Indianapolis Motorcycle Races - 1909

This is a wonderful collection of Indianapolis News, Indianapolis Sun and Indianapolis Star newspaper articles covering the August 14, 1909 Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) national championship race meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This was the first motorized competition at the Speedway and delivered mixed results at best. The track was simply not ready, its rough macadam and tar surface broke up during the events. Further, the nature of the surface and length of the giant track was such that the riders could attain speeds in excess of 70 miles per hour but the lightweight bikes bounced dangerously over the loose stones. Many observers called a fiasco as numerous planned events were canceled when riders refused to take any more risks. Champion rider Jake DeRosier suffered serious injuries in a spectacular fall in a match race conceived on the fly. Also see my story of this event from the 2008 Moto GP Program.

Note: I will update this section with a synopsis of each article as time permits.

Best Article on 388-Mile Endurance Run

This content was originally published in the August 12, 1909 Indianapolis Star. The longer of the two articles is the absolute best summary of the 388-mile motorcycle endurance run from Cleveland-to-Indianapolis that preceded the first motorized competition at the Indianapols Motor Speedway on August 14. The event started with more than 90 riders and 64 bikes survived.
Speedway "Better Than Brooklands"

These three attachments contain articles about the mad rush to prepare the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for its first motor races in August 1909. Two of the attachments, star81309 and MotoDevils081309 contain the same article published in the Indianapolis Star on August 13, 1909. The third attachment is from the August 12, 1909, Indianapolis News and discusses the frenetic efforts to get the track ready for high-speed racing.
Rain Postpones First Motorcycle Races

These articles were originally published in the August 14, 1909, Indianapolis Star.
Excellent Summary of Motorcycle Races

These attachments have some overlap with the main article which was originally published in the August 15, 1909, Indianapolis Star.
 
Attachment Star81509 is described in the following paragraph.
 
Bosch Magneto Motorcycle Trophy

This very brief article was originally published in the August 3, 1909 Indianapolis Sun. This is a brief, single paragraph article describing a cup or trophy that the Bosch Magneto Company offered to the rider making the best showing with a bike equiped with their product at the August 14, 1909 motorcycle meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Merkel Team Tops Points Score

These two articles were originally published in the August 11, 1909 Indianapolis Sun. Both are short items that provide summaries of the Cleveland-to-Indianapolis endurance run. Substance is lacking, so don't expect a lot. One of the articles provides an overview of the agenda for the week with the parade through the city, the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) convention and the first motorized races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Status of Amateur Riders

This article was originally posted in the August 14, 1909 Indianapolis Sun. It is a brief item that reports on the ongoing debate within the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM), the governing body of the sport, about the status of amateurs.
Gibney Accident Attributed to Hand Pump

Here are two brief articles. The first originally appeared in the August 15, 1909, Indianapolis Sun. The subject is the accident of motocycle patrolman Albert Gibney, who took vacation to compete in the first motorized competition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
A 17-Year-Old Marvel

This item was originally published in the August 4, 1909 Indianapolis News . Los Angeles youngster Raymond Seymour was one of the hottest motorcycle riders of the day and the 17-year-old prodigy was one of dozens of competitors to announce he would race in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's first motorized contest.
Prest-O-Lite Illuminates 24-Hour Speedway Shifts

This article originally appeared in the August 12, 1909 Indianapolis News. This is a precious article that provides a primary reference on Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Carl Fisher's decision to work around-the-clock shifts in order to prepare the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for its first motorized competition, an August 14 motorcycle race meet.