Moross Tackles Air Races

This image of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Director of Contests Ernie Moross was part of about the plans to stage a fall aviation meet in the wake of their controversial first auto meet August 19-21 1909. It was originally published in the September 5, 1909 Indianapolis Star. This image was published the same day as an article that describes Moross' work and the plans for the aviation event. Check out another September 5 article that focuses more on plans for a new garage area as well as a September 3 article that also provides information about the air show. This event never occurred but there was an aviation meet at the Speedway in June 1910.
 
The August races were controversial due to the devestating fatal accidents the first and third days of the meet. In all, five men were killed:
 

• William Bourque, driver.
• Harry Holcomb, riding mechanic
• Claude Kellum, riding mechanic
• James West, spectator
• Homer Jolliff, spectator

 
Despite this Speedway management continued on with their plans looking ahead to more auto races in the fall as well as the aviation show with the still-new invention they called the "aeroplane." As mentioned in the September 3 article noted above Glenn Curtiss, the American hero of the recently completed Rheims, France.
 
The caption for this article read as follows:
 
"The success of the recent dedicatory motor races at the five-mile Speedway was due in a large degree to the efforts of the promoter E.A. Moross. He was everywhere at once, and not a single detail, big and little, was overlooked. Because of his excellent work then and his familiarity with the game, the Speedway managers have induced him to promote the aeroplane races to be held here Oct. 14, 15 and 16. This is a new field for Moross, but he declares that he knows as much about starting flying machine races as anyone else because there have never been any in this country. He has mapped out extensive plans and expects to give the world a record sample of what aviation progress is."