HAPPY1914 CORONA ROAD RACE CENTENNIAL DAY! The 100th Anniversary of the start of the second Corona Road Race will occur Wednesday, November 26, 2014. At exactly 10:30 a.m. the official starter set 19 of the finest racing machines and best drivers in the World off on a 300 mile journey around the 2.79 mile Grand Boulevard. A spectator occupied every inch of space around the course, with attendance estimates ranging from 100 to 150,000. It was also estimated that there were about 15,000 cars that brought fans here for the Race. That would be about four cars for every Corona resident. The 1914 Corona Race took place on Thanksgiving, a holiday, just as the inaugural race had on September 9, 1913, California Admissions Day. At the time, Washington Elementary School, which was on the outer part of Grand Boulevard between Second and Third Streets, was in session up to the day before the 1914 Race. Legendary educator, Letha Raney, wrote about the difficulty of holding classes while the school’s walls shook with the engines noise during the time trials. Just as the race the year before and the race two years later, the 1914 contest started and finished on Grand Boulevard, near Washburn Street. Only five cars would finish the race in 1914. There had been some changes made since the last race, which took place on September 9 of the following year. Instead of three races for different classes of automobile, there was a single “free for all”. More grandstands and security fencing were also installed around the Boulevard. A new and improved petroleum based compound was laid on Grand Boulevard to provide a more durable track that would be easier on tires. By the end of the 1913 race, the surface of the road had been nearly destroyed by the racers. The ability to rapidly change the many tires the rough track consumed had too much influence on the outcome. By contrast and despite what you will read on local internet sources, in this 1914 affair, legendary racer Barney Oldfield, did not change a single tire or have any mechanical trouble. He road the entire race on a set of cord threaded Firestones that held up for over 800 miles of racing after also being used in another race. The “agony of defeat” story belonged to Earl Cooper, the winner of the 1913 Road Race. This year, on the 107th lap, with only two to go, he was assured a first or second place finish. Instead, the timing gear seized and his car coasted to a stop. He walked back to the finish line. I would not call it “spooky” exactly, rather an interesting footnote that the driver that would lose his life in the 1916 Corona Road Race, would have to drop out in 1914 just before the start. His car was damaged in the time trials and he could not make it to the starting line. Eddie Pullen in his Mercer won the 1914 Corona Road Race in a record time for 300 miles at 3 hours, 26 minutes, 2 seconds, averaging 87.76 mph. He received $4,000 for winning, a $1,000 more than the 1913 prize and an additional $2,000 for setting a world record. In fact, all five finishers had broken the previous record. A Dusenberg driven by Ed O’Donnell came in second at 3 hours, 29 minutes, 18 seconds averaging 86 mph and Barney Oldfield third, 40 seconds behind with 3 hours, 29 minutes, 58 seconds averaging 85.5 mph. The entire 1914 Race was captured on film and the whole town was invited to watch it at the Theater and to “probably find themselves in the picture.” The Corona Theater on Sixth Street that Pastor Jess Reyes’ and his Covenant Life Church congregation courageously continues to save for us, while others take credit, was not yet built. The Theater that displayed the race film was on South Main near Sixth. The movie included the fire that consumed Harry Grant’s Sunbeam racer, near the Corona Depot, that was extinguished with the “chemical hose” of the Corona Fire Department’s “motor truck”. The Corona Auto Racing Association that produced the 1914 Corona Road Race put on a fantastic event. Though considered a logistic success, it did not result in the high profits that were earned in 1913. I think that having the experience of 1913, they spent considerably more money investing in infrastructure, which ultimately consumed their profits. Among the great things that sets Corona apart from every “regular” town in Southern California is our racing heritage. To date, we have failed to capitalize on this important segment of our history. Now, we are entering a new era of promoting Corona. It is past the time to get serious about it. The City of Corona and the Corona business community have already begun exploring the establishment of an annual event that will recall our racing past. The CORONA HISTORY ASSOCIATION will have a major role in the development of this concept. The impressive numbers of you that visit this page attests to the untapped interest in Corona’s past. You are in the right place to discover more. Thank you for being here. Attached is a photo of the 1914 Road Race promotional poster that belongs to the Corona Public Library. Other Photos: Eddie Pullen crossing the Finish line in first. Cars being serviced in the pit area (My pic;, the only photo that does not belong to the Corona Public Library Heritage Room. Second place finisher Ed O’Donnell. Third place finisher Barney Oldfield on the track.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 07:42:42 +0000
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