1910 Flying Merkel tribute

The "Board Track Era" in racing will always have a revered place in history and in the hearts of racers of all ages, for one simple reason. It was the pure essence of what it means to race a motorcycle. It is fast, dangerous and fun!

In the early 20th century men on motorcycles were already going over 100 miles an hour on tracks made of wood in America and beyond. The machines they rode would be considered bicycles with engines by today's standards and not great bicycles at that. The safety gear was even less developed. As a consequence racer's died on a regular basis while others sustained grievous injuries from the massive splinters driven into the bodies when the inevitable crashes occurred.

Still their passion for racing was greater than their fears. Tough SOBs one and all.