"The motors that ran on board-tracks were as specialized when compared to the racing sites themselves."
The beginning of motorcycling at the turn of the last century brought with it besides our favorite form of transportation, but also numerous other activities that surrounded and complemented it. Board-track racing was one of those remarkable recreation that merged Sports and Leisure in the motorcycle industry, and made out a segment for the bold and brave.
According to the early velodromes, wooden trails used in bicycle racing in the later part of 1800s, this part of history was the rise of this kind of motorbike racing. At its very heart and soul, board-track bike racing involved speed competitions organized on oval wooden tracks made from 2 X 4 planks, and the trails were diversified in length from an 8th of a mile, quarter mile, and 3rd of a mile all the way up to two miles.
The area for viewing were assembled over the race tracks, and the viewers viewed below on the competition to take everything in. The motordromes, as they were called, were specialized inclined race tracks, which pushed and accommodated speeds of over 100 miles per hour. The degree of banking varied by track but can also be as extreme as 50 degrees. Competition day could see thousands of race fans simply because this was a widely popular viewing activity for the day. The manifestations of speed, courage, and adrenalin pumped driving made for electrifying experiences. For folks looking for intrigue and drama, there was clearly nothing better during the early teens.
The race tracks were engineered around hugely populated places in order to attract the largest possible viewers. They wanted huge crowds of people and high-volume ticket profits to justify the cost of these colossal race tracks. A team of craftsmen was continuously fixing and swapping the wooden planks, often mid-race, from below after the racers had passed over them.
The motor vehicles that competed on board-tracks were as distinct as the racing sites themselves. Customized, factory-prepared motorcycles were made exclusively to go to war on the planks.
These motorbikes were basically nothing more than a framework, an electric motor, a compensator sprocket, and a double roller chain drive that driven the backside wheel. The sprockets utilized on the bikes, varied by track and distance and arrived in sets that traveled along with the racers. The motor engines were factory-built specials; they advanced over time to include the latest in motor racing technology. The F-head configuration gave way to the overhead valve setup, and OHV four and eight-valve motors appeared. These legendary motor engines were the best set up for board-track racing, and today both H-D and Indian 4 and 8-valve racers are classified as the Holy Grail of motorbike lovers. Clincher tires, no brakes, and dropped handle bars outline the style of a board-track racer.
The earliest advertising campaign I have seen marketing a race-ready bike to the open public was for a limited-production 1915 Indian Model D-1 Speedway bike. The advertisement boasted about "Dynamometer tested-20 Horsepower," and said that "We guarantee this model type will deliver a speed of 70 Miles-per-hour when it simply leaves our factory."
The track problems like oil-soaked boards made bike handling shifty (just like riding on ice in some instances); shooting splinters that felt like arrows kicked up to the rider's faces, eyes, sweaters, etc; chemical like residue from the planks stung their skin; and loose panels did everything they could to knock you off your machine as fast as possible. This gives you some idea of the hardships earned in the name of wining. Death was a continuous friend and occurred frequently that the tracks were occasionally termed as Murderdromes.
The demise of board-track motorbike racing was a result of a mixture of events for a duration of years. The death of the popular racer Eddie Hasha and several youthful spectators at a motordrome in New Jersey, the constant cost of production and up-keep of the race track, the boost in attention of dirt track racing, and the development of amusement alternatives all sounded the death of the sport. By the 40s, the last tracks were disassembled and board-track racing slipped into history but its legacy of velocity and courage carries on to motivate and push us to further evolve the speed racing industry.
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