West Side Racetrack
Wichita, Kansas – Friday – October 12, 1917
Sanctioned by I.M.C.A.
Attendance: 9,000
|
Glenn Breed in his Hudson Super-Six Hutchinson Gazette photo |
Louis Disbrow Don Radbruch collection |
Cliff Woodbury’s Duesenberg Jean Culligan Doris collection |
First Heat – 6 Laps
|
Finish |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
|
1 |
Joe Allen |
Marquette Buick |
3:33.4 |
|
|
2 |
Enid, Oklahoma |
Hudson Super-Six |
|
|
|
3 |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
Mais Special |
|
|
|
4 |
“King” Kelly |
Chicago, Illinois |
Mercer |
|
Strickler led this race until the fifth lap when he was passed by Allen. Strickler finished in a close second place.
Second Heat – 10 Laps
|
Finish |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
|
1 |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
Disbrow Special |
6:01.4 |
|
|
2 |
Jerry Wunderlich |
San Francisco, California |
Sunbeam |
|
|
3 |
Joe Allen |
Marquette Buick |
|
|
|
DNF |
Chicago, Illinois |
Duesenberg |
|
Woodbury dropped out on the sixth lap
with tire trouble.
Time Trials– 1 Lap
|
Finish |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
|
1 |
Jerry Wunderlich |
San Francisco, California |
Sunbeam |
33.8 |
|
1 |
Chicago, Illinois |
Duesenberg |
33.8 |
|
|
3 |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
Mais Special |
34.8 |
|
|
4 |
Enid, Oklahoma |
Hudson Super-Six |
35.0 |
|
|
5 |
Joe Allen |
Marquette Buick |
36.4 |
|
|
5 |
Chicago, Illinois |
Jones Six |
36.4 |
Handicap – 10 Laps
|
Finish |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
|
1 |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
Mais Special |
6:02.0 |
|
|
2 |
Enid, Oklahoma |
Hudson Super-Six |
|
|
|
3 |
“King” Kelly |
Chicago, Illinois |
Mercer |
|
|
4 |
Joe Allen |
|
Marquette Buick |
|
Allen held a big lead until the seventh lap when he was forced to pit with "tire trouble." He was only stopped for less than a minute but that was enough to make him finish in last place.
Exhibition
|
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
|
Indianapolis, Indiana |
Christie |
Novelty – 4 Laps
|
Finish |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
|
1 |
Enid, Oklahoma |
Hudson Super-Six |
18.4 |
|
|
2 |
Jerry Wunderlich |
San Francisco, California |
Sumbeam |
21.2 |
Two cars competed against the clock. They had to run two laps as fast as they could go and then make a pit stop to change at least one wheel. Strickler was able to get his tire changed .6 seconds quicker than Wunderlich and won the event but the elapsed times for the race are highly unlikely. A more realistic time would have been if the announced times had been at least a couple of minutes longer each.
Exhibition Time Trial – 2 Laps
|
Finish |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
|
1 |
Salina, Kansas |
Hudson Super-Six |
1:07.8 |
Breed made several laps go get his car warmed up. On his first lap under time, his Hudson struck a soft spot on the south end of the racetrack and spun wildly to a stop crossways on the racetrack. Breed started the trial again and run two laps without incident.
Wichita Sweepstakes – 20 Laps
|
Finish |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
|
1 |
Chicago, Illinois |
Duesenberg |
12:28.2 |
|
|
2 |
Joe Allen |
Marquette Buick |
|
|
|
3 |
Enid, Oklahoma |
Hudson Super-Six |
|
|
|
4 |
“King” Kelly |
Chicago, Illinois |
Mercer |
|
|
5 |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
Mais Special |
|
Strickler got a good start and led the first eight laps. Allen dropped out of this race on the second lap. Woodbury passed Strickler on the ninth lap and led the rest of the way. Strickler stayed close to Woodbury and even pulled even with him a couple of times but he was not able to regain the front spot.
Lewis H. Gertson made an exhibition flight in his airplane during the afternoon's events.
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