The Vintagent Trailers: A preview of our favorite feature films out there.
GRIT – A HISTORY OF BOARD TRACK RACING (2023)
Run Time: TBD
Producer: Archive Moto
A Film By: Chris Price
Music: Anyone – Keith Kenniff
Key Cast: TBD
FILM MAKERS
a three part documentary series looking at the history board track racing, one of America’s most infamous and sensational sports.
Part 1 of GRIT will be available first for supporters of the Archive Moto Patreon, and later available exclusively on Youtube. To support the project, consider becoming a Patron at http://Patreon.com/TheArchiveMoto.
SUMMARY
Often conflated with carnival thrill shows and the massive wooden speedways of the 1920s, America’s original timber race tracks, called motordromes, were dangerous and exhilarating saucers where the toughest of the tough went elbow to elbow for a taste of the glory and the gold. For just 5 short years between 1909 and 1914, only 26 of these perilous stadiums were ever built, many having only hosted motorcycle races for a season or two. Still, inside their steeply banked walls, the heroes of a thrilling and often deadly sport captivated the country, cementing a legacy and mythology which continues to sends chills through those that learn about it.
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Back when men were bat$h!t crazy …. motorcycling in general was dangerous …. and ahh …
.. well …. you know the rest 😎
… whats really scary to think about when it comes to those ‘ board ‘ racing tracks is …
.. the same tracks that hosted M/C racing also had cars racing on them as well as bicycles ….. with the cars tearing up and splintering the boards …. creating yet another hazard of board track racing ….. being penetrated by pretty damn long splinters either left by the cars … or created by the motorcycles … falling or crashing .
So who was the most vulnerable to tragedy on these tracks ? If you guessed the motorcycles as the film implies … you’d be wrong
It was the bicyclists … oh … and just to make things worse for the cyclists … they traveled at a pretty damn high speed themselves … as they were being paced by a specially built M/C
Phew …. crazy days indeed !
What really raises my ire is all these clueless custom builders ( there’s one this weekend on on of the more popular Antipode sites ) claims their bikes even so much as resemble a board tracker . e.g.
Got brakes ? Aint a board tracker
Got tons of non functional weight adding doodads ? Aint a board tracker
Got a ton of weight adding chrome etc ? Aint a board tracker
etc … et al … ad nauseam ( emphasis on the nauseam )
So yeah all ye of zero historical context and revisionist definitions … you may of built a beautiful custom … maybe in some vague way even a board tracker influenced custom
…. but
It Aint No Freaking Goram Board Tracker
Rant over …. quiz on Friday …. no coffee or snacks for you !
😎