Before WW1, there was a wooden raceway south of Maywood IL. It was built by lumber tycoon Edward Hines. After the war, he took it down and built a veterans hospital- Hines VA
The picture of Joe Wolters onboard the rivet-tank Harley-Davidson 11K at 8:29 in the video was actually taken at Maywood in 1915, sometimes called Speedway Park as well. It was a massive facility!
Came here looking for high-res' footage of those races, but your presentation of these sharp, uncompressed archival images and the narration are captivating. Very nice work!.
Very happy to hear it, thank you. Unfortunately no circular board track films have surfaced yet, though there are photos with film cameras at the races. I will edit what has survived from the larger board track speedways in future videos, but unfortunately the only copies know today are old vhs copies and poor quality digital rips.
The road bikes began to take on their own motorcycle-type qualities after a decade, but the racers threw out all of the comforts and relied on a very basic formula of frame, wheels, and outrageously powerful engine. Even the racing motorcycles of the 1920s retained a lot of the early, bicycle-like configuration.
Before WW1, there was a wooden raceway south of Maywood IL. It was built by lumber tycoon Edward Hines. After the war, he took it down and built a veterans hospital- Hines VA
The picture of Joe Wolters onboard the rivet-tank Harley-Davidson 11K at 8:29 in the video was actually taken at Maywood in 1915, sometimes called Speedway Park as well. It was a massive facility!
Came here looking for high-res' footage of those races, but your presentation of these sharp, uncompressed archival images and the narration are captivating. Very nice work!.
Very happy to hear it, thank you. Unfortunately no circular board track films have surfaced yet, though there are photos with film cameras at the races. I will edit what has survived from the larger board track speedways in future videos, but unfortunately the only copies know today are old vhs copies and poor quality digital rips.
That was interesting ,the bikes looked more simple back then,compared to now.😊
The road bikes began to take on their own motorcycle-type qualities after a decade, but the racers threw out all of the comforts and relied on a very basic formula of frame, wheels, and outrageously powerful engine. Even the racing motorcycles of the 1920s retained a lot of the early, bicycle-like configuration.
Great series! Eagerly awaiting the next episode.
Great video
Thanks, happy you dig it.
The thing that sticks in my mind is that if you put your foot on the ground, you're a sissy. Board track racing must have been cool.
❗ Promo sm