Prep for 1908 Grand Prize

Differing rules packages was the core issue between the Automobile Club of America (ACA) and the American Automobile Association (AAA) in 1908 and nearly caused the cancellation of the Vanderbilt Cup for the second year in a row. This proved to the single biggest racing controversy of 1908 as the ACA and the AAA battled throughout most of the year for supremacy in governing American auto races.
 
In the end the AAA won the right to govern all races deemed domestic and the ACA secured responsbility as the primary conduit with the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the right to organize all international races in America, primarily the American Grand Prize. The primary difference between the two rules packages was that the FIA moved in the direction of setting cylinder capacity as the core limitation while the AAA rules continued to focus on the weight of a car.
 
These articles discuss the efforts of the Savannah, Georgia community to prepare for the American Grand Prize set for Thanksgiving Day. Published in the Indianapolis Star July 12, 1908, attachment Savannah071208 is a brief item but provides good information about the individuals leading the prepatory effort with some specifics such as the formation of sub-committees for timing, grandstand accommodations and course development. Attachment Savannah072608, also a Star article, reports on progress of the hotel sub-committee.