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.

FAM Convention Debate

This article first appeared in the August 14, 1909 Indianapolis Star. The occasion was coverage of the first motorcycle race meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but this specifically focused on the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) convention that was running concurrently during the week of the race.
FAM Riders Ready for IMS Meet

This article first appeared in the July 31, Indianapolis News.
 
IMS Construction + Cannon Ball Baker

This attachment contains two very brief items concerning the upcoming August 1909 motorcycle races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This material was originally published in the August 2, 1909, Indianapolis News. This same article appears elsewhere on First Super Speedway, published in the days when we copied microfilm onto paper and scanned them.
Motorcycle King at IMS?

This article provides an August 3, 1909, update to developments concerning the anticipated August 13-14 motorcycle race meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It first appeared in that day's Indianapolis News.
Moto Entries - August 1909 at IMS

The attachments below contain three articles that provide a nice overview of the motorcycles and riders entered in the first motorized competition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August 1909. All this content appeared in the Indianapolis News the week of the event which was originally scheduled for August 13 and 14. 
Moto Entries - August 1909 at IMS

The attachments below contain three articles that provide a nice overview of the motorcycles and riders entered in the first motorized competition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August 1909. All this content appeared in the Indianapolis News the week of the event which was originally scheduled for August 13 and 14. 
 
Moto Board Track in Indianapolis?

This Indianapolis News article (attachment IndyMoto020510) ran several months after the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) 1909 motorcycle week in Indianapolis and at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - the first motorize