| 1911 AAA Championship Car season | |
|---|---|
| AAA National Championship Trail | |
| Season | |
| Races | 21 |
| Start date | February 22 |
| End date | November 30 |
| Awards | |
| National champion | none declared |
| Indianapolis 500 winner |
Ray Harroun |
The 1911 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 21 races, beginning in Oakland, California on February 22 and concluding in Savannah, Georgia on November 30. AAA did not award points towards a National Championship during the 1911 season, and did not declare a National Champion. [1] Ray Harroun was the winner of the inaugural Indianapolis 500.
The de facto National Champion as polled by the American automobile journal Motor Age, was Harvey Herrick. Points were not awarded by the AAA Contest Board during the 1911 season. Herrick was named the champion by Chris G. Sinsabaugh, an editor at Motor Age, based upon merit and on track performance. A points table was created retroactively in 1927, naming Ralph Mulford as champion. At a later point, it was recognized by historians that these championship results should be considered unofficial.
Schedule and results
| Date | Race Name Distance (miles) |
Track | Location | Type | Notes | Pole position | Winning driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 22 | Oakland Trophy (98) | Portola Road Race Course | Oakland, California | 10.923-mile road course | Open to cars under 300 cu in displacement. | Charles Bigelow | |
| St. Francis Hotel Trophy Race (153) | Open to cars 301–600 cu in displacement | Charles Merz | |||||
| Panama-Pacific Race (164) | Free-for-all, Stopped after 15 of 19 laps for darkness | Jack Fleming | Bert Dingley | ||||
| March 28 | Jacksonville Race (100) | Pablo Beach Course | Jacksonville Beach, Florida | 5 mile beach oval | 600 cu in or less and 2300 pounds minimum weight. | Louis Disbrow | |
| May 30 | International 500 Mile Sweepstakes | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana | 2.5 mile brick oval | Qualifications based upon demonstrated 75 mph main stretch speed, 40-car field; Sam Dickson, riding mechanic for Arthur Greiner, fatally injured [2] | Lewis Strang | Ray Harroun |
| July 4 | Tevis Cup Race (145) | Bakersfield Road Race Course | Bakersfield, California | 11.15 Mile Road Course | Harvey Herrick | ||
| August 25 | Kane County Trophy Race* (169) | Elgin Road Race Course | Elgin, Illinois | 8.47 Mile Road Course | Entrants limited to cars 231–300 in3; Ralph Ireland fatally injured in practice [3] | Hughie Hughes | |
| Illinois Trophy Race* (203) | Entrants limited to cars 301 to 450 in3 | Don Herr | |||||
| August 26 | Elgin National Trophy Race (305) | <600 ci, Grandstand collapse on lap 2, restarted 35 minutes later; Dave Buck and his riding mechanic Sam Jacobs fatally injured [4] | Len Zengel | ||||
| September 9 | Hamilton County Trophy Race* (150) | Cincinnati Road Race Course | Cincinnati, Ohio | 7.9 Mile Road Course | Stock chassis, 300 cu in and under. | John Jenkins | |
| Cincinnati Trophy Race* (200) | Free-for-all class, 600 ci and under | Eddie Hearne | |||||
| October 9 | Philadelphia Race 1* (200) | Fairmount Park | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 8.1 Mile Road Course | limited to cars with 600–750 ci | Erwin Bergdoll | |
| Philadelphia Race 2* (200) | limited to cars with 451–600 ci | Ralph Mulford | |||||
| Philadelphia Race 3* (200) | limited to cars with 301–450 ci | Louis Disbrow | |||||
| Philadelphia Race 4* (200) | limited to cars with 231–300 ci | Hughie Hughes | |||||
| October 14 | Chanslor & Lyon Trophy Race (100) | Santa Monica Road Race Course | Santa Monica, California | 8.417 Mile Road Course | Stock chassis, 230 cu in. | Charles Soules | Louis Nikrent |
| Jepsen Trophy Race (150) | 231–300 ci, Run Concurrently with 301–450 ci | Bruce Keen | |||||
| Leon Shettler Cup Race (150) | 301–450 ci, Run Concurrently with 231–300 ci | Bert Dingley | Charles Merz | ||||
| Dick Ferris Trophy Race (200) | Free-For-All | Howdy Wilcox | Harvey Herrick | ||||
| November 27 | William K. Vanderbilt Cup (290) | Savannah-Effingham Raceway | Savannah, Georgia | 17.1-mile road course | Jay McNay and his riding mechanic Henry Maxwell fatally injured in practice [5] [6] | Harry Grant | Ralph Mulford |
| November 30 | American Grand Prize (410) | ACA sanction | David Bruce-Brown |
* Events on same date were run simultaneously.
Leading National Championship standings
The points paying system for the 1909–1915 and 1917–1919 season were retroactively applied in 1927 and revised in 1951 using the points system from 1920.
| # | Driver | Sponsor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ralph Mulford | Lozier | 1520 |
| 2 | Charles Merz | National | 1080 |
| 3 | David Bruce-Brown | Fiat | 1070 |
| 4 | Ray Harroun | Marmon | 1000 |
| 5 | Hughie Hughes | Mercer | 870 |
References
- ^ Capps, H. Donald (February–March 2010). "John Glenn Printz and the Struggle for the Past: The A.A.A. Catastrophe - Arthur Means, Val Haresnape, Russ Catlin, and Bob Russo" (PDF). Rear View Mirror. 7 (6): 21–38.
- ^ "One man killed at Indianapolis". The Norwalk Hour. May 31, 1911.
- ^ "Elgin auto racer somersaults to death on track". The Chicago Daily Tribune. August 22, 1911.
- ^ "Two are killed in Elgin race; Zengel winner". The Chicago Sunday Tribune. August 27, 1911.
- ^ "Crash into tree kills motorist". The Chicago Daily Tribune. November 21, 1911.
- ^ "Maxwell dies of injuries". The Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. December 4, 1911.
General references
- http://www.champcarstats.com/year/1911.htm accessed 9/24/10
- [1] accessed 9/24/10
- http://www.motorsport.com/stats/champ/byyear.asp?Y=1911 accessed 9/24/10