Merkel Moto Team to IMS

This article was published in the Indianapolis Star on August 3, 1909 and reports on the entry of the Merkel Light Company factory team of motorcycles in the first motorized competition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This was a motorcycle race meet and it was scheduled to start August 13.
 
The star of the Merkel team was amateur rider Stanley T. Kellogg who rode the "Flying Merkel" double-cylinder motorcycle. This was a new bike that had recently made its debut at the Point Breeze track in Philadelphia where Kellogg clipped nine minutes off the track record for 25 miles. This occurred in a race where he beat his nearest competitor by four minutes.
 
Kellogg was seriously injured in a New York hill climb when he slid off the road and slammed into a group of motorcycles. Despite the misfortune the racing community was convinced the bike had tremendous potential. With a number of "Flying Merkels" were expected to put on a fast and dramatic show at the Speedway. These bikes were also expected in the Indianapolis-to-Cleveland endurance run to be staged in advance of the Speedway race meet.