What is a Board Track Racer? Who Built and Raced them? What years were they Raced?
BoardTracker, Board Track Racer, both of these "designations" is a generic all in one term used here in the forum that has become over used lately.
It seems that many of us here that has an vintage styled tribute bike likes that term.
Custom chinese piston powered 2-stroke motor assisted bicycles and balloon tired bikes with upside down handle bars we often label them by that term.
Maybe "Track Bike" or" Racer" would be more appropriate. All the tribute vintage styled motor assisted bikes here are indeed interesting and definitely works of Art as far as I'm concerned.
Ok some facts / history on Board Track Racers & Racing starting in 1908 through 1930's
History Boardtrack Racing 1,
Motorcycle racing enthusiast interested in racing history often have questions about the "Motordrome" racetracks of the early 20th century, or as others call it today, "boardtrack" racing. It is not certain the exact date and place that the motorcycle racing sport began, but boardtracks were being built by 1908 and the racing class quickly gained great popularity.
The tracks were either oval or circular shaped with extremely steep banked curves. The surfaces of the tracks were composed of two-by-four inch wooden planks (laid on edge) or two-by-two inch wooden planks nailed to wooden frames. The lumber was almost always of a rough cut to allow a better grip of the tires on the motorcycles. Most tracks are credited as having been designed by a track manager and engineer named Jack Prince.
Official Harley-Davidson factory racers such as Otto Walker and Leslie "Red" Parkhurst were taking on the tracks at Sheepshead Bay New York, Playa Del Ray California, and points in between, including Milwaukee Wisconsin. They competed against racers riding the likes of Indians, Reading Standards, Thors and Merkels, to name a few. But what people remember most about the motordromes was the immense danger they posed to rider and spectator alike.
The steep banks of the tracks allowed for incredibly high speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour. Worse yet, it was also not unheard of for planks to break loose, or for large splinters to form. Woe to the rider who went down and slid into one of those splinters. And if that didn't add enough suspense, oil from the motorcycles often made the tracks slick.
An infamous motorcycle race in Newark New Jersey, in 1912, took the lives of four spectators and four racers. Other races saw bloodshed as well, and while the sport remained popular with crowds, it lost popularity with the media and local governments. The periodicals began to call the tracks "murderdromes," and by the early 1920s, board-track racing had been gradually outlawed by local and state governments across the nation.
History Boardtrack Racing 2,
The first board track opened at the Los Angeles Coliseum Motordome near Playa del Rey, California, on April 8, 1910. Based on and utilizing the same technology as the French velodromes used for bicycle races, the track and others like it were created with 2-inch (51 mm) x 4-inch (100 mm) boards, and banked up to 45°, and some venues, such as Fulford-by-the-Sea and Culver City, boasting unconfirmed higher bankings of 50° or more. Around a half dozen tracks up to two miles (3 km) long had opened by 1915. By 1931 there were 24 operating board tracks, including tracks in Laurel, Maryland, Beverly Hills, California, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Brooklyn, New York. The board tracks popped up because of the ease of construction and the low cost of lumber.
The end of Wooden Board Tracks,
The banking in the corners of board tracks started at 25° in 1911, like bicycles tracks were. The banking was increased until 60° was common. The effect of the banking was higher cornering speed and higher G-force on drivers. Fans sat on the top of the track looking down at the racers. When a driver lost control of a racecar in a corner, he could slip up off the track and into the crowd. An incident often killed a half-dozen competitors and spectators at a time. The velodrome at Nutley, New Jersey, a 1⁄8 mi (200 m) oval banked at 45° (generating lap times of 8 seconds or less) and built from 1 in × 12 in (25 mm × 300 mm) lumber on edge, was "unquestionably the deadliest". On September 8, 1912, Eddie Hasha was killed at the New Jersey Motordrome near Atlantic City. The accident killed 4 boys and injured 10 more people. The deaths made the front page of the New York Times. The press started calling the short 1/4 and 1/3 mile circuits "murderdromes". The 1913 motorcycle championship races were moved to a dirt track because dirt was safer. The national organization overseeing motorcycle racing on board tracks banned all competitions on board tracks shorter than 1-mile (1.6 km) in 1919.[7]
Board tracks slowly faded away in the 1920s and 1930s, though racing continued into 1940 at Coney Island Velodrome, Nutley, and Castle Hill Speedway in the Bronx. Notable driver fatalities on board tracks included four Indianapolis 500 winners, three of which occurred at the Altoona course in Tipton, Pennsylvania, and three in the same years in which the driver won at Indianapolis. 1919 "500" winner Howdy Wilcox died in an Altoona race on September 4, 1923, while co-1924 winner Joe Boyer and 1929 winner Ray Keech both suffered fatal accidents at the facility in the same years as their 500 wins, Keech's occurring only seventeen days after, on June 15, 1929. Gaston Chevrolet, winner of the 1920 Indianapolis 500, perished that same autumn, on November 25, 1920, at a Thanksgiving Day race at the Beverly Hills Speedway.
Another contributor to the demise of board tracks was the expensive upkeep. Tracks needed new 2x4 boards every five years. During the last decade of board tracks, carpenters would repair the track from below after the cars raced down the straightaways at 120 mph (190 km/h). A further factor was that as speeds rose, overtaking became increasingly difficult; as long as it held together, the fastest car would almost always win the race. This led to spectators turning their attention to the less-predictable racing taking place on dirt tracks.
The Motorcycles & Frame styles,
"Keystone" or "Marion" Motorcycle Frame
In 1919, Indian debuted its challenger to the Harley-Davidson IOE (intake over exhaust) racers that had dominated American race tracks since 1915. The new Indian challenger was a side-valve derivative of the famous Powerplus which, after its record-setting speed trials in 1920, became known as the Indian "Daytona." The 1919 Indian racer that appeared at the Marion, Indiana Labor Day race featured a "keystone" style frame; henceforth, Indian's version of this style of chassis was known as a "Marion frame."
Harley-Davidson pioneered the use of the "keystone" frame in their successful 1916 win at the Dodge City, 4th of July 300-mile race. The keystone frame was actually a modified loop frame with the bottom of the loop cut away. This allowed the engine, supported by plates, to act as a structural member of the chassis. Although Harley-Davidson's success at the 1916 Dodge City race was due to various innovations (8-valve engine and hemispherical combustion chambers, for example), the improved handling characteristics of the lowered engine position prompted Indian to follow suit.
Due to the likelihood that the United States would become involved in the European World War, all of the major motorcycle manufacturers withdrew from professional racing in the Fall of 1916. In 1918, with the end of the war in sight, Indian modified one of their existing loop-frame 8-valve racers to the "keystone" configuration.
In addition to the new side-valve racer that the Springfield manufacturer debuted at the Marion race in 1919, Indian continued to field a number of their previously successful 8-valves that had dominated the board-track and publicity-rich speed trials in earlier years. Now, however, the Indian-8's were installed in keystone chassis. On one such bike in 1921, Albert "Shrimp" Burns won the pole position at the Dodge City classic by setting a lap record of 97 M.P.H.
The Board Track Manufacturers & Motorcycles,
I can't name all of them but If I'm not mistaken there were over a Hundred motorcycle manufacturers in the United States of America prior to World War I breaking out.
A total of eight or more well known successful manufacturers fielded factory teams,
Cyclone, Excelsior-Henderson, Flying Merkel, Harley-Davidson, Indian, Pope, Reading-Standard, Thor, I'm sure there were others lesser known manufacturers, but they have been forgotten to history.
If you'd like to see pic's please visit my photobucket page here's the Link: Pictures by ICrazyhorse - Photobucket
See: Vintage Board Track Racer Album here: Crazyhorse Vintage Board Track Racers pictures by ICrazyhorse - Photobucket
See: Worksman Period Correct Styled Tribute Board Track Racers here: Crazyhorse Worksman Board Track Racer Tributes pictures by ICrazyhorse - Photobucket
Or google search images Board Track Racers there are thousands of pictures there from all the original manufacturers google there brand name then board track racer!
Hope this information gives the newby or veteran builder more insight of what is, and the how it was in the bygone era of Americas Board Track Racers & Racing from 1908 through 1930's.
Peace Crazy Horse
BoardTracker, Board Track Racer, both of these "designations" is a generic all in one term used here in the forum that has become over used lately.
It seems that many of us here that has an vintage styled tribute bike likes that term.
Custom chinese piston powered 2-stroke motor assisted bicycles and balloon tired bikes with upside down handle bars we often label them by that term.
Maybe "Track Bike" or" Racer" would be more appropriate. All the tribute vintage styled motor assisted bikes here are indeed interesting and definitely works of Art as far as I'm concerned.
Ok some facts / history on Board Track Racers & Racing starting in 1908 through 1930's
History Boardtrack Racing 1,
Motorcycle racing enthusiast interested in racing history often have questions about the "Motordrome" racetracks of the early 20th century, or as others call it today, "boardtrack" racing. It is not certain the exact date and place that the motorcycle racing sport began, but boardtracks were being built by 1908 and the racing class quickly gained great popularity.
The tracks were either oval or circular shaped with extremely steep banked curves. The surfaces of the tracks were composed of two-by-four inch wooden planks (laid on edge) or two-by-two inch wooden planks nailed to wooden frames. The lumber was almost always of a rough cut to allow a better grip of the tires on the motorcycles. Most tracks are credited as having been designed by a track manager and engineer named Jack Prince.
Official Harley-Davidson factory racers such as Otto Walker and Leslie "Red" Parkhurst were taking on the tracks at Sheepshead Bay New York, Playa Del Ray California, and points in between, including Milwaukee Wisconsin. They competed against racers riding the likes of Indians, Reading Standards, Thors and Merkels, to name a few. But what people remember most about the motordromes was the immense danger they posed to rider and spectator alike.
The steep banks of the tracks allowed for incredibly high speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour. Worse yet, it was also not unheard of for planks to break loose, or for large splinters to form. Woe to the rider who went down and slid into one of those splinters. And if that didn't add enough suspense, oil from the motorcycles often made the tracks slick.
An infamous motorcycle race in Newark New Jersey, in 1912, took the lives of four spectators and four racers. Other races saw bloodshed as well, and while the sport remained popular with crowds, it lost popularity with the media and local governments. The periodicals began to call the tracks "murderdromes," and by the early 1920s, board-track racing had been gradually outlawed by local and state governments across the nation.
History Boardtrack Racing 2,
The first board track opened at the Los Angeles Coliseum Motordome near Playa del Rey, California, on April 8, 1910. Based on and utilizing the same technology as the French velodromes used for bicycle races, the track and others like it were created with 2-inch (51 mm) x 4-inch (100 mm) boards, and banked up to 45°, and some venues, such as Fulford-by-the-Sea and Culver City, boasting unconfirmed higher bankings of 50° or more. Around a half dozen tracks up to two miles (3 km) long had opened by 1915. By 1931 there were 24 operating board tracks, including tracks in Laurel, Maryland, Beverly Hills, California, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Brooklyn, New York. The board tracks popped up because of the ease of construction and the low cost of lumber.
The end of Wooden Board Tracks,
The banking in the corners of board tracks started at 25° in 1911, like bicycles tracks were. The banking was increased until 60° was common. The effect of the banking was higher cornering speed and higher G-force on drivers. Fans sat on the top of the track looking down at the racers. When a driver lost control of a racecar in a corner, he could slip up off the track and into the crowd. An incident often killed a half-dozen competitors and spectators at a time. The velodrome at Nutley, New Jersey, a 1⁄8 mi (200 m) oval banked at 45° (generating lap times of 8 seconds or less) and built from 1 in × 12 in (25 mm × 300 mm) lumber on edge, was "unquestionably the deadliest". On September 8, 1912, Eddie Hasha was killed at the New Jersey Motordrome near Atlantic City. The accident killed 4 boys and injured 10 more people. The deaths made the front page of the New York Times. The press started calling the short 1/4 and 1/3 mile circuits "murderdromes". The 1913 motorcycle championship races were moved to a dirt track because dirt was safer. The national organization overseeing motorcycle racing on board tracks banned all competitions on board tracks shorter than 1-mile (1.6 km) in 1919.[7]
Board tracks slowly faded away in the 1920s and 1930s, though racing continued into 1940 at Coney Island Velodrome, Nutley, and Castle Hill Speedway in the Bronx. Notable driver fatalities on board tracks included four Indianapolis 500 winners, three of which occurred at the Altoona course in Tipton, Pennsylvania, and three in the same years in which the driver won at Indianapolis. 1919 "500" winner Howdy Wilcox died in an Altoona race on September 4, 1923, while co-1924 winner Joe Boyer and 1929 winner Ray Keech both suffered fatal accidents at the facility in the same years as their 500 wins, Keech's occurring only seventeen days after, on June 15, 1929. Gaston Chevrolet, winner of the 1920 Indianapolis 500, perished that same autumn, on November 25, 1920, at a Thanksgiving Day race at the Beverly Hills Speedway.
Another contributor to the demise of board tracks was the expensive upkeep. Tracks needed new 2x4 boards every five years. During the last decade of board tracks, carpenters would repair the track from below after the cars raced down the straightaways at 120 mph (190 km/h). A further factor was that as speeds rose, overtaking became increasingly difficult; as long as it held together, the fastest car would almost always win the race. This led to spectators turning their attention to the less-predictable racing taking place on dirt tracks.
The Motorcycles & Frame styles,
"Keystone" or "Marion" Motorcycle Frame
In 1919, Indian debuted its challenger to the Harley-Davidson IOE (intake over exhaust) racers that had dominated American race tracks since 1915. The new Indian challenger was a side-valve derivative of the famous Powerplus which, after its record-setting speed trials in 1920, became known as the Indian "Daytona." The 1919 Indian racer that appeared at the Marion, Indiana Labor Day race featured a "keystone" style frame; henceforth, Indian's version of this style of chassis was known as a "Marion frame."
Harley-Davidson pioneered the use of the "keystone" frame in their successful 1916 win at the Dodge City, 4th of July 300-mile race. The keystone frame was actually a modified loop frame with the bottom of the loop cut away. This allowed the engine, supported by plates, to act as a structural member of the chassis. Although Harley-Davidson's success at the 1916 Dodge City race was due to various innovations (8-valve engine and hemispherical combustion chambers, for example), the improved handling characteristics of the lowered engine position prompted Indian to follow suit.
Due to the likelihood that the United States would become involved in the European World War, all of the major motorcycle manufacturers withdrew from professional racing in the Fall of 1916. In 1918, with the end of the war in sight, Indian modified one of their existing loop-frame 8-valve racers to the "keystone" configuration.
In addition to the new side-valve racer that the Springfield manufacturer debuted at the Marion race in 1919, Indian continued to field a number of their previously successful 8-valves that had dominated the board-track and publicity-rich speed trials in earlier years. Now, however, the Indian-8's were installed in keystone chassis. On one such bike in 1921, Albert "Shrimp" Burns won the pole position at the Dodge City classic by setting a lap record of 97 M.P.H.
The Board Track Manufacturers & Motorcycles,
I can't name all of them but If I'm not mistaken there were over a Hundred motorcycle manufacturers in the United States of America prior to World War I breaking out.
A total of eight or more well known successful manufacturers fielded factory teams,
Cyclone, Excelsior-Henderson, Flying Merkel, Harley-Davidson, Indian, Pope, Reading-Standard, Thor, I'm sure there were others lesser known manufacturers, but they have been forgotten to history.
If you'd like to see pic's please visit my photobucket page here's the Link: Pictures by ICrazyhorse - Photobucket
See: Vintage Board Track Racer Album here: Crazyhorse Vintage Board Track Racers pictures by ICrazyhorse - Photobucket
See: Worksman Period Correct Styled Tribute Board Track Racers here: Crazyhorse Worksman Board Track Racer Tributes pictures by ICrazyhorse - Photobucket
Or google search images Board Track Racers there are thousands of pictures there from all the original manufacturers google there brand name then board track racer!
Hope this information gives the newby or veteran builder more insight of what is, and the how it was in the bygone era of Americas Board Track Racers & Racing from 1908 through 1930's.
Peace Crazy Horse
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