They did it to Ford again...... The first Indy 500 in 1911, and no Ford Special
Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2019 9:31 am
I recently entered the upcoming Miller Milwaukee Mile event. However, initially was denied entry, because our poor little Ford Special racer wasn’t an Indy car. After a little more research, and with the the help of several Miller Club members, we’re in!
Meanwhile, this sent me scurrying to find out exactly why Ford wasn’t at the first Indy 500 of 1911. 1911 was Ford’s biggest racing year, finishing 5th among all automakers (domestic and foreign) in sanctioned race and hill climb events. Frank Kulick, Ford’s primary driver, finished 8th in victories among all drivers. So, why didn’t Ford enter? Was it just such a new event that Ford missed the boat? Or, was it more nefarious...?
Turns out, there was a legitimate reason. The rules excluded the diminutive little racer. Just as with the Elgin road races of 1910, and the light car French Grand Prix of 1911, Ford was excluded because their racers were too light.
The first Indianapolis 500 sanction was under Class E of the AAA racing regulations. Ford, and most racers in 1911, ran in sanctioned events under Class C. Ford had four or five racers that ran in C classes 2, 3 and 4. However, the speedway folks chose to run under a special “Class E” sanction. Both classes are covered in the regulations excerpt below:
The 500 organizers chose to place a 2300 lbs. minimum weight limit in the special E class event. Frank Kulick and his Ford racers ran against many of the entries in the 500, winning at one time or another against most of them.
Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. As the article below reports, Ford was denied, and went on to race in other sanctioned events, winning and placing through the racing year of 1911.
Meanwhile, this sent me scurrying to find out exactly why Ford wasn’t at the first Indy 500 of 1911. 1911 was Ford’s biggest racing year, finishing 5th among all automakers (domestic and foreign) in sanctioned race and hill climb events. Frank Kulick, Ford’s primary driver, finished 8th in victories among all drivers. So, why didn’t Ford enter? Was it just such a new event that Ford missed the boat? Or, was it more nefarious...?
Turns out, there was a legitimate reason. The rules excluded the diminutive little racer. Just as with the Elgin road races of 1910, and the light car French Grand Prix of 1911, Ford was excluded because their racers were too light.
The first Indianapolis 500 sanction was under Class E of the AAA racing regulations. Ford, and most racers in 1911, ran in sanctioned events under Class C. Ford had four or five racers that ran in C classes 2, 3 and 4. However, the speedway folks chose to run under a special “Class E” sanction. Both classes are covered in the regulations excerpt below:
