting that the use of stock machines was a better test of product for consumer consideration in potential purchase decisions.
 
Just hours earlier, the Hoosier Capital's evening newspaper, the Indianapolis News, had published the article found in attachment GrandPrizeNews021210. Much of the content here is a repetition of what you just read above.
 
It bears repeating that writer notes that the Grand Prize was not on the AAA Contest Board 1910 calendar. Again, apparently, it was not widely understood that the race in question was an ACA event, not AAA - as noted above. I don't mean to berate this point, but I find it interesting that even sports reporters of the day did not understand the role of the ACA - foreshadowing its demise. Certainly, hardly anyone is aware the organization ever existed.