A new set of stats, etc.
This time from 1907 to 1931, mostly Vancouver with some Victoria stuff thrown in as well. All pulled from the microfilm morgues of various libraries.
So, to start, two events from 1907 that were held at The Willows and then, the next week, at Hastings Park. L. Guy Mecklem, Doc Bryant and Virgil Hall were part of a touring group of racers who made it north of the 49th parallel:
1--August 10, 1907, Agricultural Society fairgrounds
--3-lap novelty: standing start with a load of passengers, dropping them off after a lap, running a lap alone, then picking them up for the last lap.
1st, Holton, Humber
2nd, Mecklem, Wayne Steamer
--mile
--Virgil Hall, Thomas Flyer 1:38
--Holton, Humber 1:32
1:30
--Mecklem, Franklin Spider 1:28
2--August 17, 1907, Hastings Park
--mile
--Hal Holton, Humber 1:36 1/2
--Virgil Hall, Thomas Flyer 1:36 1/2
--3-lap novelty
1st, Billy Stark, 40 horsepower Oldsmobile
2nd, Robert Gugin, 12 horsepower Franklin
3rd, J.A. McMullan, Buick
--5-laps, touring cars
1st, W. Stark, Oldsmobile
2nd, J.A. McMullan, Buick
3rd, Robert Dugan, Franklin
--3-laps, runabouts
1st, Doc Bryant, Franklin (in tourist trim)
2nd, L. Guy Mecklem, Franklin
3rd, Billy Stark, Olds
--one mile
1st, L. Guy Mecklem, Franklin
2nd, Virgil Hall, Thomas Flyer
--3-laps, runabouts
1st, Doc Bryant, Franklin
2nd, L. Guy Mecklem, Franklin
3rd, W. Stark, Oldsmobile
time, 2:45 1/4
--Class A, novelty: cars started with a full complement of passengers and at the end of one lap the driver was obliged to jump out and open the door and let the passengers off, then proceed through lap two alone, stop again at the start of lap three and pick up the passengers.
1st, W. Stark, Oldsmobile
2nd, Robert Dugan, Franklin
3rd, J.A. McMullan, Buick
--endurance pursuit race
--stopped due to Virgil Hall accident.
Franklin Spiders, Thomas Flyers, and, geez, a Wayne steamer. Hadn't remembered that from my original research. Lots of good stories came from those two races. I'll have to elaborate on a couple in future posts. I did write a story on the races many years back in The Alternate. Not sure of the issue number at the moment.
2 comments:
Thanks for posting this! L. Guy Mecklem was my great-grandfather's first cousin. He was also an aerial daredevil for a number of years before retiring to a more relaxed life on a berry farm near Everson, Washington; there's a Mecklem Road in Everson. There's some more info about Guy at the following links:
http://historyink.com/essays/printer_friendly/index.cfm?file_id=7853
http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv39338
Thanks Todd. I'm aware of the historylink site but not the other. I seem to remember L. Guy Mecklem being mentioned in a magazine article about an 1909 race in Portland.
Think that's right. I'll have a look and make a post.
Those guys (no pun, or maybe a little pun) were the pioneers.
bfp
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