Bloodsport Pt. 1

 

 You could easily argue that it was the thrill of bicycle racing that led to the development of the motorcycle. Motorcycles were practically born on the race track. The race tracks of the early 1900s consisted mainly of muddy horse tracks, runs from city to city, and banked oval bicycle tracks called Velodromes. Speed was like a drug and higher speeds, the only fix. As engines grew in size and power the speeds increased. The bicycle Velodromes were soon too small, not only for the speeds, but for the enthusiastic crowds as well. Two far sighted men presented the solution. One with an inspired idea, and the other with the know-how and drive to turn it into a national sensation. 

  As a young man Fred Moscovies spent some time in Europe where he developed an interest in bicycle racing. Hanging around the tracks, he soon came to know the big names of the sport, including John "Jack" Prince. After returning to America, life took him to Los Angeles working as an electrician. While there, he again became involved with the local racing community. He soon saw the increasing need for a suitable location for competition, both for motorcycles and the budding sport of automotive racing.

    Moscovies had learned of the Indianapolis Speedway built by Carl Fisher and believed that southern California was the perfect location for a similar speedway. He soon had a group of potential investors and presented his idea. His dream was a track built of wood based on the design of the bicycle Velodromes, only much larger, a circular, banked track, like a large wooden saucer.

Moscovies told his investors, "Nothing can be as cheap, as fast, or as safe. And I know just the man who can build it for us." Soon $75,000 was raised and work began on America's first boardtrack in Playa Del Ray, CA, opening for business in 1910.

  The man that built it was John Shillington Prince. John "Jack" Prince was born in England in 1859 and grew up with a passion for athletics. He was playing Cricket by age 14, a professional bowler by 17, and then he found his niche, professional bicycle racing. By 1880, at age 21, he had become the high wheel bicycle racing World Champion. He traveled to America to use his talent and fame to promote English bicycles in the American market. He quickly achieved success on the American professional racing circuit, reigning as the undisputed American Champion until 1885. By 1889 Prince had moved on from racing and selling bicycles and became involved in the design and construction of Velodromes, quickly gaining a reputation as the leading expert. After joining with Fred Moscovies to build the Playa Del Ray Speedway, Jack Prince's career took a new direction and he became known far and wide as the man to call to bring boardtrack racing to your town.

  Ever the showman and promoter, Prince would arrive after being contracted by a city for a new track and gather the press. A proper English gentleman with his accent, groomed mustache, and trademark Bowler hat, he'd impress the gathered crowd by pacing off lines and driving stakes into the ground. Never seen to work from formal plans or drawings, he'd take control of every aspect of design and construction. Hundreds of workers would be hired, tons of nails and iron spikes would be ordered, and millions of board feet lumber would begin to be delivered. The track surface would be constructed of rough cut 2 × 4s stacked side by side. Above the track surface grandstand seating would be built, with very little separating the racing on the track from the spectators in the seats. Towers would be built for spotters, press, and track officials. Upon completion, Prince would turn over managment of the track and leave for the next location to begin construction of another. Of the 27 boardtracks spread across America, Prince designed and built 17 of them.

  Designed for use by both automobiles and motorcycles, the tracks were designed from the ground up for speed. Today's NASCAR Talladega Speedway is famous for it's exciting racing with the circuit's highest banking at 33°, yet some of the boardtracks of the early 20th century claimed bank angles of 60° or more with most no less than 45°.

The speeds achieved were incredible. Instantly popular with all ages, the tracks would draw crowds of 10,000 or more. It was the most thrilling attraction since the days of the chariot races of the Roman Coliseum, and would prove just as dangerous. They were soon given the title of "Motordromes".

  Auto racer Barney Oldfield would describe the thrill vividly... "The board speedway will always be the big thrill provider. The speed is terrific and every second every driver is in front of the spectators. They do not go out of sight behind trees or buildings. There are no distances so great as to dwarf cars and drivers below the power of vision to distinguish between them. There is no blinding dust to hamper drivers and obscure them from the spectators. Every second the battle between nerve, wits, and mechanical genius is in plain view. The very shape of the track is for speed. The 40% bank in the turns acts as a propeller which will force cars to exceed their engine capacity."

  The modern gladiators that fought for glory in these arenas were a special breed. Whether due to bravery, daring, or just plain insanity, who's to say? The mechanical steeds they rode were built for one purpose and stripped of anything deemed unnecessary.

  They were typically powerful V-twins, tuned to a higher state than their production counterparts. They had very narrow tires, no suspension, no clutches, no throttles, one gear, and only ran at wide open speed... they also had no brakes.

After being pull started, the only means of controlling the speed was a kill switch. Riders would ride in a tight pack, preparing for the starting lap, alternating between killing the engine and short bursts at full throttle until the flag dropped, where it would be wide open until the race was over, neck and neck and shoulder to shoulder at speeds over 100 mph.

  Safety equipment was minimal in the day which made the sport even more dangerous. Typical gear for a racer included leather boots, pants typically of leather, a woolen sweater with a sponsor's logo sewn on, goggles, a leather cap for a helmet, and leather gloves. The wooden boards of the track surface would often warp and split. The machines constantly leaked and smoked oil which, when combined with the lost rubber from the tires, would turn the rough wooden surface dangerously slick. A spill meant broken bones, fractured skulls, lost teeth, and impalment by wooden splinters. 

  Despite the hazards, there was fame and fortune to be won. Top riders could bring in $20,000 a year. That's about a half million dollars in today's money. It attracted the young and the daredevils. Hundreds took to the boards... and hundreds died, and the Motordromes quickly came to be known as the "MURDERDROMES."

To be continued...