Jan 12 2011

Update: The Alco Black Beast Racing History


Alco-6 Black Beast's major races included two Vanderbilt Cup Races, the first Indianapolis 500, two Elgin Trophy Races, and one American Grand Prize Race. Here's the updated racing record with new images:

1909


 

• Dead Horse Hill Climb, Worcester Massachusetts, June 12, 1909- Finished 1st in class, setting course record



 

• #5 Lowell Trophy Race, Merrimac Valley Course, Massachusetts, September 8, 1909- Running first until three laps from the finish when blown tire tore off chain. Finish 7th in field of 17.



 

• #11 Fairmont Race, Philadelphia, PA, October 9, 1909- Did not start, broke steering in practice



 

• #8 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Long Island, NY, October 30, 1909- Finished 1st in field of 16, averaging 62.8 mph


1910


 

• #3 Dead Horse Hill Climb, Worcester Massachusetts, June 4, 1910- Finished 2nd in free-for-all



 

• #27 10-Mile Race (stock chassis with engines 451-600 CID), Indianapolis, Indiana, July 1, 1910- Finished 1st in field of 3.

• #27 20-Mile Race (stock chassis with engines 451-600 CID), Indianapolis, Indiana, July 3, 1910- Finished 1st in field of 3.

• #27 Cobe Trophy Race, Indianapolis, Indiana, July 4, 1910- Finished 4th in field of 14


• #6 Elgin National Trophy Race, Elgin Road Race Course, Indiana, August 27, 1910- Finished 12th in field of 13. Left race due to twisted clutch



 

• #18 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Long Island, NY, October 1,1910- Finished 1st in field of 30, averaging 65.2 mph



 

• #7 American Grand Prize, Savannah, Georgia, November 12, 1910- Finished 12th in field of 15, completing 11 laps. Left race due to gear failure.


1911


 

• #19 Inaugural Indianapolis 500 Race, Indiana, May 30, 1911- Finished 33rd in a field of 40, completing 51 of the 200 laps. Left race due to bearing failure.



 

• #1 Elgin National Trophy Race, Elgin Road Race Course, Indiana, August 26, 1911- Finished 2nd in field of 10. Click on the above image and see the Bete Noir (Black Beast) logo on the side of the car at the Elgin Race.


Links to related posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com:

Archives: Alco-6 Black Beast Racer



Comments

Dec 28 2008 Tom Grant 1:28 PM

Howard:  How Great is this!!!  Be well and Happy Centennial (1909 Vanderbilt Cup).  Tom

Dec 28 2008 Mark Dill 2:55 PM

Hi Howard!

Don’t forget the two sprint races Grant and the ALCO won on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 1 and 2. Those were among the earliest races on the Speedway after it was paved with bricks, making it the “Brickyard.” Great stuff, your site is the ultimate on-line source of Vanderbilt Cup racing information!

Dec 28 2008 Christine Wallace 7:24 PM

Howard, Congrats on your acquisition!  Wishing you, Roz, and the girls a very Happy New Year!

Dec 28 2008 Rich R 7:49 PM

Hi Howard:

Your articles and photos continue to amaze.  A few questions:

(1) How accurate were the speed measuring devices in 1910?
(2) The article states that the vehicle was “capable of reaching 120 MPH.”  Is there evidence that 120 MPH was actually achieved or sustained in a race?  or a test-drive?
(3) I could be wrong, but it seems that anything resembling a windshield could not offer significant protection from the wind.  If that assumption is correct, than how could a driver withstand winds at or near 120 MPH (i.e. Category 3 Hurricane force), and maintain the skills necessary to operate the vehicle?

Thanks!  Happy New Year to everyone!
Rich

Dec 29 2008 Howard Kroplick 1:31 AM

Tom:

Always great to hear from you and the Grant family!

Mark:

Thanks for the additions to the Alco history and your positive feedback!! I have updated the racing record in my post.

Chris:

Great to hear from you!

Rich:

Thanks for the feedback.Some answers to your questions:

-the technology for timing the cars during this era was fairly accurate. I will go into detail in a future post.
-The average speed for the winner during the early Vanderbilt Cup Races was approximately 65 mph. At maximum, they could reach around 100-110. I was told the restored Alco-6 had recently done 120 mph. However, this timing was likely just a guestimate.
-None of these racers had windshields although they were common in touring cars of the era. It is likely they felt that the windshields would slow the car or make them unstable at race speeds.


Enjoy the New Year!

Howard

Dec 29 2008 Brooks Marston 8:01 AM

Howard,

Thanks for the continued support of the Vanderbilt Cup history. You have single handily connected the Marston’s with their Great Grandfather, Harry Grant.  Thank you for this gift.

Happy Holidays to you and yours

Dec 29 2008 Howard Kroplick 9:10 PM

Brooks:

Thanks for the email. It made my day!!

Happy Holidays to you and all the Vanderbilt Cup Race families!


Howard

Jan 08 2009 Jan Lee 9:00 PM

Howard, Congratulations on your purchase of the “Black Beast”!  You beat me out..I was taking donations towards the purchase. Just kidding. Its great to know that it will be in a museum. Looks like I need to do a road trip and check it out. A very happy 2009 to you and yours! Jan Lee

Jan 10 2009 Bob Lovell 1:40 PM

Yowza Howard,

  I trust you’ll be “sympathetic”  to the restoration of this piece of history.

  Looking forward to seeing it at some time in the future.

  Nice to know that it was “saved”.

    Good Health to You and Yours, Bob Lovell

Jan 11 2009 Howard Kroplick 12:29 PM

Hi Bob:

Definitely will! I am speaking to several restoration experts before making any major changes.

Enjoy,

Howard

Jan 18 2011 Jack Binder 9:48 AM

Great cartoons!
You are having fun and making a lot of people happy also.
Jack Binder

Mar 17 2011 Howard Kroplick 1:09 AM

Thanks Jack!!

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