Rain Postpones First Motorcycle Races

These articles were originally published in the August 14, 1909, Indianapolis Star. There are two articles, one reports on the accident of Albert Gibney, one of just a handful of motorcycle police officers in Indianapolis in 1909, who entered a bike in the first motorized competition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His accident occurred in a practice run on Friday, August 13, originally scheduled as the first day of the historic motorcycle meet. Rain postponed the event, but Gibney took to the track in the afternoon and suffered his spill. Another article reports on the rain postponement and an ongoing dispute among Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) officials about the status of amateurs.
 
Finally, on page 5 of this five-page PDF package is a grainy photo that should prove interesting. It is a shot of dozens of motorcyclists (only a handful of the race competitors if any at all) lined up at Indianapolis' Monument Circle to kick off a parade of the bikes around the city. This was the opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for motorized competition and the entire city was thrilled to have the attention of thousands of visitors - and the possibility of economic growth as a result.