And so it began....The Cactus Derby: LA to Phoenix
Racing came to Arizona early....as evidenced in this cartoon from the November 2, 1908 edition of the Los Angeles Times. The Times cartoonist was referring to the first Los Angeles to Phoenix Road Race, sometimes called the "Cactus Derby". This was likely the first organized race within the Arizona territory. It was sanctioned the American Automobile Club (AAA) and sponsored by the Maricopa Auto Club and the Arizona Republican newspaper. The race concluded on November 9 at 6:33 PM when F. C. Fenner and his riding mechanic, "Happy" Forbes stopped their White Steamer in front of the Arizona Republican office. A silver cup was awarded to the winner.
"Black Bess" had run the 500 mile race across the desert from Los Angeles to Phoenix in 30 hours and 36 minutes. The original route roughly followed today's interstate 10, via Pomona, Ontario, Palm Springs, Indio, across the Colorado River by ferry at Ehrenberg, then east through Salome, Buckeye and on to Phoenix. There had been four cars entered in the race. A Kissel Kar owned by Leon Shetter, driven by C. H. Bigelow and Bert Latham; an Elmore "Bulldog" driven by owner A. J. Smith with help from George Dade and a Franklin "Greyhound" - owner & driver not recorded. The vehicles, stripped down to the bare essentials and loaded with extra water and gasoline, were ready to take on the deep washes and rutted trails that passed for roads in Territorial Arizona.
Amazingly, all four cars finished the race and within a very short time of one another. The Kissel Kar came in second at 7:41, the Elmore third at 8:45 PM and the Franklin finished last at 9:50 PM. So began the legendary "Cactus Derby".
We found documentation that the next year, in 1909, the Cactus Derby culminated in a race at the fairgrounds track. The State Fair (then the Territorial Fair) was in full swing and the race was part of the festivities. This race was open only to the cars that finished the Cactus Derby and, so far, seems to be the first organized race on a track in AZ. We will let you know when we can confirm/refute this historical event.
Most of the above information has been gleaned from Lowell Parker's column in the Arizona Republic, December 8,1970.
Ralph Hamlin, winner of the 511 mile desert race called the Cactus Derby in 1912 with his #9 Franklin. He had competed in the Santa Monica Grand Prix in the big six Franklin the same year. Hamlin broke all records for the Desert Race and beat the nearest competitor by forty-five minutes.
The
number 9 Franklin was the first car out of Yuma, and continued to lead
throughout the 1912 Cactus Derby. The above photographs are from a
brochure printed by Franklin.
1914 CACTUS DERBY
There was a great article about the 1914 Cactus Derby in the June, 1969 issue of Arizona Highways. This race was 132 miles longer that the 1913 race, so it ran three days with two overnight stops, one in Needles, California and one in Prescott. In spite of heavy promotion, there are very few photographs existing of this race because the weather was simply too bad for the photographic equipment of the day.
Barney Oldfield had already attained folk hero status but had his share of difficulties with the sanctioning body, the AAA. At the age of 36, he was attempting to revitalize his racing career with a Cactus Derby win. It seemed likely, and his big Stutz was a favorite. Not to be taken lightly was his most experienced opponent, Louis Chevrolet. The appearance of these almost legendary figures, along with the extensive publicity the Cactus Derby received via a previous advertising campaign by the Franklin Motor Car Company made the 1914 Derby a real event. Race fans, auto manufacturer reps, and local politicos turned out in great numbers along the route to watch and be watched.
Twenty drivers left Los Angeles in November 10, 1914, bound for Phoenix via a more northern route than in the past. Roughly following the future alignment of US Route 66. Rain, sleet and mud greeted the drivers. Just eight miles into the race, JF Pink’s Thomas slid into a ditch. Arriving in Needles for the first night, Barney Oldfield clocked in at 8:55:34, while Louis Chevrolet clocked in at 8:55:50.
Leaving Needles the next day, Oldfield was delayed for several hours with a flat tire. Billy Carlson, driving a Maxwell, suffered the most. He broke a wheel and walked into town to seek a replacement. When he arrived back at his car, it had been thoroughly stripped. Louis Chevrolet’s car was destroyed, and he rode out the rest of the race as the mechanician for teammate Cliff Durant.
The second night saw the cars and drivers, much the worse for wear, arrive at Prescott’s town square. Barney had set a speed record from LA to San Diego in the 1913 Cactus Derby, only to break down outside of Yuma. He desperately wanted this win. After fighting his way through the muck and mire of the Arizona desert during a Winter storm, Oldfield became mired in the swiftly running New River. Most historians think this is about where the usually dry riverbed crosses Northern Avenue today. Nikrent, driving a Paige, took the lead, waving to Oldfield. Luckily, a driver with a team of mules came by, and pulled the stranded Stutz out of the water. They got it running again, and were on the way. Nikrent did cross the finish line first, but Oldfield was given the title "Master Driver of the World" in light of his better elapsed time.
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