A great photo from the Peter Helck Collection showing us three early racing cars. The event was a race in Libertyville Ill. on Aug. 9, 1913. On the left are the Case “Jay Eye See,” and the Simplex Zip taking a break while a Mercer Raceabout in the background is seen running in qualifying heat or another race. Photo courtesy of Racemaker Press.
The Jay-Eye-See and Zip were both driven by Louis Disbrow. Also present was Eddie Hearne, driving a Case Bullet. Hearne won the first event of the day, a five mile race limited to local cars and drivers; F. C. Wilbur drove a Mercer to second place.
Disbrow then drove a mile exhibition in the Jay-Eye-See in 0:54.40. Eddie Rickenbacher, driving a Mason (an early Duesenberg) won the third event, a ten mile race, over Bill Endicott in a Case and Disbrow in the Simplex.
The fourth event was won by Billy Chandler in a Mason, Endicott second and Heine Ulbricht in a Case, third. Rickenbacker also won the sixth event, a five mile handicap race, over Endicott.
The seventh event was a heat race, won by Disbrow in the Zip, Rickenbacher second and Endicott third. Time trials were then held with Rickenbacher driving a mile in 50.95, Endicott in 55.75, Disbrow in 52.90, then Rickenbacher drove a second mile in 54.75.
The final event of the day was a five mile free-for-all – all classes of cars mixed together. F. C. Wilbur in his Mercer won first place and $100; Rickenbacher took 2nd and $30; Ulbricht took third and $20. Time for this race was 4:44.75. There was to be a 10-mile feature race run the next day.
In practice, Eddie O’Donnell, riding mechanic for Rickenbacher’s Mason, broke his shoulder and suffered internal injuries when he was thrown out of the car when Rickenbacher cornered ‘too rapidly’. According to one account of the race, Disbrow was the class of the field ‘when he was able to keep his tires on’, but overall Rickenbacher was the ‘light of the day’s racing’.
At that time, Disbrow, Hearne, Endicott and Ulbricht were all drivers under contract to Alex Sloan.
Bruce, Thanks for all of the results.
The event was run under Sanction No. 617 issued to J.A. Sloan; however, the date on the sanction is 17 August 1913.
The Jay-Eye-See is interesting. I was surprised to read in an article from the May 20, 1913 Indianapolis News that the car was actually the Fiat that Lewis Strang set records with at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Dec. 1909. Case had made modifications, most notably the torpedo-style body. I include the original article as the last of four attachments in a post I made just today: http://firstsuperspeedway.com/articles/may-20-pilette-others-practice