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59-447: The Los Angeles Motordrome was a circular 1-mile (1.6 km) wood board race track . It was located in Playa del Rey, California , and opened in 1910. In addition to automobile racing, it was used for motorcycle competition and aviation activities. The Motordrome was a scaled-up version of a bicycling velodrome , and was built by Jack Prince, a pre-eminent constructor of velodromes at

118-493: A 1 ⁄ 8  mi (200 m) oval banked at 45 degrees (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, "Texas Cyclone" Eddie Hasha was killed at a motordrome in Newark, New Jersey in an accident which also killed another racer and four spectators, and injured ten more. The deaths made

177-490: A "Championship of the Universe", pitting Oldfield against another of his clients, aviator Lincoln Beachey . Oldfield raced his Fiat car against Beachey's biplanes in at least 35 matches, barnstorming the country. In the more remote areas, they raced at county fair horse tracks. The Championship was "extremely successful", and both Oldfield and Beachey earned more than $ 250,000 in their barnstorming. After being reinstated by

236-581: A daughter, Betty (who by his death was married to a Kelly). He was buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City , California. Oldfield starred as himself for ten weeks in the Broadway musical The Vanderbilt Cup (1906). He also appeared in movies, including the silent film Barney Oldfield's Race for a Life (1913), where he raced against a train to rescue a heroine tied to the train tracks. He

295-589: A new 1-mile (1.6 km) motorcycle record at the Motordrome, reaching 95 miles per hour (153 km/h). That record fell in December 1912 to Lee Humiston, who broke 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) while riding an Excelsior , a speed never reached or bested by any of the automobiles. Plans to include aviation uses were made early-on, with Moskovics inviting the Aero Club of America and aircraft manufacturers, including

354-443: A preliminary contest between Oldfield and DePalma, prior to opening day, breaking a one-mile record of 37.7 seconds previously set by Strang. By the time the inaugural race meet concluded, additional records were set for 5-mile (8.0 km) (DePalma, 3:15.62) and 10-mile (16 km) (George Robertson, 6:31) runs. Because only a limited number of AAA-sanctioned auto racing events were available, motorcycle races were also held to keep

413-534: A race the year before. To attract both competitors and fans, race promoters offered what were then considered sensational amounts of prize money - a total purse of $ 25,000 was not unusual around the time of World War I. After World War I, the Automobile Association of America 's Contest Board resumed and re-organized the National Championship system. From the beginning of the 1920 season to

472-454: A time before moving that work to San Diego . On August 11, 1913, a fire blamed on vagrants burned part of the Motordrome's race track. Though the facility was not fully destroyed, the owners elected not to rebuild it, in part because the trolley line had out-lived its useful life. Nevertheless, the track had made its mark and there was widespread interest in building others like it. By 1929, at least 24 board tracks had been constructed around

531-559: A velodrome-like motorcycle racing facility that was just over 1 ⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) in circumference. Around the time that Moskovics' career brought him to Los Angeles, in 1909, Carl Fisher was developing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway , and automobile racing was gaining momentum as a business. To bring racing to Los Angeles, Moskovics partnered with his old friend Prince; a group of local businessmen including oil man and racing enthusiast Frank A. Garbutt ; and

590-459: A wreck during a race in Corona , California. Oldfield and Harry Arminius Miller , who developed and built carburetors and was one of the most famous engine builders, worked after that to design a racecar that was not only fast and durable but would protect the driver in the event of an accident. They built a racecar with a roll cage inside a streamlined driver's compartment, which completely enclosed

649-454: The Toledo Blade and Toledo Bee newspapers. Oldfield dropped out of school after the eighth grade in 1892. He started working with his father as a kitchen helper at the mental asylum during the day and a bellhop at the downtown hotel at night. He eventually worked at the hotel full-time, as he preferred it to working around mental patients. Purportedly the bell captain said that "Berna”

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708-629: The Indiana State Fairgrounds , Oldfield became the first driver to run a mile track in one minute flat, or 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). Two months later, he drove one mile in 55.8 seconds at the Empire City Race Track in Yonkers , New York. Alexander Winton hired Oldfield as a professional driver and agreed to supply him with free cars for racing. Oldfield, his manager Ernest Moross , and his agent Will Pickens traveled throughout

767-555: The Pacific Electric Railway Company, which supplied spectators by building a line to the new track. Public announcements were made and contracts were let in January 1910, and race dates for officially-sanctioned contests were obtained from the Automobile Association of America's Contest Board . Construction began on January 31, 1910 and was scheduled for just 25 days to complete the racing surface and another 30 to build

826-528: The Packard Motor Company ), and Barney Oldfield. In October 1892, the second “Silver Tournament” was held in Wauseon. In 1893, Oldfield began working as an elevator operator at a different hotel. Every night he stored one hotel tenant's lightweight "Cleveland" cycle in the basement; he sometimes "borrowed it", riding it at night. At age 16, Oldfield began serious bicycle racing in 1894 after officials from

885-729: The Vanderbilt Cup and the Corona 300. In 1915 he won the Venice , California 300 road race. In November 1914, Oldfield won the Los Angeles-to-Phoenix Cactus Derby Race; the victor's medal proclaimed him “Master Driver of the World”. On May 28, 1916, he became the first person to lap the Indianapolis Speedway at more than 100 mph in the front-wheel-drive "Christie Racer", designed by John Walter Christie . He used

944-496: The Wright Brothers and Glenn Curtiss , to make use of the Motordrome's facility for experimentation and exhibition. The Aero Club constructed a hangar large enough for 16 machines at the track, and on some occasions automobiles were used to tow un-powered aircraft. Later in 1910, Curtiss moved to California from New York and set up a shop and a flight school at the Motordrome, and used the facility for sea plane experiments for

1003-564: The "Dauntless" bicycle factory asked him to ride for the Ohio state championship. Although he came in second, the race was a turning point. Oldfield was hired as a parts sales representative for the Stearns bicycle factory. There he met Beatrice Lovetta Oatis, his future wife; they married in 1896. By 1896, Oldfield was paid by Stearns, based in Syracuse , New York, to race on its amateur team. Oldfield

1062-519: The 1920s, and included four Indianapolis 500 winners, three of which occurred at the Altoona track (another Pillsbury design) in Tipton, Pennsylvania , and three in the same years in which the driver won at Indianapolis. Winner of the 1919 Indianapolis 500 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

1121-462: The 1930s. Due to the raised outer rim of the circular raceway, viewing was completely closed off from outside the grounds. Seating was provided for 40,000 spectators, including a covered grandstand built to hold 12,000. Access to the infield and pits was provided by three cement-lined tunnels. While Prince was overseeing construction, Moskovics traveled east to promote the venture and secure commitments from notable competitors. The opening event at

1180-648: The AAA, Oldfield competed in the 1914 and 1916 Indianapolis 500 , finishing fifth in each attempt. He was the first person to run a 100-mile-per-hour lap. His 1914 Indy finish was in an Indianapolis-built Stutz , and he was the highest-finishing driver in an American car in a race that was dominated by European brands. Oldfield used the same car in his victory at the Los Angeles to Phoenix off-road race in November 1914. Oldfield also finished second in two major road races that year,

1239-651: The American national championship races were contested at such venues during the 1920s. Board tracks proliferated in part because they were inexpensive to construct, but they lacked durability and required a great deal of maintenance to remain usable. Many of the tracks survived for as little as three years before being abandoned. With the onset of the Great Depression in the early 1930s, board track racing disappeared rapidly. However, several of its most notable aspects have continued to influence American motorsports up to

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1298-629: The Blitzen Benz to break the existing mile, two-mile, and kilometer records at the Daytona Beach Road Course at Ormond , Florida. Afterward, he charged $ 4,000 for each of his appearances at driving races. In June 1917, Oldfield used his Golden Submarine , designed with a roll bar to protect the driver, to beat fellow racing legend Ralph DePalma in a series of 10- to 25-mile (40 km) match races at Milwaukee . He retired from racing in 1918 but continued to tour and make movies. In what

1357-558: The Motordrome fully utilized. The first major motorcycling event was held on May 8, 1910, with notable early motorcycle racer Jake DeRosier establishing new records for 25-mile (40 km), 50-mile (80 km), 100-mile (160 km) and one-hour runs. In 1911, the Motordrome hosted its first 24-hour endurance race, won by Valentine Hust and Frank Verbeck in a Fiat , completing 1,491 miles (2,400 km) at an average speed of 62 + 1 ⁄ 8 miles per hour (100.0 km/h). In May of that same year, "Texas Cyclone" Eddie Hasha set

1416-509: The Motordrome was a nine-day series of races and exhibitions that ran from April 8, 1910 to April 17. Notable racers Barney Oldfield , Ralph DePalma , Lewis Strang , Ray Harroun , Joe Nikrent , and Caleb Bragg were all in attendance. The Motordrome's promoters had promised that world records would fall at the new race track, and efforts were made to deliver as quickly as possible. Prince had predicted 35-second lap times prior to construction, and laps of just over 36 seconds were produced in

1475-475: The United States in a series of timed runs and match races, and he earned a reputation as a showman, racing while holding a cigar in his mouth to cushion the spot where he had broken some molar teeth in a crash. Oldfield was "the first American to become a celebrity solely for his ability to drive a car with great skill, speed, and daring." He liked to increase the drama in the best of three matches: he would win

1534-529: The city's Playa del Rey district. Based on the same technology as European velodromes used for bicycle racing, this track and others like it were constructed with 2-inch (51 mm) x 4-inch (100 mm) boards, often with turns banked at up to 45 degrees. In some cases, such as the track at Culver City , banking was 50 degrees or more. Longer tracks were later built – some up to 2 miles (3.2 km) long by 1915 - and lap speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour became commonplace. Interest in motorsport

1593-468: The corners like a motorcycle racer rather than braking. It was a great victory for Ford and resulted in both Oldfield and Ford becoming nationally known. John Wilkinson , who designed an air-cooled engine for Franklin Automobile Company and was its chief engineer, raced against Oldfield in 1902. He won the state 5 miles (8.0 km) championship in a record time of 6:54:06. On June 20, 1903, at

1652-504: The country. Board track racing Board track racing was a type of motorsport popular in the United States during the 1910s and 1920s. Competition was conducted on circular or oval race courses with surfaces composed of wooden planks . This type of track was first used for motorcycle competition , wherein they were called motordromes , before being adapted for use by various different types of racing cars . The majority of

1711-598: The driver, calling it the " Golden Submarine ." Oldfield helped fellow racer Carl G. Fisher found the Fisher Automobile Company in Indianapolis. This is widely considered the first automobile dealership in the United States . Oldfield also developed what was called the Oldfield tire for Firestone . In its slogan, Firestone touted that Oldfield had said, "Firestone Tires are my only life insurance". In 1924,

1770-407: The effect on car handling was pronounced. According to Pillsbury, a correctly engineered track could be driven without steering input from the driver – the car would steer itself, simply due to the track geometry. The effects of these changes were higher cornering speeds and higher G-forces on drivers, but not necessarily greater safety. Driver fatalities continued to mount on board tracks into

1829-525: The end of 1931, the AAA sanctioned a total of 123 championship racing events on 24 different race tracks, and 82 of those races were run on wooden surfaces. (Of the remainder, 12 were on the bricks of Indianapolis, and the other 29 were on dirt tracks or road courses .) The first track in Playa del Rey was banked at a 3:1 pitch (about 20 degrees), but later tracks were built with higher banking and some motorcycle tracks were banked up to 60 degrees. Even though

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1888-420: The facility in the same years as their Indianapolis 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, in a Thanksgiving Day race at Beverly Hills. Even when the cars did not crash, racing on a board track was exceedingly dangerous due to flying wood splinters and debris, and due to

1947-453: The father, Henry, got a job at the state mental asylum. In the summer of 1891, Berna worked as a waterboy in order to purchase his first bicycle. According to legend, he spent most of his Sunday afternoons at the local Toledo fire station, hoping for the next call. As the company's “mascot,” he was allowed to ride the big red hose wagon, pulled by a pair of horses that raced through the streets. The following year, Berna worked after school selling

2006-450: The first part by a nose, lose the second, and win the third. Oldfield won first place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 21, 1909 in a Mercedes-Benz . He bought a Benz , and raised his speed in 1910 to 70.159 mph (112.910 km/h) while driving his " Blitzen Benz ". Later in 1910, Oldfield reached the speed of 131.25 mph (211.23 km/h). At Daytona Beach , Florida , on March 16, 1910, in his Blitzen Benz, he set

2065-418: The front page of The New York Times , and 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 banned all competitions on board tracks shorter than 1-mile (1.6 km) in 1919. One by one, the manufacturers withdrew their support due to

2124-517: The grandstands and the rest of the facilities. The cost was $ 75,000 (about $ 1.7 million in 2012 dollars), and an additional $ 10,000 was invested in arc lighting equipment for night racing. Pine was used for the track surface, as that species was thought to be the most resistant to sun exposure, and the track was treated with a coating made from crushed sea shells to improve traction. Two shiploads of lumber were used, comprising 300 miles of 2-inch (51 mm) x 4-inch (100 mm) boards. The track

2183-587: The less-predictable racing that was taking place on dirt tracks. Though board tracks disappeared from the National Championship scene in 1932, a few smaller tracks did continue to operate for some years afterward. For instance, the Coney Island Velodrome hosted midget racing until at least 1939, and Castle Hill Speedway in the Bronx ran midgets into the 1940s. Barney Oldfield Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield (January 29, 1878 – October 4, 1946)

2242-484: The manager of Daimler's racing team in 1904. Years before, as a student, Moskovics had pursued an interest in bicycle racing, and had made the acquaintance of champion bicycle racer Jack Prince. Prince, an Englishman, had emigrated to the United States after the end of his racing career and developed a thriving business building velodromes. By 1909, Prince had built the Los Angeles Coliseum Motordrome,

2301-417: The negative publicity. A major contributor to the demise of board tracks was the high cost of maintenance. There was no suitable wood preservative available, and depending on climate, tracks needed new boards every five years on average. Resurfacing required as much as a million board feet of new lumber per 1.25 miles (2.01 km) of track, which would have cost around $ 125,000 at the prices prevalent at

2360-549: The outer rim. Another guard rail was erected around the inner edge of the track, at a height calculated by Moskovics to coincide with the wheel hubs of racing cars, and a second rail was erected just above the first to arrest the tendency of cars to overturn. While the racing facilities were being built, Pacific Electric Railway constructed a special 3 ⁄ 4 -mile (1.2 km) track spur to deliver spectators via Red Car trolley. The Motordrome stop of Redondo Beach via Playa del Rey Line persisted on USGS survey maps into

2419-544: The physics of such track designs were intuitively obvious, it was not until construction of the Beverly Hills track in 1919 that builders began to incorporate engineering knowledge that had been known to railroads for decades. At Beverly Hills, designer Art Pillsbury, who eventually worked on more than half of the championship-caliber board tracks nationwide, first employed the Searle Spiral Easement Curve , and

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2478-408: The present day, including: A technical emphasis on raw speed produced by the steep banking ; ample track width to allow steady overtaking between competitors; and the development of extensive grandstands or stadium-style spectator seating surrounding many of the courses. The first board track for motor racing was the circular Los Angeles Motordrome , built in 1910 in the area that would later become

2537-672: The primitive tire technology and head protection of the era. In one oral history taken from a driver, he told a tale of wooden shards driven into the faces of drivers and riding mechanics, and sudden catastrophic tire failures caused by track conditions. Cars were fitted with anti-splinter devices to protect their radiators. Other safety devices also hadn't been invented yet (seat belts, roll bars, or fire protection). Drivers often were ejected from their cars and would fall tens of feet (several meters). Drivers and riding mechanics often were driven over by their own or another car. Pete DePaolo wrote in his book Wall Smacker that racing on boards

2596-452: The time. Thus, during the last decade of the board tracks, carpenters would repair the tracks from below, sometimes even during a race, while the cars raced overhead at 120 mph (190 km/h) or faster. An additional factor was that as speeds increased, overtaking became more difficult - the fastest car would almost always win the race, as long as it held together long enough to finish. This led to spectators turning their attention to

2655-422: The time. It was the first of numerous board tracks built for auto racing in the 1910s and 1920s. As an early example of a race track purpose-built for competition, it marked the first use of then-innovative safety features that later became common to most tracks. The Motordrome was highly successful, attracting many competitors and large crowds of paying spectators, but it lasted just three years. A fire destroyed

2714-696: The town via the Michigan Lake Shore Railroad . Other cycling groups in Swanton, Clyde, Monroe, Adrian, Blissfield, and Toledo were part of the same cycle racing circuit. Bicyclists raced in half-mile and mile classes on public racetracks usually reserved for horse racing. Other members of the Club included Fred Ballmeyer, Ora Brailey, Curt and Buff Harrison, Doc Myers, Emil Winzeler, Doc Miley, Frank Harper, Dan Raymond (who fixed everyone's bikes), Sid Black (a trick cyclist from Cleveland who later became president of

2773-565: The track in January 1913. The Motordrome was the brainchild of Hungarian -born mechanical engineer Frederick Moskovics, who at the time was an employee of Remy Electric , and who later became an early member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and eventually, president of the Stutz Motor Company . Moskovics had previously worked for Maybach and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft , and through these connections had become involved in racing as

2832-486: The world speed record, driving 131.724 mph, for which he earned the nickname “speed king.” Oldfield was suspended by the American Automobile Association (AAA) contest board for his "outlaw" racing, and was unable to race at sanctioned events for much of his career. He made his career by being paid to set speed records and conduct match races and exhibitions. In 1914, his agent Will Pickens staged

2891-657: Was "No. 999" , which debuted in October 1902 at the Manufacturer's Challenge Cup. Today it is displayed at the Henry Ford Museum in Greenfield Village, Michigan. Oldfield agreed to drive against the current champion, Alexander Winton . Oldfield was rumored to have learned how to operate the controls of the "999" only the morning of the event. Oldfield won by a half mile in the five-mile (8 km) race. He slid through

2950-484: Was "a great sensation, tearing around a board speedway dodging holes and flying timber." On the motorcycling motordromes , the situation was also very dangerous and the danger was aggravated by the riders' lack of proper safety equipment. Fans sat above the top of the track, looking down at the racers. When a rider lost control, he could slip up off the track and into the crowd. Many fatalities occurred, often involving spectators. The velodrome at Nutley, New Jersey ,

3009-560: Was "a sissy name," so he changed it to “ Barney ." Oldfield was described as having a "magnetic personality", and received many tips at the hotel. He used them to buy his first bike, an "Advance Traveller" with pneumatic tires. Clarence Brigham, who sold the “Cleveland” brand bike, and Edward G. Eager (of Eager & Green Mercantile) who sold the “Columbia” models in his store, organized the Wauseon Cycle Club in their town. They wanted both to increase bicycle sales and draw more people to

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3068-409: Was 75 feet (23 m) wide, including a 30-foot (9.1 m) apron of crushed rock, and banked at a 1:3 ratio, making the outer rim 25 feet (7.6 m) off the ground. Around the inner circumference, there was a 125-foot (38 m) buffer between the racing surface and the spectator fence, including a 10-foot (3.0 m) sand trap. At Garbutt's suggestion, a sturdy guard rail was erected around

3127-427: Was a pioneer American racing driver . His name was "synonymous with speed in the first two decades of the 20th century". He was the winner of the inaugural AAA National Championship in 1905 . After success in bicycle racing, Oldfield began auto racing in 1902 and continued until his retirement in 1918. He was the first man to drive a car at 60 miles per hour (96 km/h) on a circular track. Berna Eli Oldfield

3186-524: Was also featured in The First Auto (1927) as an early pioneer of the automotive history . He was a technical advisor for the Vanderbilt Cup sequence in the feature film Back Street (1941). He starred as himself in a racing film titled Blonde Comet , the story of a young woman trying to achieve success as a racecar driver. Bob Burman , one of Oldfield's rivals and closest friends, was killed in

3245-572: Was born in York Township, Fulton County , Ohio , near Wauseon and Toledo , on January 29, 1878, to Henry Clay Oldfield, a laborer, and his wife Sarah. He was named after his father's bunkmate in the 68th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War . He had a sister Bertha. As of the 1880 United States Census , the Oldfields lived in Wauseon. In 1889, they moved to Toledo , where

3304-415: Was exploding during this period and by 1929, at least 24 board tracks had been built around the country, although by 1931, 20 of the 24 had been shut down or abandoned, and from 1932 on there were no more championship-level races run on boards. The tracks were relatively inexpensive to construct compared to more permanent facilities – the total facility cost of the 2-mile (3.2 km) Tacoma Speedway

3363-420: Was his last attempt at racing, in 1932 he tried to re-enter speed racing with a new car design, but was unable to find any financial sponsors. Oldfield died on October 4, 1946, of a heart attack . He had married a total of four times. He was survived by Bessie Gooby Oldfield, whom he had divorced in 1924 and remarried in 1945, making her both his second and fourth wife. When they were first married, they adopted

3422-478: Was just $ 100,000 in 1915, compared to the $ 700,000 spent in 1909 just to pave the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway . Racing on these tracks often drew large crowds of paying spectators. In 1915, a crowd of 80,000 was reported in Chicago , three weeks after only 60,000 had attended the Indianapolis 500. Relatively small and isolated Tacoma (population 83,000 in 1910) had turned out 35,000 to see

3481-591: Was loaned a gasoline -powered bicycle to race at Salt Lake City . Through fellow racer Tom Cooper , he met entrepreneur Henry Ford , who was at the beginning of his career as an auto manufacturer in Michigan. Ford had prepared two automobiles for racing, and he asked Oldfield if he would like to test one in Michigan. Oldfield agreed and traveled to Michigan for the trial, but neither car started. Although Oldfield had never driven an automobile, he and Cooper bought both test vehicles when Ford offered to sell them for $ 800. One

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