The Cobe Trophy Race was an automobile race held in Indiana, in 1909 and 1910. The trophy was named for, and donated by, Ira M. Cobe, president of the Chicago Automobile Club. As one of the first long-distance races in the area, it was billed as the "Vanderbilt of the west," a reference to the Vanderbilt Cup Race

Vanderbilt Cup

The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing.-History:An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held at a course set out in Nassau County on Long Island, New York. The announcement that the race was to be held caused...

, which had been held in Long Island, New York since 1904. The first running took place at the Crown Point Road Race Circuit

Crown Point Road Race Circuit

The Crown Point Road Race Circuit was an automobile race course located in northwest Indiana, and operated only during the summer of 1909. It was made up of public highways, with a lap distance of . The majority of the course was on rural highways, with several long straightaways, one exceeding . ...

, in northwestern Indiana. For the second year, proposals were submitted by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....

 and by the Elgin Road Race Course, just west of Chicago. Ultimately, the Board of Managers of the Chicago Automobile Club decided to make the 1910 race a speedway event, rather than a road course contest, and hence the second race was run at Indianapolis

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....

. At the time of this decision, the Club also announced the intent to bring the race to the Chicago area in 1911. As it turns out, though, there was no Cobe Trophy race in 1911 or in later years. Only two drivers competed in both Cobe races, 1909 winner Louis Chevrolet and his teammate, Bob Burman.

Race results

Year	Date	Venue	Winning Driver	Car	Race Distance		Time of Race	Winning Speed	Starting Cars
					Miles	Laps
1909 1909 AAA Championship Car season The 1909 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 24 races, beginning in Portland, Oregon on June 12 and concluding with a point-to-point race from Los Angeles, California to Phoenix, Arizona on November 6. There were three events sanctioned by the Automobile Club of America in Lowell, Massachusetts...	June 19	Crown Point Road Race Circuit Crown Point Road Race Circuit The Crown Point Road Race Circuit was an automobile race course located in northwest Indiana, and operated only during the summer of 1909. It was made up of public highways, with a lap distance of . The majority of the course was on rural highways, with several long straightaways, one exceeding . ...	Louis Chevrolet Louis Chevrolet Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was a Swiss-born American race car driver of French descent, co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911 and later, the Frontenac Motor Corporation in 1916 which made racing parts for Ford's Model T.-Early life:Born in 1878 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a center of...	Buick Buick Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...	395.6	17	08:01:39	49.287 mph	12
1910 1910 AAA Championship Car season The 1910 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 19 races, beginning in Atlanta, Georgia on May 5 and concluding in Long Island, New York on October 1. The de facto National Champion as poled by the American automobile journal Motor Age was Ray Harroun. Points were not awarded by the AAA Contest...	July 4	Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....	Joe Dawson Joe Dawson (racecar driver) Joe Dawson was an American race car driver.-Biography:Born in Odon, Indiana, Dawson competed in the Indianapolis 500 race three times, beginning in 1911 when he drove a Marmon to a fifth place finish. The following year, Dawson won after Ralph DePalma, who had led for 196 laps of the 200 lap race,...	Marmon Marmon Marmon Motor Car Company was an automobile manufacturer founded by Howard Marmon and owned by Nordyke Marmon & Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It was established in 1902 and was merged and renamed in 1933. They produced cars under the Marmon brand. It was succeeded by Marmon-Herrington and...	200	80	02:43:26.13	73.423 mph	14

Sources

• "The Cobe Cup Auto Race of 1909;" Lowell Tribune; Apr. 28, 1998 (on line at *http://www.lowellpl.lib.in.us/s1998apr.htm).
• "Crowds Expected At Cobe Trophy;" New York Times; April 4, 1909.
• "Elgin Wants Cobe Race;" New York Times; Nov. 21, 1909.
• "Cobe Cup Contest at Indianapolis;" New York Times; June 5, 1910.
• http://www.motorsport.com/stats/champ/byyear.asp?Y=1909
• http://www.champcarstats.com/year/1909.htm
• Scott, D. Bruce; INDY: Racing Before the 500; Indiana Reflections; 2005; ISBN 0-9766149-0-1.