History Bring Out Yer Board Track Pics!

Early cameras had slower shutter speeds than today's cameras and the shutters in older cameras tended to open from the bottom to the top; thus the film was exposed at the very bottom first and at the very top of the film last. That's why the car, it's wheels and occupants all appear to be leaning forward because the as the car moved forward much faster than the shutter could open or the film could absorb the image, it appeared distorted. Very few older cameras had the shutter opening from top to bottom but for those that did, the cars would have appeared to be leaning backwards. Additionally, photographers in early days were used to shooting on tripods and had not quite grasped the concept of panning to keep up with the moving car. In today's cameras, the shutter opens from the center outward so that when you pan with a fast moving car, if you are very diligent, you can create an image that has a perfectly in-focus image in the center and a speed-blur in the background or at the edges...Digital cameras also tend to be center-focused although now many have 9+ areas of focus for incredibly crisp images that we've all come to know and love.

As film and shutter speeds sped up, and photographers took their cameras off of their tripods and started panning with the car as it passed, the 'leaning car' phenomenon went away. Of course now we can fake it in Photoshop, so the effect has come full-circle-so to speak.

 

those are not intakes, those holes in the hood so you can adjust the carbs with out having to open the hood.

 

I've seen that bike run at Davenport, Iowa! It is Awesome!! The workmanship is unreal!

 

Are there any collection of pictures of boardtrack motorcycle racers on the web??

 

I don't know of any board track stuff on the net, but back in about 1985 I picked up this great book, the American Racer by Stephen Wright, Medgden Publishing company library of congress card number 79-91735 if that helps anyone in any way. Mine is a 1979 print don know if it has been reprinted it is one of the best books I ever bought, I remember that 35 bucks back then was a lot of money to me as you see from the dust cover I have had my money's worth. The book has hill climb and fair ground dirt tracks sections as well as stuff from Australia and NZ and the US. I will post some more pics. Johnny

 

That is really neat! Do you have any info on it?

 

If anybody's been to the Harley-Davidson museum in Milwaukee, they have a really cool board track exhibition. Apparently the demise of the board tracks was due to the splinters, and track deterioration, as state earlier in this thread, but also many of the the motorcycles had a "total loss" oiling system, which means that the rider had to pressurize the separate oil tank with a small finger pump every minute or so. As the oil ran through the engine, it was not returned, instead it just spilled out onto the track.

This made for some pretty slick boards after a while that cause a lot of fatalities.

 

The Antique Motorcycle Club of America site has some, in the parking lot chatter section.

 

Cool, thanks!! Looking for tattoo material...MMMM ~E

 

The book - "American Racing Motorcycles" by Jerry Hatfield has some information on Board trackers as well as "The Harley-Davidson and Indian Wars" by Allan Girdler. But it's all mixed in the books with the flat track info. There's "other" info in them too. But good!

Davo

 

You have that right, that guy is so completely SICK talented it makes me feel woefully inadequate. The engine pattern making, casting and machining...yikes

 

Yeah, I think I remember all he had were a pair of broken cases to start with and pictures. The original bikes were destroyed after a bad wreck. The guy's a "wizard" ! He's done other stuff too. (computers help !)

 

I know it's not a boardtracker but go to this link 'cause i reckon this guy's also from the SCHOOL OF SICK.
www.indianmotorbikes.com and search for Twindian features.
Now imagine this thing on the boards back in the day.
I went to bed and woke up thinking of this for months. It's probably the only thing iv'e been jealous about.

 

An "Indian Square Four" ? or "eight" ? Love to hear that thing run !

Davo

 

Its a "Comet" - I believe out of Indiana - any info appreciated.

 

Actually it is a underslung Buick and I think the driver is Bob Burman. And the guy in the middle sure looks like Leo Gossen. Any comments on the trans axle? The inclined 16 valves block?

 

That second pic is priceless. Not a "factory works" car but true homebuilt hotrod.Probably late teens early twenties.
Looks like 2 Henderson motorcycle cylinder heads on a single crankcase. Be a bitch if the driveshaft broke.

 

Fiddy, that's pretty damned cool!

 

Check out the seat, TRUE comfort!! Those guys look like outcast hooligan hot rodders!!! AWESOME pic!!!

 

Actually I am pretty sure that it is a factory hot rod, but about 1910.

also it is cast in pair jugs, with no detachable heads. If someone could dig up a picture of Bob Burman racing Lincoln Beachey at Ormond beach, I think this will be put rest.

 

THANKS Fiddytree! I just love it when a thread takes a sharp turn into another topic! Took a while to find this photo, but it is a different underslung Buick. I seam to remember Raymond Beachey flying in match races with Bob Burman in a Buick. Wonder if that has a Miller Goosen connection?

 

hmmm...

 

If memory serves, Gossen did his formal engineering training at Buick about that time, he left buick and took a position at a little carb shoppy in LA...the rest is history.

 

Open drive drive shaft, no floor pans.... you mean R..R... are.......trad..? No, it aint so. They're just showin' off their workmanship.

 

Thanks Doug! My computer jamed and I couldn't load the exact same photo you just posted.

 

Yep, R.R. = Racing Research underslung chassis, scrub line, safety issues, dirt in the valve system, looks like a lot of fun.

 

Thanks for the info Fur Biscuit,
I didn't know Buick raced the boards.I thought they were just a luxury car maker.

cheers

 

http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z15143/Buick-Bug-Racer-Special-60.aspx


Yes they raced, the above link shows one of the earliest ones. The two man INDY cars did well in the 1930's.

 

the pics here are way before the boards, it appears that this thread is morphing into other aspecs...such as the age of giants.

do some reading on Buick and the Savannah grand prize, they ran all manner of neat beasties...

 

Here's a pipe dream for you; Get a bunch of enthusiasts together, some wealthy investors and have a modern velodrome builder (there building one for the 2012 London Olympics now) build a replica board track! They build some velodromes now to be broken down and transportable, man, could you imagine it? Here's a pic of a velodrome under construction in europe.