An 18 Day Endurance Run On A Wooden Track in 1928

[Nitram]

Does anybody have more info on this event?
I find it very intriguing. For those who can't read the scan, a portion of the article states:

In September 2008, the Antique Studebaker Club will mark the 80th anniversary of the ultimate speed-endurance run, held from July 21 to August 9, 1928, when Studebaker operated four completely stock (the automobiles were arbitrarily selected and extensively documented by AAA officials, right off the assembly line) President automobiles for a distance of 30,000 miles.
The run was accomplished in a continuous 26,326 minutes (more than 18 days), which included all fuel and maintenance stops. The site selected was the AAA-sanctioned Atlantic City Speedway, a wooden-board track 1.5 miles long, with 45-degree banked curves. Cars and drivers were faced with "plunging thru the heat...piercing their way through cloudbursts and rain so heavy they couldn't drive with their goggles on or off... plowing through nights of fog as dense as a field of tall corn...," according to on-site radio commentator Quin Ryan in 1928.
With this incredible feat accomplished, Studebaker-under the watchful eye of AAA-was able to proclaim that "Studebaker Holds More Official Records Than All Other Manufacturers Combined."
The scanned 2-page article is below.








[img=left]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/360197307_8639ee4a46_m.jpg[/img=left]
~Nitram~
57 Transtar

[BobGlasscock]

Not shabby if my calculator works right. Just over 68 mph average.

Being a woodworker, I wood (haha) love to have some of that deck board. I wonder what it is like after that much rubber runs over it.

'50 Champion, 1 family owner

[Chris Pile]

The story of this 18 day test is covered in the great book, "Ab & Marvin Jenkins: The Studebaker Connection and the Mormon Meteors". Not only was this an incredible test back in the day, it would be incredible if done these days!

Good article, but author Kent Haberle should have mentioned Ab Jenkins IMO, as he was THE hero driver of the age. Ab was one of the drivers who participated in this test - he was well known for driving over 24 hours straight out on the Salt Flats.

He was employed more than once by Studebaker for endurance drives across the country as advertising material. I believe SDC & ASC member Rex Miltenberger owns one of the cars that Ab Jenkins raced back in the day.

Chris Pile
Midway Chapter SDC
The Studebaker Special

[Nitram]

quote:Originally posted by Chris Pile

Not only was this an incredible test back in the day, it would be incredible if done these days!

My thoughts exactly. I will definitely have to get that book.
Chris do you know:
1. Were other cars/x-brands involved in the run or just these 4 Studes?
2. Did Studebaker push this as a P.R. advertising thing?
3. Was Stude looking for more coverage (bang for the buck) across the market/USA using AAA as the "documenting" agency?

Sure would love to know the facts of the track itself. That alone is a construction marvel.

In a nutshell, this entire event and track is amazing, even today.


[img=left]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/360197307_8639ee4a46_m.jpg[/img=left]
~Nitram~
57 Transtar

[Chris Pile]

quote:My thoughts exactly. I will definitely have to get that book.
Chris do you know:
1. Were other cars/x-brands involved in the run or just these 4 Studes?
2. Did Studebaker push this as a P.R. advertising thing?
3. Was Stude looking for more coverage (bang for the buck) across the market/USA using AAA as the "documenting" agency?

Sure would love to know the facts of the track itself. That alone is a construction marvel.

In a nutshell, this entire event and track is amazing, even today.

Nitram - The event was Studebaker only, and it definitely served as PR material for Studebaker. Back in the day - endurance runs were done by many auto makers, and Studebaker was a standout brand.

If you'd like to know more about the track, here's a Wikipedia link with an overview - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_track_racing .

If you can find the rare book, "King of the Boards", or "The Miller Dynasty", there is plenty of info about that long gone type of racing.

And finally, the AAA was the only auto racing sanctioning body at that time. They ruled auto racing with an iron hand.
USAC, NASCAR, NHRA, SCTA, and so on, came to prominence after the war.

Chris Pile
Midway Chapter SDC
The Studebaker Special

[Avantidon]

Article was in the Central PA AAA Magazine as 44th Annual International Meet PR piece. Track of course is gone and a casino now sits on the site. This event was a PR event put on by Studebaker demonstrating tge durability, quality and economy of Studebakers. Limited space meant limited verbage. Much more could have been said but editorial priviledge prevails when space is free. There is documentation in Studebaker Archives on this event and the person who can tell you more is Richard Quinn.

[DieselJim]

Back in 1989-90, the volinteers at thr Studebaker National Museum restored the 28 Commander and drove it from NY to CA in the Great American Race. I was the engine builder and crew chief. Our pilot, Chuck Wolther passed last week. I also got to drive 2 different days. A great memory. Studebaker never sold the 28 Commander. The museum had to get a court waiver to register the car. The Studebaker run, 25,000 miles in 23,000 minutes included all pit stops, oil changes valve adjustments and driver changes. At one oil change, the drain was broken off the pan. The had to remove and repair. That pan is still on the car. Jim

[Studebaker Wheel]

Above a better image of the lead photo. It is one of about 30 I have that chronicle this event. A few of these were used with my permission in the article by Kent Haberle in the AAA World article.

Below is a summary of the event. I also have a seven page article that is a little long for the forum. It is digitized and in my "Word" file. If anyone is interested I can email it.

I am glad someone pointed out that Studebaker was involved in Speed and Endurance activities prior to 1963!

Figures That Tell a Story of Stamina
The figures below offer analytical proof of the gigantic strains and stresses The President Eight so triumphantly withstood in traveling 30,000 miles in 26,326 consecutive minutes.

Total revolutions by each engine: 67,320,000
Total number of explosions in each engine: 269,280,000.
Total up-and-down-travel of each piston: 49,087,500 feet
Total number of times each valve opened: 33,660,000
But their vastness emphasizes the significant feat of stamina and endurance achieved by The President Eight in traveling better than a mile a minute average speed for 19 nights and 20 days.

Facts and Figures on the greatest endurance feat in motor car history

PLACE - Atlantic City Speedway - Hammonton, N. J. one-mile board track.
START - July 21, 1928, 9:38a.m. Eastern Standard time.
CARS - Two President Eight Roadsters; two President Eight 5-passenger Sedans. All four cars were 121-inch wheelbase, fully equipped stock models, which had been picked at random from factory production line by representatives of A. A. A. Before the run cars were tom down by A. A. A. technical committee, checked minutely, and their stock design verified to the smallest detail.
DISTANCE - 30,000 miles.
CHECKING - The entire run made under sanction and supervision of the Contest Board of the American Automobile Association, whose sixteen representatives officiated in starting the race, timing the cars and checking each lap made.
TIME AND FINISH

[Avantidon]

Richard you ar my hero as I knew you'd come through on this one!. Thanks for the great post.

[Nitram]

quote:Originally posted by Studebaker Wheel
PREVIOUS RECORDS - No stock car, regardless of price, ever equaled this feat of endurance. The nearest approach to the Presidents' records is the run of 25,000 miles in 22,968 consecutive minutes made in November 1927, by two stock model Studebaker Commander Roadsters. Nothing else on earth ever traveled as far so fast as the four President Eights.
Richard Quinn
editor: Antique Studebaker Review

[u]Three questions if I may ask:</u>
1. Were these runs performed by all the automakers at that time?
2. What made them stop at 18 days
3. What are automakers doing today to brag about their vehicle endurance, other than crash tests?


[img=left]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/360197307_8639ee4a46_m.jpg[/img=left]
~Nitram~
57 Transtar

[Studebaker Wheel]

No, no one else was that bold! Can you envision a four cylinder Model T Ford running flat out for 30,000 miles!? Many of these records stood for decades. Keep in mind Studebaker was trying to show the mettle of their new 336 cubic inch Straight Eight engine (designed by Delmar "Barney" Roos and his team). Within a year of its introduction Studebaker was the leading seller of eight cylinder cars in the world.

They stopped at 30,000 miles because everyone was tired!! Actually it was a nice round number and 5000 miles beyond the record set by a team of Studebaker Big Sixes a year earlier. You should also know that it required a crew of 16 drivers, 15 AAA officials, 14 members of the pit crew and an untold number of laborers working almost around the clock repairing the boards in the track. This was a very expensive proposition for Studebaker!

While some car makers today provide the displacement of their engines and 0-60 times in their print and TV advertising there is really no advantage in publicizing 25 or 30,000 mile endurance runs. It is assumed that cars today will easily run that many miles trouble free but in the 1920's that was not the case.

Richard Quinn
editor: Antique Studebaker Review

[Nitram]

Another note of interest to me about this "Run" if I may.
I read, in the extended article, about the amount of amount of people it took to pull off this event.
I saw one note where they had problems with flat tires due to large wood splinters.
One of the necessary people was the laborers/carpenters who made repairs to the track as the run was in progress, removing pieces and repairing the track from the underside.
I have enough experience with carpentry to know that if this was a "tongue and groove" board track, it is a challenge to remove a "tongue and groove" board from the upper side let alone from the bottom.
How the heck do you remove a board from the underside of the track and replace it, and still keep the run in progress?



[img=left]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/360197307_8639ee4a46_m.jpg[/img=left]
~Nitram~
57 Transtar

[Chris Pile]

Most of the books and articles I've read about board tracks, is they were not tongue & groove construction. As I understand, these boards were toenailed together - a very labor intensive proposition if you ask me!

The 'dromes were first built for motorcyclists, but when autos came along their extra weight started flexing the wooden structure as they roared around the circuit.

Another problem encountered in this kind of racing arena was loosened boards springing up on one end. If it happened to be the end pointing towards the onrushing racers - catastrophic events could result.

Chris Pile
Midway Chapter SDC
The Studebaker Special

[Rosstude]

[Desert Explorer]

Impressive to say the least. Are all of the 4 endurence cars still around?