board track racing international #1
DESCRIPTION
Dives into Vintage Style Motorcycles and explores Board Track Racing a popular event in the early 1900'sTRANSCRIPT
ISSUE #1 MARCH 1, 2013
INSIDE STORIES
A Word from our Editor
Page 4
The History of Board Track Racing
Pages 6-8
The Revival of Board Track Racing
Pages 10-11
Atomix Studio Presents –Filmmaker Brian
Darwas The Story of Cannonball Run
Page 13
Safety Tips from BTRI MagazineSafety Tips from BTRI Magazine
Pages 14
Von Baron Motor Company promotes
Motorcycle Safety Foundation
Pages 15-16
Born To Ride TV and Magazine
Pages 17-19
Introducing VINTAGE STYLE MOTORCYCLE
BRANDS
THE FACTORY METAL WORKS
SUCKER PUNCH SALLYS
CLEVELAND CYCLEWERKS
EGLI VINCENT MOTORCYCLES
Pages 23-26
How to build your own Bobber or Chopper
of your Dreams
Pages 27-28
A BRIEF WORD FROM OUR EDITOR
Welcome to Board Track Racing International
Magazine and thank you for viewing our very
first edition!
Board Track Racing was an event that was
created and the early 1900’s and was a very
popular event in its day.
BTRI Magazine is promoting Board Track Racing
and it’s millions of followers who have a deep
ISSUE #1
MARCH 15, 2013
and it’s millions of followers who have a deep
filled passion for Board Track Racing.
We would like to take this time to give special
thanks to Von Baron Motor Company and Born
To Ride TV & Magazine both companies have
given up their time and are committed to seeing
that the public learns more about Board Track
Racing.
If you should have any questions or comments
please leave them at VONBARONMOTORS.COM
Thank you for viewing our magazine and check
us out monthly for a new subscription.
EDITOR: CHRISTOPHER KEHL
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BOARD
TRACK RACING
Board track racing was one of the first types
of motorsports that were popular in the USA
during the 1910 and 1920’s Most Races were
conducted on circular or oval tracks with most
surfaces composed of wooden planks This is the
type of track that was first used for motorcycle
races, they were called ‘Motor Dromes’.
Most American National Championship races
were contests and huge venues developed
during the 1920s. Board tracks were used in part
because at that time, they were fairly
inexpensive to construct, yet lacked durability
and required a great deal of maintenance to
remain race ready. Many of the tracks survived
for as little as three years before being
abandoned. This was primarily due to lack of
sealers and durable building products.
As the Great Depression developed in the earlyAs the Great Depression developed in the early
1930s, board track racing disappeared rapidly.
However, several of its most achieved aspects in
racing have continued to influence the
motorcycle industry. Including but not limited
to: A technical emphasis on top speed produced
by the steep banking; and ample track width to
allow steady overtaking between competitors;
as well as the development of extensive
grandstands or stadium-style spectator seating
surrounding many of the courses
One of the very first board tracks for motorized
bicycle racing was the circular Los Angeles Motor
Dome in Playa Del Ray, CA, built in 1910. This
track was based on the same technology as
‘European Velo-Dromes’ used for bicycle racing,
this track and others like it were constructed
with 2-inch x 4-inch boards, often with turns
banked at up to 45 degrees. At some tracks, such
as the track at Culver City, banking was 50
degrees or more.
As tracks developed, longer tracks were later
built - some up to 2 miles long as early as 1915
- and lap speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour
became commonplace. Interest in the sport
was exploding during this period and by 1929,
24 board tracks had been built throughout the
USA, unfortunately by 1931, 20 of the 24 had
been shut-down or abandoned, and all tracks
in
1932 ceased to exist, and the championship
races riding on boards were no more.
At the time these tracks were relatively
inexpensive to construct compared to more
permanent facilities – (for example) the total
cost of the 2-mile Tacoma Speedway, was just
$100,000 in 1915, comparing this to the
$700,000 spent in 1909 just to pave the 2.5-
mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Racing on these board tracks often drew large
crowds of paying spectators. In 1915, a crowd
of 80,000 was reported in Chicago, and only
three weeks after, 60,000 attended the
Design and Safety
The first track in Playa del Rey Motor Drome
had a bank of 3:1 pitch (or about 20 degrees),
some tracks were built with even higher
banking up to 60 degrees.
The reality of these track designs were not
properly engineered until construction of the
Beverly Hills track in 1919 when Beverly Hills,
designer ‘Art Pillsbury’, eventually worked on
more than ½ of the championship board tracks
nationwide, and deployed the first ‘Searle
Spiral Easement Curve’ in which, effectively a
car could steer itself primarily because of the
tracks geometry.
These changes allowed higher cornering speeds
and higher G-Force on drivers, but
did not necessarily create greater safety. Driver
fatalities continued into the 1920s, which took
the lives of at least four Indianapolis winners.
Even when the bikes or cars did not crash,three weeks after, 60,000 attended the
Indianapolis 500. Furthermore a relatively
small and isolated Tacoma, who only had a
population of 83,000 in 1910 had turned out
35,000 to see a race the year before.
Board Track Purse over
$25,000
To attract both competitors and race fans,
racing promoters alike offered what at that
time was considered a sensational amount of
prize money –which could include a total purse
of $25,000 and surprisingly was not unusual
around the time of World War One. After WWI,
Triple A (AAA as we know it) re-organized the
National Championship Races. In the Early
1920’s to the end of 1931, AAA sanctioned a
total of 123 championship races on 24 different
race tracks, and 82 of those races were run on
wooden surfaces, 12 were on the bricks of
Indianapolis, and the other 29 were on dirt
tracks.
Even when the bikes or cars did not crash,
racing on a board track was very dangerous
partially from flying wood splinters and
primitive tire technology. Motorcycling, was
also very dangerous due to lack of riders
proper safety equipment. Fans used to sit
above the track, and looked down at the
racers. Sometimes when a rider lost control, he
would drive off the track and into the crowd.
On September 8, 1912, Eddie Hasha was killed,
which also killed 4 spectators and injured 10
more. The New York Times started coining
these tracks “Murder Dromes”. So in 1913,
these races moved to dirt tracks because they
were much safer, eventually the organization
that was overseeing these races banned
competitions on board tracks shorter than one
mile. This caused sponsors and manufacturers
to withdraw their support due to negative
press.
THE END OF BOARD TRACKS
The largest demise of board tracks was costly
maintenance. At that time, there were no
suitable wood preservatives, and most tracks
needed new boards fitted every three to five
years. Most resurfacing required a
million board feet of lumber per 1.25 miles of
track. This was not a cost effective expense
with sponsors and manufacturers dropping
out.
WHITE KNUCKLE THE MOVIE
THIS IS A MOVIE ABOUT THE CANNON BALL
RUN THAT TAKES PLACE EVERY YEAR AND
SHOWS YOU WHAT IT REALLY TAKES TO MAKE
AND BE IN AN EVENT OF THIS NATURE.
BUY THE DVD FOR ONLY $24.95
Furthermore, as speeds increased, overtaking
became more difficult - the faster the racer
would go, he would almost always win the
race, this led to Race Fans to start turning their
attention to the less-predictable racing that
was taking place on dirt tracks.
Most board tracks disappeared from the
National Championship scene in 1932, however
a few smaller tracks did continue to operate for
some years afterwards. For example, Coney
Island hosted ‘Midget Racing’ until at least
1939, and the Castle Hill Speedway continued
‘Midget Racing’ until the late 1940’s.
PLEASE CALL (239) 400-1289 AND ASK FOR THE
WHITE KNUCKLE MOVIE ON DVD
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT
VON BARON MOTOR COMPANY LLC.
BOARD TRACK RACING COMINGTO FLORIDA
Von Baron Motor Company
has aligned itself with a large
Family Park (LAZY SPRINGS) in
SW Florida that will be
building a 1/2 mile to 1 mile
track, which will offer a 4:1
pitch on 180 degree turns. The
Track being built at the park
will first be made out of
compacted dirt and crushed
limestone. Further plans are
to build the track with
materials on top of the “dirt
VON BARON BRINGS BACK THE BOARD TRACK
Since the time of 1900-1940, Board Track Racing has been obsolete.
Products today are far superior in quality since that era. For an
example materials do not fray, warp and deteriorate under exterior
conditions. Von Baron Motor Company firmly believes that with
today’s existing technological advances, we can again bring the
glorious Board Track Racing events back to the American public and
possibly the world.
There has been a huge up rise in older style board track motorcycles
and board track style motorized bicycles, with flat track, paved races
being held in California and Arizona. There is however no “board
tracks” left in the United States today and no pitched 3:1or 4:1 Race
Tracks available to race on at present time.
materials on top of the “dirt
track” which would be firmly
anchored with posts and
concrete. Safety precautions
and testing of the track will be
performed to ensure safety
precautions to alleviate
problems with early board
track racing events
BOARD TRACK RACING COMINGTO FLORIDA .
Von Baron Motors Board Track will be the first of it’s kind since
the early 1900’s and plans to develop other race venues as we
grow.
Von Baron Motor Company has already selected it’s Media
Partner as ‘BORN TO RIDE’ TV, and they will have exclusive
rights to film, manage and operate our race events for TV,
Editorial and Magazine Production.
Creating this type of track will not only allow racers from all
over the United States to compete in National Championship
Races, but will bring back a national pass time long awaited in a
niche market.
Christopher Kehl owner and operator of Von Baron Motors,
stated: “Sometimes we have to dive deep into our past, to
create entertaining new concepts”.
Although Board Track Racing is not exactly “new” it would be
the first track of it’s kind brought back to America since the
early 1900’s.
Ride along with Hot Rod
Builder and Award Winning
Filmmaker Brian Darwas as
he travels coast to coast on
the ultimate antique
motorcycle endurance run,
“The Motorcycle
Cannonball”.
Witness as these bikes are
pushed past their limits! Get
an upfront look at parking
lot engine rebuilds! and
watch as the top guys in the
motorcycle industry machine
parts in the back of their
vans to keep their bikes on
the road, and in the race!
“I followed some friends as
they rode on the they rode on the
first Motorcycle Cannonball.
The run was all pre-1916
motorcycles. Some were
single cylinder engines,
some had no transmissions
(just a belt and a tensioner).
They started in Kitty Hawk,
NC and rode clear across the
country to Santa Monica, CA.
Literally "Coast to Coast", on
all secondary roads, no
highways! . . and since I like
to witness pain and suffering
I tagged along and made a
movie about the trip.” -
Brian Darwas
TO ORDER CALL
239-400-1289
SAFETY TIPS
Board Track Racing International Magazine,
is promoting awareness for drivers and
motorcyclists nationwide. Gas seems to be
on the rise and Motorcycles are becoming
more and more a common site on National
Highways.
Many motorists today really need to look out
for motorcycles. Unfortunately there are
many times that motorists do not watch out
for these motorcycles and fatalities happen
frequently.
If you are a car or a truck driver you can
adhere to a few simple rules:
1. Before you change lanes, please use your1. Before you change lanes, please use your
blinker.
2. When behind a motorcycle please allow
up to 2 car lengths of space to allow a
safe distance between you and the
motorcycle driver.
3. If you see a motorcycle, then allow the
same space and respect you would give a
car or truck .
4. When approaching an intersection please
look twice before crossing even if the
light is green, so many accidents today
happen in busy intersections.
Von Baron Motor Company with the
assistance of Board Track International
Magazine is proud to promote the
Motorcycle Safety Foundation which
can be found online at : MSF-USA.org
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation was
developed to promote awareness of
bikers on the road.
To many times careless accidentsTo many times careless accidents
happens because people do not look
out for motorcyclists.
This can all be avoided by simply
spreading awareness!
SO PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR
MOTORCYCLES!
THESE ADS WILL BE POSTED AND PAID
FOR BY VON BARON MOTOR COMPANY
PROMOTE SAFETY 1ST
VON BARON MOTOR COMPANY
ADS BY MOTORCYCLE SAFETY
FOUNDATION MSF-USA.ORG
Born To Ride combines 4 successful
media elements; Television, Magazine,
Website and Event Promotions.
Born To Ride provides news and
events that are of interest to the biker
community. Spotlighting hardworking
dealers, bike builders, and
organizations are only a few of the
items the biker community looks
forward to reading every month. The
staff and writers are all bikers, as well
as professionals in the areas they
represent.
Born To Ride's involvement with otherBorn To Ride's involvement with other
successful venues has spanned 15
years the Born To Ride Saloon, West
Coast Bike Rally, and Thunder by the
Bay to mention a few. Born To Ride
collaborates with other local media
companies to create cross marketing
opportunities for its clientele.
Build your own Bobber is as
easy as 123. At Von Baron
Motor Company, we offer
Rolling Chassis, Engines,
Transmissions, Handlebars,
Exhaust, and everything you
need to build your own
custom motorcycle.
Many people have dreams of
building their own unique
style of motorcycle , so why
Step 1:
Pick a Motorcycle Chassis
style of motorcycle , so why
settle?
There are many bike builders
out there but do you know
which one you can trust?
Unless you are in the
motorcycle field, then its hard
to tell who is a great bike
builder and who is not.
Start your own project and
create your own unique
motorcycle. You will have fun
learning and build your own
dream!
Step 2:
Pick a Engine & Transmission
Step 3:
Choose Accessories and
Paint Scheme