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(Note: New News will be listed soon. Here's some News from last year.)

Birthplace of Speed races honor the legends of 1904

 By Dan Smith, BPOS Race Director

 ORMOND BEACH – On January 30 and 31, 2004, America's oldest original track was host to the Ormond Beach Birthplace of Speed Centennial 2004.  At 8 a.m. the Atlantic rolled away to reveal the historic straightaway that had hosted the nation's first speed tournaments. 

            A crowd of over 2,000 fans were on hand to cheer for a field of 25 racers from all across the United States.  The 1904 records to be honored were the seven world records set by William K. Vanderbilt Jr. in his 1903 Mercedes and the three set by the 1903 Packard Gray Wolf. 

            The featured cars of the event were the historic but fragile 1903 Gray Wolf from America's Packard Museum in Dayton Ohio, and the very correct replica Wolf recently finished by Ted Davis of Oklahoma City.  It would be the first time in history that two Packard Gray Wolfs would be entered in an event. 

            Just as in the early days however, the fastest cars on the beach were the Stanley Steamers.  Buck and Constance Boudeman of Richard Township, Michigan consistently turned in the fastest speeds with their 1906 Stanley Vanderbilt cup racer.  Just a whisper behind was Brent Campbell from Palm Bay Fl. with his 1908 Stanley Model K, the fastest production car of its day.

            In the final race of the day, the two squared off to decide who would be "king of the beach."  One hundred feet past the green flag the two were neck and neck and then disappeared in a huge white cloud of steam.  The large crowd near the starting line had no idea of the outcome until announcer Roland Via relayed the radio message from the finish line.  An upset!  Brent Campbell in the Model K barely inched past Buck's racer to win.  What a race!

            The winner of the post 1912 division was the beautiful and powerful 4.5 litre Bentley leman Racer belonging to Don Bellew of Chadd's Ford Pa.  For the second year in a row the most intimidating car on the beach was the Green Dragon Driven by Don Meyer of Lebanon, PA.  The big fire breathing monster, originally driven by Barney Oldfield, was one of the crowd favorites. 

            Thanks to all the participants and our sponsors for a great show.  Major sponsors were National Parts Depot, Carrabba’s Italian Grille and the Motor Racing Heritage Association.  Presented by the City of Ormond Beach Leisure Services Dept.

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2004 Event Cars and Owners

1903 Packard Gray Wolf, Glenn Hamilton, Dayton OH

1903 Packard Gray Wolf, Ted Davis, Oklahoma City OK

1904 Peerless Green Dragon, Don Meyer, Lebanon NJ

1904 Olds, Paul Byrd, Houston TX

1904 Pope Toledo, Capt. Rick Meyer, Tampa FL

1906 Stanley Steamer, Robert Boudeman, Richard Township MI

1906 Stanley Steamer, Bill Barnes, Lewiston PA

1911 Franklin, Ted Davis, Oklahoma City OK

1911 Ford, Eric Edwards, Baxter Ontario CN

1911 Marmon, Chic Kleptz, Union OH

1911 Ford, Raymond Lindsey, Palm Coast FL

1911 Ford, Philip Metzler, Fountain Hills AZ

1911 Ford, Bud Pike Ormond Beach FL

1911 White, Jim Schmidt, Ocala FL

1911 American LaFrance, John Wiser, Orlando FL

1912 Cutting, Eldon Eby, Kalamazoo MI

1912 National, Tony Vacarro Plattsburgh, NY

1912 Ford, Kory Pike, Ormond Beach FL

1914 Overland, Frank Whitney, Palm Coast FL

1914 Stanley Steamer, Brent Campbell, Palm Bay FL

1914 Mercer, Jerry Foley, Jacksonville FL

1916 Cadillac Touring, Bob Quackenbush, St. Augustine FL

1919 Indian Motorcycles, Robert Batsleer, Pt. Orange FL

1915 Buick, Gary Jenurm, Ormond Beach FL

1916 Ford, Bob Tone, Sarasota FL

1921 Mercedes, David North, Easton MD

1925 Ford, Carl Bowles, Jacksonville FL

1925 Ford, Lou Jezdimir, Largo FL

1929 Bentley, Donald Bellew, Chadds Ford PA

1930 Ford, Alfred Wanser, Palm Coast FL

1930 Ford, George Dragone, Bridgeport CT

1933 Riley, Jim Feeney, Endicott NY

(Note: Due to inclement weather up north, a few entries were unable to attend)

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Two rare versions of 1903 Gray Wolf hope to battle at the Birthplace of Speed

January 30, 2004 - ORMOND BEACH, FL - Two of the famous 1903 Packard Gray Wolf race cars are in Ormond Beach for the second annual Birthplace of Speed Centennial and Historic Time Trials this weekend.  The event begins Friday with practice beach runs - near the Granada approach - starting at 8:30 a.m. until about 11:30 a.m.

            Racing historians still aren't sure if Packard built five of the Gray Wolfs as planned, but they do know that the car that set a 76 mph world-land speed record for the kilometer in 1904 is the one owned by Glenn Hamilton, Dayton Ohio, who is planning to run the car again this Saturday on the same sand, nearly to the day the record was set a century ago.

            The other Gray Wolf is owned by Ted Davis, Oklahoma City, and Race Director Dan Smith said he hopes to line the two cars up for a rare match race.  

            After Friday's practice runs, the main event will be on Saturday, Jan. 31 starting at 8:30 a.m. with the Historic Time Trials.  The races will start with a flyover by the Spruce Creek Fly-in Gaggle Flight team and the National Anthem by the Seabreeze High School Marching Band.

            Fans will have a chance to watch some of the most famous antique race cars in the world, talk with the drivers and owners, and experience history first-hand.  After the time trials, the celebration will continue with a festival, antique car show and the award presentation from 1-4 p.m. in Fortunato Park, at Granada and John Anderson Drive.

            Other cars taking part include the 1904 Peerless Green Dragon, a 1904 Olds, a 1904 Pope Toledo, two Stanley Steamers from 1906, a 1911 Franklin, several 1911 Fords, a 1912 Cutting and National, a 1915 Buick, as well as two 1919 Indian motorcycles. This year's centennial will celebrate the legacy of the 1904 Ormond Speed Tournament that built on the success of the 1903 events by attracting an international cast of drivers, the first official measured mile in Florida and several world-land speed records.

            That year the stars were the Packard Gray Wolf and the Vanderbilt Mercedes, both of which were built in 1903 but made history in late January, 1904 in Ormond Beach.  Charles Schmidt drove the Gray Wolf to a world record in the one-kilometer at 76 mph. The 90-horsepower Mercedes, driven by William K. Vanderbilt, Jr., set a one-mile world record of 92 mph, breaking a record Henry Ford had set just 15 days before on a frozen lake in Michigan. Vanderbilt went on to set a total of seven world records that week at various distances.

            The event is presented by the City of Ormond Beach Leisure Services Department.  Major sponsors include: the Motor Racing Heritage Association, Carrabba's Italian Grill and National Parts Depot.  Call Leisure Services Community Events at (386) 676-3241.

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Jan. 30-31, '04 Birthplace of Speed Centennial celebrates the
top beach racers of 1904

January 9, 2004 - ORMOND BEACH, FL – 100 years ago on the hard sands of Ormond Beach, the world’s top automobile racers got serious, with world land-speed record runs pushing the 100-mph mark.

            The city’s 2nd Annual Birthplace of Speed Centennial, Jan. 30-31, will celebrate those early automotive pioneers with historic beach time trials that will capture the look and feel of the 1904 Ormond Speed Tournament. 

            The action will begin Friday morning, Jan. 30, with practice time trials on the beach, just south of Granada Blvd.  The weekend’s main event will be the Historic Time Trials on Saturday, 8:30 a.m. until noon. 

            Fans will have a chance to watch some of the most famous antique race cars in the world, talk with the drivers and owners, and experience history first-hand.  After the time trials, the celebration will continue with a festival, antique car show and the award presentation from 1-4 p.m. in Fortunato Park, at Granada and John Anderson Drive.

            This year’s Centennial will highlight the Packard Gray Wolf and the Vanderbilt Mercedes, both of which were built in 1903 but made history in late January, 1904 on the sands of Ormond Beach.  Charles Schmidt drove the Gray Wolf to a world record in the one- kilometer at 76 mph. The 90-horsepower Mercedes, driven by William K. Vanderbilt, Jr., set a one-mile world record of 92 mph, breaking a record Henry Ford had set just 15 days before on a frozen lake in Michigan.

            Vanderbilt went on to set a total of seven world records that week at distances ranging from one mile to 50 miles. To set the 50-mile record, Vanderbilt drove a circuit stretching from Ormond Beach south to Daytona Beach Shores and back. 

            The 1904 races confirmed Ormond Beach’s reputation for speed, with many more American and world land-speed records set over the next 30 years.  The city’s Birthplace of Speed reputation eventually led to annual beach stock car races in Daytona Beach, as well as the founding of NASCAR and the Daytona 500.

            Earlier this year, the first Birthplace of Speed Centennial on March 27-28 celebrated the 1903 Challenge Cup Mile won by the Winton Bullet against the Olds Pirate.  Several thousand fans were on hand to watch a final showdown featuring Bill Barnes of Louistown, Pa. driving a 1906 Stanley Steamer that outran David North of Easton, Md. in his 1921 Mercedes.

             In addition to the Gray Wolf and the Vanderbilt Mercedes, the 2004 Centennial will bring together many other early race cars with a colorful history of their own.  Many of the drivers will be decked out in period costumes.  The event is presented by the City of Ormond Beach Leisure Services Department.  Major sponsors include: the Motor Racing Heritage Association, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and National Parts Depot. 

            For more information, call the city’s Leisure Services Community Events Division at (386) 676-3241.

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Ormond Beach Leisure Servicesearns prestigious national accreditation

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