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Automobile Races
On the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the
Kansas State Fairgrounds
Hutchinson, Kansas
Saturday, September 21, 1912
Races Sanctioned by – American Automobile Association (A.A.A.)
A.A.A. sanction number – 513
Race promoter – Barney Oldfield
Starter – Harry Taylor
“The second largest crowd of the week turned out for the “speed program” on the closing day of the State Fair. The grandstand was packed and there were another 3,000 people watching from the center of the track and outside of the grandstands. Both motorcycle racing and automobile racing were on the day’s program.
“It was the prevailing opinion among the crowd yesterday that the Benz car which Oldfield was carrying was the same car in which he first gained fame however, this was not the case. “The old Blitzen Benz is now the property of Bob Burman* and the one owned by Mr. Oldfield is the Prince Henry Benz. It earned the name when it won the Prince Henry cup in Germany. It is a good machine and Mr. Oldfield has used it in several long trips” – Hutchinson Daily Gazette, September 22, 1912
Stock Car Race – 6 Laps
|
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
|
1 |
W. W. Brown** |
Kansas City, Missouri |
Buick Model 10 |
4:16.6 |
|
2 |
Thomas N. “Nels” Blondefield |
Lyons, Kansas |
Buick Model 10 |
|
Something went wrong with Brown’s Buick and it fell about 100 yards behind on the start but managed to pull away to an eighth of a mile lead by the end.
Stock Car Race – 10 Laps
|
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
|
|
1 |
Charles E. Shaffstall |
Coffeyville, Kansas |
1911 Flanders 20 |
|
|
2 |
John F. Jersezy |
Chanute, Kansas |
Hudson |
|
Exhibition Run Against Time – 2 Laps
|
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
|
1 |
Barney Oldfield** |
Wauseon, Ohio |
Cino |
1:16.6 |
Exhibition Run Against Time – 2 Laps
|
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
|
1 |
Barney Oldfield** |
Wauseon, Ohio |
V-4 Christie |
1:10.0 |
Exhibition Race – 4 Laps
|
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
|
1 |
Barney Oldfield** |
Wauseon, Ohio |
Cino |
2:13.0 |
|
2 |
Louis Heinemann |
Chicago, Illinois |
Prince Henry Benz |
2:29.0 |
Barney Oldfield is shown here during an exhibition run in his Christie. He was just coming out of the northwest turn onto the front straightaway on this afternoon at Hutchinson – Reflections of Reno County Kansas published by the Hutchinson News
These two cars are shown exiting the northwest turn onto the front straightaway on this afternoon at Hutchinson. The #11 car at right is a Buick but the drivers have yet to be identified – Reflections of Reno County Kansas published by the Hutchinson News
Barney Oldfield in his Christie
Barney Oldfield (1878-1946) ran two laps (one mile) in 70 seconds flat on this day at Hutchinson, Kansas. That was a new track record for that distance that stood for the next two years. The front-wheel-drive car had been built by John Walter Christie (1865-1944) in 1909 and sold to Oldfield earlier in 1912. The V-4 engine was rated at 135 horsepower and had a displacement of 1,237 cubic inches – Dick Wallen collection
* The Benz referred to as having been driven by Bob Burman was the Blitzen Benz #1 and was actually owned by Ernest A. “Ernie” Moross (1873-1949) who had hired Bob Burman (1884-1916) to drive it for him. The newspaper article is correct. The car in Hutchinson was not one of the cars known as the Blitzen Benz.
** Barney Oldfield was paid $1,800 to make the three exhibition runs this day. His Cino automobile was only powered by a 35-HP engine so it is highly unlikely that he was able to run the four laps nearly as quickly as was claimed over the megaphone to the crowd that day and in the local newspapers the next day. Both Barney Oldfield (1878-1946) and W. W. Brown (1886-1958) went on to compete in the Indianapolis “500”.
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