72nd, Benz Victorious in Savannah: David Bruce-Brown Clinches American Grand Prize
Handsome and charming, New York socialite David Bruce-Brown chose to spend his considerable wealth on motor racing. When he defeated Europe’s finest in a gruelling road race in Georgia, he became America’s first Grand Prix hero.
The ‘Grand Prize’, as the race was known, had been organised at short notice having initially been cancelled following the death of two riding mechanics and some serious spectator injuries in the Vanderbilt Cup. Then the Savannah Automobile Club stepped in, setting up a 17-mile road course. Given the timescale, it was no surprise that there were just six European entries.
Setting off at 9am at 30-second intervals, Victor Hémery set the early pace for Benz ahead of Arthur Chevrolet, but it was the great Italian Felice Nazzaro who was the man to watch. But having set a course record on lap seven, he slid into a ditch and bent his rear axle. Fiat team-mate Louis Wagner took up the lead, but he too went off and struck a tree. He resumed, but front axle damage caused him to cartwheel out of the race.
Ralph de Palma then looked on course for an American victory, only for a cracked cylinder to force him out on the penultimate lap. As the six-hour mark approached Hémery crossed the line first thanks to the time trial format, then waited… Bruce-Brown’s 15.1-litre Benz had set the fastest time in practice, but he sagely chose to run the 415-mile race at a conservative pre-set pace.