Vanderbilt Cup Races

-Identify the drivers
-Identify the other members in the racing team

The Buick factory race team.
Louis Strang (seated on the car in front of the rear tire); Walter L. Marr (fifth from right) who was Buick’s first engineer; W. W. Brown (fourth from left on the front row), Joseph R. Common (ninth from left with wide brim hat) and Glenn Breed (standing at far right) were all team mechanicans; Bob Burman (seated in car nearest the camera); and Louis Chevrolet (seated in the car beside Burman)

-Identify the race car and the races in which it participated
-Where and when was the photo taken? Provide a rationale.

1908 at the Buick factory and test track in Flint, Michigan.
The car is the Model 16 Buick #10 that had been modified for racing.  The car had been constructed as one of the team’s few “Marquette-Buicks” in 1908 and began its record setting racing career in January of 1909.  It was retired from service in 1923 and became a part of the collection at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in 1964.

I believe we’re looking at a group photo of the Buick Factory Racing Team taken on the test track at the factory in Flint, Michigan. V. C. R. drivers include: Bob Burman, in the driver’s seat (1910, 1911, 1915 V. C. races & 1908 Motor Pkwy sweepstakes); next to Burman is Louis Chevrolet (1905, 1908, 1909, 1910 V. C. races); and Lewis Strang, seated on car just in front of left rear wheel (1908, 1909 V.C. races & 1908 Motor Pkwy sweepstakes). Other members of the team are: Walter L. Marr (5th from right); W.W. Brown (4th from left, front row); Joseph R. Common (9th from left with wide brim hat); Glenn Breed (standing at far right). The car is a Marquette-Buick model 16 which I believe participated in (among others) the 1909 Prest-O-Lite trophy race (won by Burman), the 1909 Cobe Trophy race (won by Chevrolet), and the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup. Based on the race participation, the photo was probably taken in 1909 or possibly 1908.

I believe the drivers are Louis Chevrolet, Arthur Chevrolet and Bob Burman, all members of the 1910 Buick Racing Team.  I’m basing this on photos showing the building in the background being the Buick auto plant in Flint MI (possibly Plant #14).

Car could be the Marquette- Buick which ran in the race.

I would say photo taken around 1910 when the Chevrolets were part of the Buick Racing Team and the plant having been erected. 

The clue was the distinct driver, Louis Chevrolet.
This was the Buick team at the Flint MI plant in 1910.

From Marc Alssid:

Wow this looks like a tough one!

At first glance, I would say the driver behind the wheel is Louis Chevrolet from the Buick Racing Team. The car looks very similar to a 1910 Buick Model 16 Roadster, and the background looks very much like the factory in Flint, MI (but is probably somewhere on Long Island). I’ll have to look thorough some books tomorrow!
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See following link: http://winfield.50megs.com/GrossePointe.htm
According to the caption, the photo was from around 1908. I was close, the car is a Model 16 Buick that had been modified for racing.
Caption also states that the only ones identified so far are Louis Strang, seated on the car in front of the rear tire. Walter l. Marr (5th from right) Buick’s first engineer. W.W. Brown (4th from left, front row), Joseph R. Common (9th from left with wide brim hat), Glenn Breed (standing at far right) who were all team mechanicans. Bob Burman (seated in the car nearest the camera) and Louis Chevrolet (seated in the car beside Burman).
The photo was taken at the Buick Factory in Flint.

We Buick guys don’t quit!
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I sent you some photos from my phone earlier with pictures of the Buick-Marquette from the book The Buick, a Complete History by Terry Dunham and Lawrence Gustin.

Below in an excerpt from the GM Heritage website on the history of Louis Chevrolet (gmheritagecenter.com)

On March 5th 1909, Louis and his brother Arthur were hired by Buick to
join the Buick Race Team. During the last 2 years of the Vanderbilt Cup
Race on Long Island, Louis drove his famous (1909) Buick Marquettes
clocking the fastest laps of the race and nearly won the 1910 race, only
to give the lead away to Harry Grant due to front suspension failure.
The Franco-Swiss driver managed to beat fate and suffered many injuries
from the Vanderbilt crashes. Louis went on to race and win the Harkness
Gold Trophy in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn in 1917. Louis averaged 110mph
during the 100 mile race, which was absolutely flying in the early hand
built cars. In this race he had beaten some of the best drivers back in
the day. Prior to this race, Louis had prominent victories at Cincinnati
and Chicago tracks.

I hope this information is helpful.

From James Ryan:

I didn’t find out the year or the names, but I did find this answer below to the photo.
The Buick team on the test track at the Buick factory in Flint, Michigan.
Jim Ryan LIBC

From Penny Harvard 7/15/2017

Mystery photo 28 is louis chevrolet. 
P havard

In the group picture, I believe the man in striped suit shown in one version of the picture (he’s in background in other version) is David Dunbar Buick. Reason is the man in the same suit is identified by GM as DDB in two other photos taken at Cobe Trophy winner’s circle, with winning driver Louis Chevrolet. I am author of the book “David Buick’s Marvelous Motor Car” and will use several pictures with this ID in a planned 4th revised edition. Let me know if thoughts on this: 248 393-8239 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

The man sitting next to Lewis Strang (at the wheel) is probably Loren Hodge, who rode with Lewis to win the first 100 mile race at Indianapolis in 1909, probably in that car.  There is a good interview and biograp in the Decator Sunday Herald and Review, (Decatur, Illinois)
17 Feb 1980, Sun, Page 51.  You will notice a good likeness in his photo from the interview here

https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?id=77612227&width=557&height=399&crop=1059_615_1702_1243&rotation=0&brightness=0&contrast=0&invert=0&ts=1510350982&h=d9bf0934ec5d21d38807385edac5c874

Loren Hodge was invited by Glenn Curtiss at the 1909 race to become one of his early pilots at his New York factory.