May 10 - Brickyard Buzz

By Saturday, May 10, 1913 activity was picking up at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the brick track's staff prepared for the May 30 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Attached are six articles published that day in the Indianapolis News.
 
I like the article in the attachment, "NewsBuzz051013" because it discusses the atmosphere of the city with people in restaurants, hotel lobbies and offices speculating on the pros and cons of the various drivers and their cars. Bob Burman, Billy Liesaw and George Clark were among the early American favorites. The article also underscores the significant level of interest in the foreign entries with drivers like Jules Goux, Paul Zuccarelli and Vincenzo Trucco. Much was made of their travels from far away places and their unfamiliar language and customs.
 
The excitement over the arrival of the European competitors is evident in the newspaper coverage. In the second attachment, NewsFrench051013, there is a brief article tracking the inexorable progress of people such as those mentioned above as well as Belgian driver Theodore Pilette and Frenchman Albert Guyot. It's interesting to note that among the Peugeot entourage were Charles Faroux (his name is mispelled as "Laroux" in the article), editor of the French automobile trade paper La Vie Automobile as well as mechanics Begin and Flanelli. Note that a man by the name of Charles Sedwick is identified as manager of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a Professor S.M. Pimiento had been hired as a language interpreter. Pimiento is the subject of the article in the third attachment, NewsInterpert051013. From the article it is apparent that Pimiento had an incredible resume and as a Frenchman had served in a variety of senior military and public service assignments.
 
The fourth attachment (NewsIsotta051013) is a nice graphic and caption that looks like an engineering diagram for the Isotta entries for Harry Grant, Zucharelli and Trucco. This again illustrates the tremendous curiosity American racing fans in the foreign entries.
 
The fifth attachment (NewsMoross-Marmon051013) is a news digest column includes an amusing brief on how Ernie Moross, upon hearing that there had been a flood at the Marmon factory, had wired Howard Marmon out of concern for a car he had stored there. Marmon, apparently peeved at what he thought was Moross' excessive self-interest and lack of concern for his company's plight wrote back, "Dear Ernie, your miserable little roadster was on the second floor and out of harm's way...".
 
The final article is more from the flamboyant Moross who trumpted his client Bob Burman's chances in the "500" and elaborated on his plans to tour the country with his star driver. This article is in attachment NewsMoross051013.