American Grand Prize 1910 Date

This article was published in the April 17, 1910 in the Indianapolis Star.
 
The single most historically significant thing about this article is that it highlights William K. Vanderbilt Jr.'s chief executive role in the American Grand Prize. Read my analysis and additional information elsewhere on First Super Speedway for background on how the man friends called "Willie K" became the president of the Motor Cups Holding Company, the organization formed in a compromise agreement to end the "war" between the Automobile Club of America (ACA) and the American Automobile Assocition (AAA).
 
Another entry on First Super Speedway provides an analysis of this AAA - ACA "civil war," as well as an array of original articles for background. Part of the compromise that ended the contentiousness between the two organizations was to create the holding company with Vanderbilt at the helm. Therefore, in perhaps a twist of irony, Vanderbilt, the man who founded the Vanderbilt Cup, is recorded here not referencing that event at all, but instead the former rival American Grand Prize.
 
Getting past the irony this announcement ended speculation about the American Grand Prize which first ran in 1908 and then went on hiatus in 1909. What they could not predict is that the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup would prove to be a tragic race with the deaths of two riding mechanics and several spectator injuries. This forced the organizers to cancel plans to conduct the Grand Prize over the Long Island Motor Parkway course - which was used by the Vanderbilt Cup - and postpone the race for a month. That delay gave the ACA time to work with the auto club in Savannah, Georgia to organize the race for their "gold challenge cup" at that location. The inaugural Grand Prize took place in Savannah in 1908.
 
The announced prize for the Grand Prize was the $5,000 gold cup challenge trophy as well as cash prizes for the top three finishers in the amounts of $4,000, $2,000 and $1,000 respectively. Consistent with the rules of the era no more than three cars of the same make could be entered. This raises the question of whether or not this applied to the sum of private and factory entries or if the limitation applied only to manufacturers. It is not clear from the article.
 
Race teams private or factory had to file their entries with their home country club, which, in turn, would file them with the host ACA. Eligible countries are listed and include, besides the USA: Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Holland, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
 
The article reports on rules for the event. Entry fees were $1,000 per car but discounts for second and third entry of cars of the same make were provided with $1,500 for the second entry and $1,750 for the third. Entries were scheduled to close August 1 and a deposit of $300 per entry was required. The balance had to be in the hands of the holding company by October 1 or the deposit would be forfeited. Late entries between August 1 and September 1 would be an additional $250 per car. 
 
The organizing committee asserted the discretion to stage elimination races if they felt there was an excessive number of entries. All entries had to undergo the scrutiny of the ACA tech committee especially with respect to safety precautions. Another concern was "agents of oxidation." This meant additives that produced more powerful combustion. Also, all cars were required to carry two people, seated side-by-side each with a mimium weight of 134 pounds which equates to 60 kilograms.