I have tried Google but was wandering if any of you guys have pics of the old board track racers? Motorcycles and the cars would be awesome. From what I have read the motorcycles didn't have breaks, and the rider really didn't wear any protective equipment. Its a mirricle that ny of those cats survived to race the next week.
This is a pic of Jimmy Murphy and Ralph de Palma at the Beverly Hills Speedway in 1921. Peugeot and Miller powered Dusenberg. This track was extremely popular with the Hollywood crowd in its day and second only to Indianapolis in terms of prestige and popularity probably due to it being in a major media center. The other track, Playa del Rey was located just a few miles west and was very popular as well.
if you're interested in the cars that ran the "boards" and arguably the greatest engine builder in history - heres the definitive book. I believe its still in print. As well, heres a great website. http://www.milleroffy.com
my favorite board track bike: the 8 valve indian. as for cars, go to www.milleroffy.com it is a great place and will cover all your needs from pics to books and more.
I don't know the total number of board tracks that were built, 24 or more I believe. They were high banked and deadly. This is a photo of Charlotte Speedway 10/19/24 six days before the first race was held there. Joe Boyer won the Indy 500 in 1924 and was killed months later on the boards at Altoona, Pa
I wish I knew more about them, those board tracks are really interesting. I wonder how much time/people/lumber it took to make one of those? The upkeep seems like it'd be impossible to keep up with.
I remember seeing pics of the board track in Kansas City but dont recall seeing any cars or bikes in the pics. Any of you KC guys have any pics?
I seem to remember stories of the board tracks and how dangerous they were. As the races progressed on them there were, of course, accidents. The accidents had a way of tearing up the wooden track but, the race continued. Some of the drivers were injured, or killed, by big chunks of the broken 2X4's flying up and striking them. Large holes were gouged in the tracks and the local kids would sneak below the track and climb up the super structure and poke their heads through these holes so as to get a track side glimpse of the race! Yikes!!! It was truly the wildest of times in US auto racing.
I have seen pics of motorcycles on the board track at K.C. Can't remember where tho. Most board tracks were in excess of one mile. And a two mile board track oval was not uncommon. They were made of 2x4 laid on edge. Yes they were deadly. Motorcycles back then ran a constant loss oilsystem. Meaning it ran through the engine and dumped out on the track. Imagine that at over 100 mph.
The one that I always remember is the track they built in Florida. It lasted something 2 weeks before a Hurricane destroyed it. I think they held one race there!
Miami-Fulford Speedway, managed by Ray Harroun winner of the first Indy 500. Yes, that is an original letterhead in my racing memrobilia collection, always fun to talk about this stuff on the HAMB with guys who enjoy history.
Don't forget about the Midget tracks too, Crocky Wrights book "The Fabulous Nutley Veledrome" is a great book
That's a fantastic book. I saw Gary Doyle a week ago at the SAE Literature Swap Meet and got his Ralph DePalma book. I asked him whats next. He said a book on Tommy Milton and then one on Frank Lockhart and then he's done.
I've got some stashed somewhere. One of the best stories I've heard about any board track and happens to be about Kansas City's track was from an old timer (father of a friend) who used to sneak under the track during races. The track was in disrepair and had a hole here and there. So this guy and his buddies would poke their heads through to watch the approaching cars. This inevidably led to a "who can leave their head in the longest" contest. No stories of severed heads or anything though.
This is just a little O/T, but I thought you guy's would forgive me,... I am almost positave this was on dirt,....... but DANG !
Great topic Stone, this stuff really captivates me. I will see if I can dig up some photos, although I am supposed to be getting some work done. Harms Way neat photo although I use those type of photos to figure out what powerplant they were running. I have blown up Tom Alley's Pan American to figure out which Miller 4 he had in it in when he flipped it in 1917. I am attaching a article from the Detroit News back in 1972 with my grandfather, somewhat poor copy hope you guys can read it. In the article it mentions Don Klark who was one of the factory drivers with the Indian team and who was a good friend of my grandfather. There was another factory Indian racer (whose name escapes me) who also stopped by once with Don and I spoke to them about some their exploits racing bikes. I know very little about bikes but they were fascinating to listen to. Back about this time in the seventies channel 7 (WXYZ -TV) interviewed my grandfather and Don just prior to the Indy 500 on a story of bikes being the inaugural racing at Indy and they had my grandfather's 1909 Indian racing bike with Don alongside talking of his exploits. Pretty similar to the photo from Fur Biscuit.The bike always fascinated me because it was so stripped down, no starter and no brakes. I asked them how could they think of racing without brakes and they said they would not think of racing with them and they felt brakes were dangerous. They said you always learned to adapt to the racing surface whether it was dirt or the boards or whatever but if the guy in front of you hits his brakes he would stop up so quick the bikes would pile into each other and they would all end up with broken necks. Without brakes you could ease into slowing down. Don told me that if your throttle stuck open you would look for an open area of the track preferably on the outside and lay the bike down and let the bike go and look for a hay bale. The other gentleman was a bit older than Don and raced in the inaugural at Indy and Don told me he raced there as well but I am not sure which races. Before he raced he tested bikes for the drivers (also at Indy). He told stories of the boards being so slippery but they used it to their advantage, to make the bikes go sideways and also to let the bike slide and themselves slide to get out of trouble. At the time we were standing about a 100 ft from a cinder pile that my grandfather had (large enough to park semi trailers and equipment up on top) and Don said the only surface he didn't like was that and pointed to the cinders. I quess some of the midwest tracks had some cinder tracks and he said when you went home you look like you had tangled with a tiger. I quess what was being thrown up and sliding in cinders was like dealing with shards of glass. Those guys were fearless. I will see if I have any decent photos regarding cars on the boards.-Jim
I use to live in Yonkers NY & there was a oldtime motorcycle guru named "Jack Tracy" who knew everything & everyone in motorcycling from "day one" he sold Excelsior MC in greenwich village in the 30's & 40s & he use to tell me that "Schwinn" was developing a OHV engine for racing that his son was running on the boards, He wiped out & died from"accute" splinters or something like that,Schwinn got mad, smashed up the MC & went into bicycling !! I don't know if its true or Urban legend, but that was one of many stories he told me. If anyone ever lived in Yonkers & Knew Jack Tracy he was a one of a kind person who loved motorcycling Jim V
Here's a list of the old board tracks; Playa Del Rey, CA 1.0 mile 1910-1913 Elmhurst, CA 0.5mile 1911-1913 Chicago, IL (maywood) 2.0 miles 1915-1917 Des Moines,IA 1.0 mile 1915-1917 Omaha,NE 1.25 miles 1915-1917 Brooklyn,NY (Sheepshead Bay) 2.0 miles 1915-1919 Uniontown, PA 1.125 miles 1916-1922 Cincinnati, OH 2.0 miles 1916-1919 Tacoma, WA 2.0 miles 1915-1921 Beverly Hills, CA 1.25 miles 1920-1924 Fresno, CA 1.0 mile 1920-1927 San Carlos, CA 1.25 miles 1921-1922 Coati,CA 1.25 miles 1921-1922 Kansas City, MO 1.25 miles 1922-1924 Altoona, PA 1.25 miles 1923-1931 Charolette, NC 1.25 miles 1924-1927 Culver City, CA 1.25 miles 1924-1927 Salem, NH (Rockingham) 1.25 miles 1925-1927 Laurel, MD 1.125 miles 1925-1926 MIami, FL (Fulford-by-the-Sea) 1.25 miles 1926-1927 Amatol, NJ (Atlantic City) 1.5 miles 1926-1928 Woodbridge, NJ 0.5 mile 1929-1931 Akron , OH 0.5 mile (no dates) Bridgeville, PA 0.5 mile (no dates) The above lising is from "the Golden Age of the American Racing Car" by Griffith Borgeson. Alot of information in this book. One of my favorites. Also has listings of records and race results. jerry
Did a little searching on some board track stuff and thought I would throw out a few pictures. The first couple of photos are a panorama of the "new" track at Sheepshead Bay. This was a two mile board speedway that featured some great racing from 1915 thru 1919, when it went into receivership. The third photo shows how they had the racing garages under the grandstands. Then an overhead shot of the the steep turns that allowed the great speeds. I believe the photo is Sheephead but I do not have it marked. To show another perspective of the banking shows the Packard Twin Six "Typhoon" during testing in 1915 at Sheepshead. Packard had their own garage at Sheepshead and did a lot of testing and set a good number of world records. The three car set up for a match race at Sheepshead is one of my all time favorite photos of three top racers that packed the house during this era, #4 DePalma in the 299, Louis Chevrolet in one of his specially built Frontenac 4 cylinder OHC creations (not one of the later Ford modified fours) and the Miller Golden Sub. That day saw DePalma win all three of the races, although over the years all three of these cars had some success. The last photo is a photo that intriques me but bothers me in a way as well. This is Eddie ODonnell in the #9 Duesenberg and Gaston Chevrolet in the #6 Frontenac just prior to their fatal accident on the boards at Beverly Hills. I have gone so far as to collect original articles of this crash but never really look at them. I have always been a big fan of Chevrolet and his Frontenac and Monroes. The story of Louis Chevrolet is one of great success mixed with enough misfortune to ruin the party. What I wouldn't give to go back in time and just watch one race with these guys averaging over a 100mph on oil soaked two by fours. What an era-Jim
I'm also capitivated by board racing and it's history. I haven't found anything about WHY they built these tracks out of boards. They could have as easily built them with dirt and bricks. I guess the bricks were too rough. Anyway, does someone know why they built them?
If you ever have the chance to go to the motorcycle museum in Maggie Valley, NC and the owner is there, he can answer any question about boards tracks. The extensive collection features many board racers and almost all the motorcycles on display are running. Can't remember his name, but he loves to start them up if you ask.
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