 | |
| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 1904 |
| Folded | 1968 |
TheVanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in Americanauto racing.
An international event, it was founded byWilliam Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held on October 8 on a course set out inNassau County onLong Island, New York.[1] The announcement that the race was to be held caused considerable controversy in New York, bringing a flood of legal actions in an attempt to stop the race. The politicians soon jumped in, holding public hearings on the issue. Vanderbilt prevailed and the inaugural race was run over a 30.24 miles (48.7 km) course of winding dirt roads through the Nassau County area.
Vanderbilt put up a large cash prize hoping to encourage American manufacturers to get into racing, a sport already well organized in Europe that was yielding many factory improvements to motor vehicle technology. The race drew the top drivers and their vehicles from across theAtlantic Ocean, some of whom had competed in Europe'sGordon Bennett Cup. The first Long Island race featured seventeen vehicles and the newspaper andposter art promotion drew large crowds hoping to see an American car defeat the mighty European vehicles. However,George Heath won the race in aPanhard and another French vehicle, aDarracq, took the Cup the next two years straight. Crowd control was a problem from the start and after a spectator, Curt Gruner, was killed in 1906, the race was cancelled. Meanwhile, in France, the firstGrand Prix motor racing event had been run on June 26, 1906, under the auspices of theAutomobile Club de France inLe Mans. One of the competitors was American Elliot Shepard, the son of Margaret Vanderbilt-Shepard and a cousin of William Kissam Vanderbilt.
Learning from his cousin about the success of theFrench Grand Prix and the rapid expansion of Grand Prix racing in other European countries, William Vanderbilt conceived a way to solve the safety issue as well as improve attendance to his race. Vanderbilt formed a company to build theLong Island Motor Parkway, one of the country's first modern paved parkways that could not only be used for the race but would open up Long Island for easy access and economic development. Construction began in 1907 of the multimillion-dollar toll highway, to run from the Kissena Corridor in Queens County over numerous bridges and overpasses toLake Ronkonkoma, a distance of 48 miles (77 km). The 1908 race was held over parts of the new highway and much to the delight of the large crowd on hand, 23-year-old local heroGeorge Robertson fromGarden City, New York became the first American to win the event driving the AmericanLocomobile, which was the company's first gas-powered car and designed by famed engineerAndrew L. Riker[2] (built in Bridgeport, Connecticut)(in 1908, George Robertson (wearing #16) took the win in this car, ahead of fellow Locomobile pilot Joe Florida in third, becoming the first United States-built car to win in international competition).[3]
The Vanderbilt Cup was held successfully on Long Island until 1911 when it was showcased atSavannah, Georgia in combination with theAmerican Grand Prize. The next year it moved to a racecourse inMilwaukee, Wisconsin, then for three years inCalifornia:Santa Monica in 1914 and 1916,San Francisco in 1915. The race was canceled after the United States joined theAllies inWorld War I in 1917. Some of the drivers who participated in the Vanderbilt Cup became famous names, synonymous with automobiles and racing such asLouis Chevrolet,Vincenzo Lancia andRalph DePalma.
The Vanderbilt Cup was not held again until 1936 when William Kissam Vanderbilt II's nephew,George Washington Vanderbilt III picked up the cause and sponsored a 300-mile (480 km) race at the new facilities atRoosevelt Raceway. Once again, the Europeans were enticed by the substantial prize money andScuderia Ferrari entered threeAlfa Romeo racers. A lack of American competition and a less-than-exciting course layout saw the race run for only two years, both won by Europeans.
The original Cup is cast of silver and measures 2.5 feet (0.76 m) in height. It bears the image of William K. Vanderbilt II driving his record-setting Mercedes at theDaytona Beach Road Course in 1904. The trophy today is stored at aSmithsonian Institution storage facility and is not available to be seen by the public.[4]
The George Vanderbilt Cup is on display at Museo Nicolis inVerona.
| Year | Winning driver | Car | Venue | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 |  George Heath | Panhard | Nassau County, New York | report |
| 1905 |  Victor Hémery | Darracq | Nassau County, New York | report |
| 1906 | Louis Wagner | Darracq | Nassau County, New York | report |
| 1907:Not held | ||||
| 1908 |  George Robertson | Locomobile | Long Island Motor Parkway | report |
| 1909 | Harry Grant | ALCO | Long Island Motor Parkway | report |
| 1910 | Harry Grant | ALCO | Long Island Motor Parkway | report |
| 1911 | Ralph Mulford[5] | Lozier | Savannah, Georgia | report |
| 1912 |  Ralph DePalma | Mercedes | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | report |
| 1913:Not held | ||||
| 1914 | Ralph DePalma | Schroeder-Mercedes | Santa Monica, California | report |
| 1915 |  Dario Resta | Peugeot | San Francisco, California | report |
| 1916 | Dario Resta | Peugeot | Santa Monica, California | report |
| 1917–1935:Not held | ||||
| 1936 |  Tazio Nuvolari | Alfa Romeo | Roosevelt Raceway | report |
| 1937 |  Bernd Rosemeyer | Auto Union | Roosevelt Raceway | report |
After the 1937 event, the Vanderbilt name would not return to the United States motor racing scene for more than twenty years. During the 1960s, in an attempt to "leverage the legacy" of the Vanderbilt Cup history and name, theSports Car Club of America (SCCA) sanctioned several events featuring tertiary levels of competition, with the exception of the 1960 event, which drew two notable drivers:Jim Rathmann andRodger Ward. Sponsored byCornelius Vanderbilt IV, the 1960 race was run as aFormula Junior event and held again at Roosevelt Raceway.[6] In 1965, 1967, and 1968, theBridgehampton Sports Car Races were billed as the Vanderbilt Cup. Upon conclusion of the SCCA-sanctioned Bridgehampton event in 1968, the Vanderbilt Cup name disappeared for 28 years.
| Year | Winning driver | Car | Venue | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 |  Harry Carter | StanguelliniFormula Junior | Roosevelt Raceway | report |
| 1961–1964:Not held | ||||
| 1965 | Jim Hall | Chaparral 2A-Chevrolet | Bridgehampton Race Circuit | report |
| 1966:Not held | ||||
| 1967 | Mark Donohue | Lola T70-Chevrolet | Bridgehampton Race Circuit | report |
| 1968 | Skip Scott | Lola T70-Chevrolet | Bridgehampton Race Circuit | report |
In 1996, the sport ofIndy car racing had become embroiled in a"Split" betweenChampionship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and theIndy Racing League (IRL).Tony George, the owner of theIndianapolis Motor Speedway and the IRL, announced that the top 25 entries in IRL points standings would be guaranteed starting positions in the1996 Indianapolis 500. That would leave only 8 "at-large" spots for the CART-based teams. On December 18, 1995CART teams, convinced they were being deliberatelylocked out from the 1996 Indy 500, and the victims of a "power grab" by Tony George, announced their intentions toboycott that event. The owners, along with CART president and CEO Andrew Craig, jointly announced plans for a new race, the InauguralU.S. 500, to be held atMichigan International Speedway the same day.[7][8][9]
In an attempt to enhance the prestige of their new event and in recognition of William Kissam Vanderbilt's place in automotive racing history, CART had afacsimile of the original Vanderbilt Cup created as the winner's trophy for the1996 U.S. 500.[10] After only one running, the U.S. 500 onMemorial Day weekend was discontinued. TheU.S. 500 name was instead used for the July race (formerly known as theMichigan 500).
After serving as the U.S. 500 winner's trophy through 1999, CART designated the Vanderbilt Cup as its series championship trophy in 2000. Names of U.S. 500 winners from 1996 to 1999, and the CART series champions from 2000 on-wards, were to be etched into the new Cup. Upon CART's demise in 2003 its successor, theChamp Car World Series (CCWS), continued using the Vanderbilt Cup copy.[10]
After the bankruptcy of the CCWS in 2008 its assets were purchased by the IRL, unifying the most prestigious level of American open-wheel racing under a single sanctioning body. Tony George expressed an interest in having the Vanderbilt Cup copy replace the IRL's then-current Indy carNational Champion's trophy, known as the Silver Cup. However, no change was made. Since the 2011 season the IRL - rebranded as theIndyCar Series since 2012 - has awarded National Champions theAstor Challenge Cup.[10]
| Year | Winning driver | Car | Report |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. 500 | |||
| 1996 | Jimmy Vasser | Reynard-Honda | report |
| 1997 |  Alex Zanardi | Reynard-Honda | report |
| 1998 |  Greg Moore | Reynard-Mercedes | report |
| 1999 |  Tony Kanaan | Reynard-Honda | report |
| CART/CCWS Season Championship | |||
| 2000 | Gil de Ferran | Reynard-Honda | report |
| 2001 | Gil de Ferran | Reynard-Honda | report |
| 2002 | Cristiano da Matta | Lola-Toyota | report |
| 2003 | Paul Tracy | Lola-Ford | report |
| 2004 | Sébastien Bourdais | Lola-Ford | report |
| 2005 | Sébastien Bourdais | Lola-Ford | report |
| 2006 | Sébastien Bourdais | Lola-Ford | report |
| 2007 | Sébastien Bourdais | Panoz-Cosworth | report |
