IN HISTORY'S TIRE TRACKS VINTAGE VEHICLES RE-CREATE 1913 RACE.

Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer

VALENCIA - At midnight on July 4, 1913, 51 drivers left Los Angeles for Sacramento in the Panama-Pacific Road Race, still the longest sanctioned road race in California history.

Traveling on a rut-filled dirt road in darkness, the drivers made their way through rugged canyons and shallow waterways with no road signs and dim headlights. Most drivers crashed or got lost during the 444-mile race.

In the end, 19 drivers made the 11-hour journey to Sacramento, where some 40,000 race fans had gathered to cheer them over the finish line. The winner was Frank Verbeck in a 45-horsepower Fiat.

This slice of automotive history is being re-created this week as 48 drivers in vintage race cars travel from Los Angeles to Visalia using most of the original route of the Pan-Pacific race.

The drivers and cars made their first stop Wednesday at the Valencia Hyatt, where they convened to talk about their cars and the re-creation of this historic race.

``I think something most people have forgotten is that back at the turn of the century, cars were so new and so exciting, and nothing came close to the excitement of road racing,'' said Brian Blane, a member of the Visalia Motorsports Council and organizer of the race re-creation. ``Seeing a race car was the equivalent of seeing a spaceship go down the street.''

Sponsored by the Automobile Club of Southern California, the 250-mile drive is intended to preserve the glory days of automotive history and to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club, Blane said. He added that he hoped the event would raise more than $40,000 for the club and other charities.

For the drivers, the event was a chance to relive a bygone era and enjoy the vintage race cars they had restored. A variety of cars entered the race, from original race cars from 1913 to the Shelby Cobra that set the world record for speed in 1968.

Bob Meigs of Solana Beach near San Diego said he invested about $40,000 in the restoration of his 1933 Ford, now dubbed ``The Dixie Flyer.''

``Being able to drive and work on these cars is like participating in history,'' he said. ``At the turn of the century, cars were like computers and the Internet are today. It was the most remarkable period of automotive development the world has ever seen. Cars revolutionized the world.''

Though she averaged about 45 mph, Kristin Bennett said it felt like she was going about 90 mph as she drove her 1927 Ford from Los Angeles to Santa Clarita on Wednesday. The convertible's ``gas pedal'' is on the steering wheel, she said, and operating the clutch, brake and reverse pedal require the driver to do a continuous ``tap dance.''

``This is really exciting,'' said Bennett, one of three women in the race. ``I take the car out for joy rides, but don't do this very often.''

Though much of the original road, known as San Francisquito Canyon Road, is gone, the drivers can still see remnants of it from The Old Road, Blane said.

The scenery along the route also has changed in many areas. Instead of rugged terrain and small farms, drivers now pass sprawling housing developments and shopping malls.

One thing hasn't changed, however - the enthusiasm of the drivers.

``This is a fascinating, exhilarating hobby,'' Meigs said. ``There's nothing like it.''

Perhaps the most famous driver in the event is Dick Smith, a five-time national road racing champion and one-time world champion. Smith drove his 1967 Shelby Cobra in which he set the 1968 world speed record, 198 miles per hour. Though he has had offers of up to $1.5 million for the car, Smith says it's not for sale.

On Thursday, the drivers will head to Bakersfield for another stop and will arrive in Visalia on Friday evening, just in time for the annual Visalia Motorsports Festival.

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3 photos

Photo: (1) The team racing a 1912 Franklin Torpedo Phaeton takes a break Wednesday during the first leg of a vintage auto race.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer

(2 -- 3) Vintage autos stop traffic on Los Feliz Boulevard, above, as they re-create the 1913 Panama-Pacific Road Race. At left, the distinctive radiator cap of a Stutz 8 exemplifies the kind of aesthetic touches that draw enthusiasts to vintage vehicles.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer