Top drivers, a tough course … and a trainload of inebriated fans.

ARGUABLY the course of Route 66 in the rugged Black Mountains is the most picturesque section of Route 66 between Chicago and Santa Monica.

Here you will find the steepest grades, the sharpest curves, and the most astounding scenic overlooks to be found on this iconic highway.  These miles of smiles in western Arizona are also a tangible link to more than a century of transportation, mining, railroad and auto racing history.

In 1914 this was the course for the last of the Desert Classic auto races that had been dubbed the Cactus Derby. With drivers such as Louis Chevrolet and Barney Oldfield participating, a trainload of inebriated fans dressed in outlandish costumes following the race, and a course across the Mojave Desert and northwestern Arizona that was a test of man as well as machine, the event was a front-page story.

The initial race was the brainchild of Dr. George Vickers, owner of the Arizona Republican newspaper, now the Arizona Republic, in Phoenix, Arizona and Purdy Villard of the Maricopa County Automobile Club. The starting line was to be in Los Angeles, California. The finish line in Phoenix. In between were hundreds of miles through the Mojave Desert.

At the starting line for the first race in November 1908, there were only four entrants. But the crowd numbering in the hundreds that gathered in a pouring rain to see the race begin hinted of the events potential.

Thirty hours and thirty-six minutes after roaring from the starting line at the Hollenbeck Hotel, F.C. Fenner crossed the finish line in front of the Arizona Republican offices in Phoenix. His stripped-down four-year-old White steamer that he dubbed Black Bess had bested an air-cooled Franklin, a Kissel and an Elmore.

For 1909 and 1910, the race was charted over the same course through the desert, Palm Springs, and along the north shore of the Salton Sea. But the number of racers increased each year, just as did the crowds at the start and finish line, and the media coverage.

To add some zest to the event, a new course was charted for 1911. Drivers would race down the Pacific coast from Los Angeles to San Diego, and then east along the Mexican border to Yuma, Arizona before turning north toward Phoenix.

For this 520 mile race there were 16 entries. The entry fee was a hefty $US500, but the first place prize was a purse of $US1000 taken by Harvey Herrick at the wheel of a National. He completed the race in 20 hours and 22 minutes. But the most impressive aspect of his win is that he completed the race with no mechanical failure. To underscore how incredible this was, only nine cars crossed the finish line under their own power.

The 1914 race was to be the most grueling. It would follow the National Old Trails Road, predecessor to Route 66, over the steep grade of Cajon Pass, across the Mojave Desert, through the Black Mountains with grades of 26 percent, and across northwest Arizona at elevations ranging from a few feet above sea level to more than 5500 feet (1676 metres). The course then turned south at Ash Fork and continued to Phoenix through Prescott and down the precipitous escarpment at Yarnell.

Twenty cars registered to compete for the $2500 purse. Less than an hour after the shot of the starting pistol, H.J. Pink was seriously injured when he lost control of his powerful Thomas and slid into a ditch. This was just the first tragedy.

Attesting to the brutality of the course were the long list of damages that drivers experienced. Punctured radiators. Bent rims and punctured tires. Broken springs and frames. Burnt clutches and stripped gears. Bill Bramlett crossed the finish line in fifth place with two sawed off fence posts replacing broken steering components on his Cadillac. An attendant accidently filled Louis Chevrolet’s gas tank with water in Seligman, Arizona, and he was unable to continue. Only seven drivers crossed the finish line.

Louis Nikrent, a winner of two previous races, was he first to cross the finish line. But the first-place purse and trophy were awarded to Barney Oldfield who had an elapsed time that was 36 minutes less than Louis Nikrent.

Drivers on Route 66 crossing the Mojave Desert, and over Sitgreaves Pass in the rugged Black Mountains are often intimidated by the vast desert, the narrow old highway, the sharp curves, and the steep grades. One can only imagine how the drivers behind the wheel of primitive, powerful automobiles with archaic breaks must have felt as they sped through the pass at breakneck speeds.

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