Harkness Trophy Race
Encyclopedia
The Harkness Trophy Race was an American
auto racing
event, first run in 1915 at the Sheepshead Bay Speedway
at Sheepshead Bay, New York
. The winner's trophy was named for Harry Harkness
, one of the principal investors who purchased the Sheepshead Bay Race Track
horse racing facility, and converted it to a wooden board automobile race track.
The purchase was completed in April 1915, and the first race named for Harkness was held on November 2 of that year.
The race ceased to exist after four years. The Sheepshead Bay Speedway Corporation ran into financial difficulties, following the January, 1919, death of Harry Harkness. The property was sold for residential real estate development.
Galpin, Darren; A Record of Motorsport Racing Before World War I.
Harry S. Harkness dies of Influenza, New York Times, January 24, 1919
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
event, first run in 1915 at the Sheepshead Bay Speedway
Sheepshead Bay Race Track
Sheepshead Bay Race Track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility built on the site of the Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay, New York...
at Sheepshead Bay, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The winner's trophy was named for Harry Harkness
Harry Harkness
Harry Stephen Harkness was an early American aviator and racing driver. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, of a wealthy family and son of Standard Oil investor Lamon V. Harkness, Harkness financed the building of many early airplanes...
, one of the principal investors who purchased the Sheepshead Bay Race Track
Sheepshead Bay Race Track
Sheepshead Bay Race Track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility built on the site of the Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay, New York...
horse racing facility, and converted it to a wooden board automobile race track.
The purchase was completed in April 1915, and the first race named for Harkness was held on November 2 of that year.
The race ceased to exist after four years. The Sheepshead Bay Speedway Corporation ran into financial difficulties, following the January, 1919, death of Harry Harkness. The property was sold for residential real estate development.
Race results
| Year | Date | Race Name | Winning Driver | Car | Race Distance | Time of Race | Winning Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miles | Laps | |||||||
| 1915 | Nov 2 | Harkness Gold Metal Race |  Dario RestaDario Resta Dario Resta , nicknamed "Dolly", was an Italian Briton race car driver. Raised in England from the age of two, he began racing there starting in 1907. He took part in the Montagu Cup the very first race of the now historic Brooklands track. He set a record of in a half-mile run a few years later... |
Peugeot Peugeot Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion... |
100 | 50 | 00:56:55.71 | 105.395 mph |
| 1916 | Oct 28 | Harkness Trophy Race |  Johnny AitkenJohnny Aitken Johnny Aitken was a racecar driver from Indianapolis, who was active in the years prior to World War I.Aitken competed in the Indianapolis 500 three times. He started the race twice, in 1911 and 1916. He led the first lap of the first race . Aitken captured the pole position in 1916, but ended... |
Peugeot Peugeot Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion... |
100 | 50 | 00:56:37.65 | 105.956 mph |
| 1917 | Sept 22 | Harkness Trophy Race |  Louis ChevroletLouis 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... |
Frontenac Frontenac Motor Corporation Frontenac Motor Corporation was the joint venture of Louis and Gaston Chevrolet. Louis returned to the Indy 500 racing circuit after leaving Chevrolet in 1915... |
100 | 50 | 00:54:20.98 | 110.396 mph |
| 1918 | June 1 | Harkness Auto Handicap | Ralph DePalma Ralph DePalma Ralph De Palma was an Italian-American racecar driving champion, most notably winner of the 1915 Indianapolis 500. His entry at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame estimates that he won about 2000 races... |
Packard Packard Packard was an American luxury-type automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana... |
100 | 50 | 00:58:21 | 102.8 mph |
Sources
http://www.champcarstats.comGalpin, Darren; A Record of Motorsport Racing Before World War I.
Harry S. Harkness dies of Influenza, New York Times, January 24, 1919