1911 AAA Championship Car season


The 1911 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 21 races, beginning in Oakland, California on February 22 and concluding in Savannah, Georgia on November 30. The de facto National Champion as poled by the American automobile journal Motor Age was Ralph Mulford and the winner of the inaugural Indianapolis 500 was Ray Harroun. Points were not awarded by the AAA Contest Board during the 1911 season. Champions of the day were decided by Chris G. Sinsabaugh, an editor at Motor Age, based on merit and on track performance. The points table was created retroactively in 1927 – all championship results should be considered unofficial.

Schedule and results

DateRace Name
Distance 		TrackLocationTypeNotesPole positionWinning driver
February 22Oakland Trophy Portola Road Race CourseOakland, California10.923-mile road courseOpen to cars under 300 cu in displacement.Charles Bigelow
February 22Panama-Pacific Race 1 Portola Road Race CourseOakland, California10.923-mile road courseOpen to cars 301–600 cu in displacementCharles Merz
February 22Panama-Pacific Race 2 Portola Road Race CourseOakland, California10.923-mile road courseFree-for-all, Stopped after 15 of 19 laps for darknessJack FlemingBert Dingley
March 28Jacksonville Beach Race Pablo Beach CourseJacksonville Beach, Florida5 mile beach oval600 cu in or less and 2300 pounds minimum weight.Louis Disbrow
May 30International 500 Mile SweepstakesIndianapolis Motor SpeedwaySpeedway, Indiana2.5 mile brick ovalQualifications based upon demonstrated 75 mph main stretch speed, 40-car field; Sam Dickson, riding mechanic for Arthur Greiner, fatally injuredLewis StrangRay Harroun
July 4Bakersfield Race Bakersfield Road Race CourseBakersfield, California11.15 Mile Road CourseHarvey Herrick
August 25Illinois Trophy Race* Elgin Road Race CourseElgin, Illinois8.47 Mile Road CourseEntrants limited to cars 301 to 450 in³Don Herr
August 25Kane County Trophy Race* Elgin Road Race CourseElgin, Illinois8.47 Mile Road CourseEntrants limited to cars 231–300 in³; Ralph Ireland fatally injured in practiceHughie Hughes
August 26Elgin National Trophy Race Elgin Road Race CourseElgin, Illinois8.47 Mile Road Course<600 ci, Grandstand collapse on lap 2, restarted 35 minutes later; Dave Buck and his riding mechanic Sam Jacobs fatally injuredLen Zengel
September 9Hamilton County Trophy Race* Cincinnati Road Race CourseCincinnati, Ohio7.9 Mile Road CourseStock chassis, 300 cu in and under.John Jenkins
September 9Cincinnati Trophy Race* Cincinnati Road Race CourseCincinnati, Ohio7.9 Mile Road CourseFree-for-all class, 600 ci and underEddie Hearne
October 9Philadelphia Race 1* Fairmount ParkPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania8.1 Mile Road Courselimited to cars with 231–300 ciHughie Hughes
October 9Philadelphia Race 2* Fairmount ParkPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania8.1 Mile Road Courselimited to cars with 301–450 ciLouis Disbrow
October 9Philadelphia Race 3* Fairmount ParkPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania8.1 Mile Road Courselimited to cars with 451–600 ciRalph Mulford
October 9Philadelphia Race 4* Fairmount ParkPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania8.1 Mile Road Courselimited to cars with 600–750 ciErwin Bergdoll
October 14Chanslor & Lyon Trophy Race Santa Monica Road Race CourseSanta Monica, California8.417 Mile Road CourseStock chassis, 230 cu in.Charles SoulesLouis Nikrent
October 14Jepsen Trophy Race Santa Monica Road Race CourseSanta Monica, California8.417 Mile Road Course231–300 ci, Run Concurrently with 301–450 ciBruce Keene
October 14Leon Shettler Cup Race Santa Monica Road Race CourseSanta Monica, California8.417 Mile Road Course301–450 ci, Run Concurrently with 231–300 ciBert DingleyCharles Merz
October 14Dick Ferris Trophy Race Santa Monica Road Race CourseSanta Monica, California8.417 Mile Road CourseFree-For-AllHowdy WilcoxHarvey Herrick
November 27Vanderbilt Cup Race Savannah-Effingham RacewaySavannah, Georgia17.1-mile road courseJay McNay and his riding mechanic Henry Maxwell fatally injured in practiceHarry GrantRalph Mulford
November 30American Grand Prize Savannah-Effingham RacewaySavannah, Georgia17.1-mile road courseACA sanctionDavid Bruce-Brown

* Events on same date were run simultaneously.

Leading National Championship standings

The points paying system for the 1909–1915 and 1917–1919 season were retroactively applied in 1927 and revised in 1951 using the points system from 1920.
# DriverSponsorPoints
1Ralph MulfordLozier1520
2Charles MerzNational1080
3David Bruce-BrownFiat1070
4Ray HarrounMarmon1000
5Hughie HughesMercer870

General references