imagine what it would be like to be so excited to watch motorcycles race, for the first time ever, on an indoor board track, at the beginning of the motor age.
But this isn't a bunch of motorcycles for racing, as NZ Carnerd pointed out:
They are cycle pacing machines. Note the style of the handlebars which keep the rider upright so he can provide a 'windshield' for the following cyclist.
The Velodrome d'Hiver (literally Winter Velodrome) and 'motor-paced racing' both have wiki pages.
Note the bikes have 'buckets' under the engines so that they don't drop oil on the wooden track, and the bikes have flat belt drive. A Google image search for 'pacing motorcycle' yields many interesting pictures but none I saw had the 'buckets' under the engines like those here.
Found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/654324954604252/
In this pic it is not the motorcycles that will be racing. They are cycle pacing machines. Note the style of the handlebars which keep the rider upright so he can provide a 'windshield' for the following cyclist. The Velodrome d'Hiver (literally Winter Velodrome) and 'motor-paced racing' both have wiki pages. Note the bikes have 'buckets' under the engines so that they don't drop oil on the wooden track, and the bikes have flat belt drive. A Google image search for 'pacing motorcycle' yields many interesting pictures but none I saw had the 'buckets' under the engines like those here. Board track racing for motorcycles was, I think, a peculiarly American pursuit which produced some fast exciting racing for the few years it lasted.
ReplyDeletegood catch! I'll update the post with your comment so others are sure to learn this too
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