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Time Until Beach Racing Starts on January 26th, 2006 (100 Years!)
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Click Banner For The Stanley Museum
News Releases
IT IS FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR AMELIA
1- The
history of speed in Ormond Beach
2- 2006 Stanley Land Speed Record Centennial
3- STANLEY - THE FASTEST CAR IN THE WORLD
The Stanley Steamer - Fast Facts
The history of speed in Ormond Beach
Complete Event Press Kit - click here (700 KB PDF file)
Email Me With Schedule Updates
IT’S “FULL STEAM AHEAD” FOR AMELIA
World-Famous
JACKSONVILLE & ORMOND BEACH, FL; October 14, 2005 – For the first time in nearly 30 years, the replica of the famous Stanley Steamer “Rocket” piloted by daredevil racecar driver Fred Marriott to a land speed record of 127.659 mph nearly 100 years ago on the sands of Ormond Beach, Florida, is out of its museum confines and headed for refurbishment.
Staff members
and volunteers of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance and the City of
“This is very
exciting for the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance and the City of
The 2006 Amelia Island
Concours d'Elegance will be held March 10-12 at The Ritz-Carlton,
The
Chris Hoyt, Director of
Operations Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Foundation, Inc.
3035 Powers Avenue, Suite 1
=========================================================================================
1- The
history of speed in Ormond Beach
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - In 1903, the smooth, hard-packed sands of Ormond Beach became a proving ground for automobile inventors and drivers. These first speed tournaments in the US earned Ormond the title “Birthplace of Speed.”
Records set here during speed trial tournaments for much of the next eight years would be the first significant marks recorded outside of Europe. Motorcycle and automobile owners and racers brought vehicles that used gasoline, steam and electric engines. They came from France, Germany, and England as well as from across the United States.
The Ormond Garage, the first gasoline alley before Indianapolis Speedway, was built in 1905 by Henry Flagler, owner of the Ormond Hotel, to accommodate participating race cars during the beach races. The Ormond Garage would house the drivers and mechanics during the speed time trials. Owners and manufacturers stayed, of course, at Flagler’s Ormond Hotel.
Tragically, the Ormond Garage caught fire and burned to the ground in 1976, destroying one of auto history’s most important landmarks as well as antique cars owned by local residents who used the Garage as a museum. Sadly, all that remains is a historic marker, in front of SunTrust Bank, built on its ashes on East Granada Boulevard.
Racing on Ormond Beach started in 1902. But the city’s famous connection with racing began in 1903 when the Winton Bullet won a Challenge Cup against the Olds Pirate by two-tenths of a second. American records were set that year, and the world took notice.
The very next year, world records were set during the 1904 speed tournaments, including one for motorcycles that lasted for seven years — 67.36 mph set by Glenn H. Curtiss on his two-cylinder motorcycle. Though poorly organized, the event was a huge success, according to Dick Punnett’s book, Racing on the Rim.
Incredibly, the flying mile world record was broken three different times by three different drivers in a 30-minute period that same year. The standing record of 92.31 mph was broken by Louis Ross in his steam-powered racer, the famous Wogglebug, at 94.73 mph.
Five minutes later that record was broken by Arthur Macdonald in his Napier with a speed of 104.65 mph. The final—but unofficial—world record for the mile race went to H. L. Bowden, who drove his Mercedes at 109.76 mph to break the previously set record. That final time was later disallowed because Bowden’s car weighed more than 1,000-kg, a limit set by the Automobile Club de France.
The Stanley legacy that led to Ormond Beach’s longest-lasting automobile land speed record began in 1897. That year, twin brothers F.E. and F.O. Stanley from Massachusetts built their first steam car. By the turn of the century, their Stanley-Locomobile car was selling better than gas powered cars. The Stanleys competitive nature drove them to demonstrate their car’s speed and durability.
With impressive wins and near-wins behind them by late 1905, F.E. Stanley designed, built and tested the Stanley Rocket, the most aerodynamic racer of the day. In January of 1906, the Rocket was brought to Ormond Beach to participate in the annual speed tournament.
January 26, 1906, F.E. Stanley’s Rocket Racer, driven by dare-devil Fred Marriott, set the mark that became Ormond Beach’s most famous land speed record. The incredible speed of 127.659 mph held for four years, a remarkable achievement in a speed age where records sometimes fell within the hour.
This record confirmed the reputation of Ormond-Daytona as the first proving ground for both auto racers and manufacturers. The Marriott record was finally broken in 1910 by 4 mph, when Barney Oldfield raced his Lightning Benz at 131.72 mph.
Racing moved to Indianapolis in 1911, but it wasn’t long before Bill France and friends started racing on the beach, beginning what later became NASCAR. Daytona Beach soon took over the game started by its neighbor to the north, becoming a racing juggernaut of its own, today ironically overshadowing even Indianapolis. A proud heritage by any standard.
In the meantime, Ormond is proud of its heritage as “Birthplace of Speed.” In addition to the winter event that started with the 2003 Centennial, Ormond Beach has long celebrated this heritage with an annual Antique Car Show and nighttime Gaslight Parade on Thanksgiving Day weekend.
Organizations and places of business alike in Ormond Beach celebrate the city’s history of speed. Historic Billy’s Tap Room, located near The Casements, has many historic photographs. Woody’s BBQ restaurant on Granada has a new dining room decorated with historic racing photographs and murals.
The MacDonald House, a Leisure Services facility for the city located on east Granada, is the headquarters and office for the Ormond Beach Historical Trust. The Trust maintains a small gallery with many photographs of the cars and personalities that drove and raced on the beach. It also has historic books and other items for sale.
The Stanley Land Speed Record Centennial at the Birthplace of Speed is being presented by the Stanley Museum in collaboration with Ormond Beach Leisure Services. Major sponsors include the Motor Racing Heritage Association, the Ormond Beach Historical Trust, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and National Parts Depot.
=========================================================================================
2- 2006 Stanley Land Speed Record Centennial
KINGFIELD, Me. - No Stanley celebration has received more attention or energy than the celebration of the 1906 Stanley Land Speed Record. Appropriately so—this is the single event that made the Stanley Steamer the stuff of legend. Starting with the 50th anniversary, collector-dealer-historian Donald Randall tried to get racecar driver Fred Marriott himself to go back to Ormond to celebrate just months before he died in 1956.
After Randall himself died in 1985, his son Howard took up the cause, pushing the Stanley Museum, founded in 1981, to celebrate the 80th, then the 90th. Finally the 100th has arrived. Serious planning began as early as 1995 when the Stanley Museum set the schedule of celebrations with the centennial of the first Stanley Steamer in 1997 in Newton, Mass.
An attempt to build a full-scale replica was shelved, but planning continued. In 2000, Dan Smith, Beach Race Director for Ormond Beach, contacted the Stanley Museum about participation in the 2003 centennial of the race’s 1903 beginning. In 2002, Museum president and director Susan Davis and chairman Mike Roach traveled to Ormond Beach. There they met with Smith, interested and sponsoring parties, and governing officials of the City of Ormond Beach and of Volusia County Beach Services, which oversees and controls the Beach itself.
Since that time, the Stanley Museum has had a presence at race centennials in 2003, 2004 and 2005. During this time, Davis has selected hotels, vendors, designed logos, worked with Ormond Beach and other area officials and communicated with the Stanley Museum’s worldwide membership.
Without question, this centennial will be the single largest celebration the Stanley Museum has ever mounted. Steam car owners, Stanley family, Stanley Museum members and those affected by the energy the plans have generated are all turning their attention toward northeast Florida in January of 2006. Many are planning to attend. The Museum is also publishing a book on the history of Stanley racing culminating in the 1906-1907 events as the official commemorative program (see the outline of the book by chapter on page 12).
Governed by the tide, the beach event itself is to start at 9 a.m., Thursday, January 26. Flags and banners on the beach and throughout the city will lend a festive air. Antique airplanes are to fly over at the start of the demonstration runs. Live broadcasting on radio and TV and professional film crews recording for at least one documentary promise to heighten the excitement these vintage vehicles already command on this historic beach.
For northern steam car owners, transporting cars in winter weather has been a concern. But storage locations have begun springing up, allowing steam car owners from the North the opportunity to transport their cars in warmer fall weather and to take them back north in the spring.
In addition to the race celebration itself, the Museum has arranged three days of touring in the area for those attending with steam cars. The scenic Ormond Loop through old Florida forests, visits to historic Saint Augustine to the north and Ponce Inlet to the south, and a planned parade lap around the track at Daytona USA, are arranged to give car owners a taste of both historic and modern Florida.
As official presenter of the steam event, the Stanley Museum shares sponsorship with Ormond Beach Leisure Services, Motor Racing Heritage Association, Ormond Beach Historical Trust, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, National Parts Depot and other businesses and individuals in the Ormond Beach, museum and automobile community. The significance of the celebration has found its match in the hospitality of this historic Florida community.
=========================================================================================
3- Stanley – the fastest car in the world
KINGFIELD, Me.– Stanley and speed were a match from the start. In 1898 the famous bearded Stanley Twins built a steam-powered tandem pacing bicycle for cycle racing (a project that may have attracted the cyclist and racing legend Marriott).
After years of setting records with stock cars, F.E. Stanley built his first special racing machine in 1903, a streamlined auto racer nicknamed variously the “Turtle” and “Torpedo” that set a world steam track record at the Readville track near Boston, Mass. Stanley considered entering this racer in the 1904 Ormond Beach races, but final negotiations for the sale of the Twins’ money-maker, the Stanley Dry Plate Co., to George Eastman of Kodak caused him to withdraw his entry.
Louis Ross, however, a Stanley brothers’ colleague and fellow Newton resident, took a stock Stanley to Ormond that year and set steam records for the mile and the kilometer. Having missed the winter event in Florida, F.E. Stanley concentrated on entering cars in Ormond’s sister event the next two summers, the Climb to the Clouds at Mt. Washington in N.H. He scored two close second-place finishes there in 1904 and 1905.
In between these races, Louis Ross, with Stanley assistance, built a Stanley-equipped steam racer, nicknamed the “Wogglebug,” entered it in the January 1905 Ormond tournament and won the Dewar Trophy, and nearly every other record on the Beach.
Ross’s success at Ormond in 1905—plus pressure from race organizers—convinced F.E. Stanley to build his own special streamlined racer, the “Rocket,” for the 1906 Ormond races. Louis Ross or Stanley himself was to be the driver, but Ross decided not to race when he found out that his Dewar Trophy would then be held by the Stanleys rather than himself. Stanley’s wife, and the wife of Frank Durbin, another Stanley driver, objected to their husbands’ driving the Racer in the land speed record trials, so on the eve of the 1906 Ormond races, Stanley tapped Fred Marriott to drive the “Rocket.”
An auspicious choice—Marriott would set racing history. On Day One, Marriott won the Dewar Trophy and set a World record in the one-mile steam championship. On Day Two, he set another World record in the Five-Mile Open race. After teammate Frank Durbin won the 15-Mile Handicap race for touring cars in a stock 20 HP Stanley on Day Three, Marriott was ready for the heavyweight time trials. January 26, Marriott set a World record for one kilometer at 121.6 mph, the first time anyone had exceeded two miles in one minute; two hours later he drove the mile in 28 1/5 seconds, 127.659 mph, a World Land Speed Record
With this record, unbroken until 1910, the Stanley became the fastest car in the world for the next four years, becoming effectively the fastest automobile for the first decade of the 20th Century.
Gas vs. steam rivalry went over the top the final days of the races. In the 30-mile championship race, the race time was moved up without the steam camp’s knowledge. Despite starting more than five minutes behind the gasoline cars, Marriott won handily. In the ten-mile championship race the Stanley racer developed a fuel leak and finished second.
Then came the final Two-Mile-A-Minute race for the vaunted title, “King of the Beach.” First, officials refused to disqualify the 200 HP Darracq even though it did not meet the rules for competition. The Stanley steam racer and the Darracq were given unlimited trials with the Rocket going first. Both cars exceeded two-miles-a-minute, the Darracq bettering Marriott’s speed on its second run. Then officials declared the race over and the Darracq the winner. Despite protests, the Stanley team was not allowed a third trial, even though the official rules permitted it.
In 1907 Stanley returned to Ormond with an enhanced racer, determined to set more speed records, only to find the beach in poor condition and few competitive European and American cars present. Unbeknownst to them, American automobile manufacturers successfully staged a boycott of the races, refusing to give the Stanley legitimacy, calling it a freak.
Stanley had completed two new steamers intended for the long-distance Vanderbilt Cup race, and these cars further diminished the Ormond competition. However, rough shape of the beach kept speeds down, and mechanical breakdowns marred the Stanley team’s performance in many of the races.
Marriott’s final attempt to break his own land speed record ended in disaster. Hitting an uneven depression in the surface of the beach at a speed F.E. Stanley clocked at 150 mph, the front wheels of the Stanley Rocket bounced off the beach, and when they came down the racer crashed out of control. The canoe-bodied car was smashed to pieces, the boiler roaring dramatically into the surf.
Miraculously, Marriott survived the crash with only a concussion, broken ribs, cuts and lacerations. He insisted that photos of the wreck be taken, and that the wreckage itself be saved, vowing to build an even better racer and return for another tournament.
It was not to be. The rules for the Ormond Beach races were changed to exclude short distance steam racers. The Stanleys also decided that further land speed record attempts were not worth the risk to their intrepid drivers.
Marriott made a full recovery, and returned to racing Stanley stock cars on tracks and hill climbs. Neither he nor the Stanleys ever returned to Ormond Beach.
Finally, in 1910, the legendary Barney Oldfield drove one of the equally legendary Blitzen, or Lightning, Benzes 131.723 mph to vanquish—by a mere four miles and hour—the record that put the Stanley Steamer in the record books for four undefeated years, and for all time.
=========================================================================================
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The Stanley Steamer - Fast Facts First Stanley car: 1897 built by Francis Edgar (F.E.) Stanley. Other steam cars: Approx. 130 manufacturers (1896-1930s): e.g.: White, Locomobile, Brooks, Grout, Doble, Prescott, etc. Stanley dates: 1899-1904 as Locomobile steam car by Locomobile Company of America (Amzi L. Barber/Samuel T. Davis) (c. 5,000 cars produced as Locomobile); 1902-1904 as Stanley Bros. under corporate name Stanley Dry Plate Co.; 1904-1924 as Stanley by Stanley Motor Carriage Co.: Production: Approx. 10,500 Stanley survivors: Approx. 1,000 worldwide; approx. 400-600 driven frequently and for distance, also worldwide. No. of Models: Approx. 60 over 25 years. HP range: 4, 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30: determined by cyl. bore/stroke & boiler dimensions. Pilot fuel: Gas 1897-1924; hexane, Coleman, gas or equivalent today. Burner fuel: Gas, 1897-1913; kerosene, 1913-1924; same or a diesel/no-lead mix today. Fuel mileage: 8-12 mpg. Fuel capacity: 12-45 gallons, depending on model. Water mileage: 1-2 mpg (non-condenser models); approx. 3-10 mpg (condenser models). Water capacity: 15-50 gallons, depending on model. Speed range: 25-100 mph, depending on model, HP and boiler. Highlights: 1899: First auto up Mt. Washington Carriage Road (Locomobile driven by F.O. Stanley). 1899: First car ridden in by a sitting U.S. President (McKinley in Locomobile driven by F.O. Stanley). 1901: First auto up Pikes Peak (Locomobile). 1903: World one-mile steam track record. 1904: World one-mile, one-kilometer steam records. 1906: World one-mile, five-mile, one-kilometer records. 1906: Broke two miles in one minute barrier. 1906: World land speed record, 127.659 mph—held for four years. 1903-1910: Constant winner of local, regional and national (UK) hill climbs; finally simply barred from competition because they were so unbeatable. ========================================================================================= |
|
The
history of speed in Ormond Beach
Pictured: The Ormond Garage in 1905, with Louis Ross in his
steam-powered "Wogglebug" No. 4 and other racers. The Ormond Garage, the first gasoline alley before Indianapolis Speedway, was built in 1905 by Henry Flagler, owner of the Ormond Hotel, to accommodate participating race cars during the beach races. The Ormond Garage would house the drivers and mechanics during the speed time trials. Owners and manufacturers stayed, of course, at Flagler’s Ormond Hotel. Tragically, the Ormond Garage caught fire and burned to the ground in 1976, destroying one of auto history’s most important landmarks as well as antique cars owned by local residents who used the Garage as a museum. Sadly, all that remains is a historic marker, in front of SunTrust Bank, built on its ashes on East Granada Boulevard. Racing on Ormond Beach started in 1902. But the city’s famous connection with racing began in 1903 when the Winton Bullet won a Challenge Cup against the Olds Pirate by two-tenths of a second. American records were set that year, and the world took notice. The very next year, world records were set during the 1904 speed tournaments, including one for motorcycles that lasted for seven years — 67.36 mph set by Glenn H. Curtiss on his two-cylinder motorcycle. Though poorly organized, the event was a huge success, according to Dick Punnett’s book, Racing on the Rim. Incredibly, the flying mile world record was broken three different times by three different drivers in a 30-minute period that same year. The standing record of 92.31 mph was broken by Louis Ross in his steam-powered racer, the famous Wogglebug, at 94.73 mph. Five minutes later that record was broken by Arthur Macdonald in his Napier with a speed of 104.65 mph. The final—but unofficial—world record for the mile race went to H. L. Bowden, who drove his Mercedes at 109.76 mph to break the previously set record. That final time was later disallowed because Bowden’s car weighed more than 1,000-kg, a limit set by the Automobile Club de France. The Stanley legacy that led to Ormond Beach’s longest-lasting automobile land speed record began in 1897. That year, twin brothers F.E. and F.O. Stanley from Massachusetts built their first steam car. By the turn of the century, their Stanley-Locomobile car was selling better than gas powered cars. The Stanleys competitive nature drove them to demonstrate their car’s speed and durability. With impressive wins and near-wins behind them by late 1905, F.E. Stanley designed, built and tested the Stanley Rocket, the most aerodynamic racer of the day. In January of 1906, the Rocket was brought to Ormond Beach to participate in the annual speed tournament. January 26, 1906, F.E. Stanley’s Rocket Racer, driven by dare-devil Fred Marriott, set the mark that became Ormond Beach’s most famous land speed record. The incredible speed of 127.659 mph held for four years, a remarkable achievement in a speed age where records sometimes fell within the hour. This record confirmed the reputation of Ormond-Daytona as the first proving ground for both auto racers and manufacturers. The Marriott record was finally broken in 1910 by 4 mph, when Barney Oldfield raced his Lightning Benz at 131.72 mph. Racing moved to Indianapolis in 1911, but it wasn’t long before Bill France and friends started racing on the beach, beginning what later became NASCAR. Daytona Beach soon took over the game started by its neighbor to the north, becoming a racing juggernaut of its own, today ironically overshadowing even Indianapolis. A proud heritage by any standard. In the meantime, Ormond is proud of its heritage as “Birthplace of Speed.” In addition to the winter event that started with the 2003 Centennial, Ormond Beach has long celebrated this heritage with an annual Antique Car Show and nighttime Gaslight Parade on Thanksgiving Day weekend. Organizations and places of business alike in Ormond Beach celebrate the city’s history of speed. Historic Billy’s Tap Room, located near The Casements, has many historic photographs. Woody’s BBQ restaurant on Granada has a new dining room decorated with historic racing photographs and murals. The MacDonald House, a Leisure Services facility for the city located on east Granada, is the headquarters and office for the Ormond Beach Historical Trust. The Trust maintains a small gallery with many photographs of the cars and personalities that drove and raced on the beach. It also has historic books and other items for sale. The Stanley Land Speed Record Centennial at the Birthplace of Speed is being presented by the Stanley Museum in collaboration with Ormond Beach Leisure Services. Major sponsors include the Motor Racing Heritage Association, the Ormond Beach Historical Trust, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and National Parts Depot. |
Records
set here during speed trial tournaments for much of the next eight
years would be the first significant marks recorded outside of
Europe. Motorcycle and automobile owners and racers brought vehicles
that used gasoline, steam and electric engines. They came from
France, Germany, and England as well as from across the United
States.Email Me With Schedule Updates
Sponsored by the Stanley Museum
with major assistance from the City of Ormond Beach, the Leisure Services
Department and the Ormond-Daytona's Motor Racing Heritage Association,
Carrabas Italian Grill, and National Parts Depot. Special Assistance by the
Volusia County Beach Services Department.
Click Banner For The Stanley Museum
Contacts:
- Joe Radcliffe, Ormond Beach PIO (386) 615-7021
radcliffe@ormondbeach.org
- Dan Smith, Beach Race Director, (386) 676-3241
apes123@mybluelight.com
-
Susan S. Davis, Stanley
Museum, President and CEO, (207) 265-2729
suedavis@stanleymuseum.org
- Official 2006 Birthplace of Speed web
site:
www.birthplaceofspeed2006.com
Complete Event Press Kit - click here (700 KB PDF file
----------------------------------Thank
You to Our Sponsors--------------------------------
Join Us January, 2006
as we Re-Live and Re-Make History
Ford Links:
The Life of Henry
Ford
The Henry Ford Museum - Greenfield Village
The Henry Ford Estate Fair Lane
