Ed Lingenfelder - 1909

This image first appeared in the August 15, 1909 Indianapolis Star. The occasion was coverage of the first motorcycle race meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
While Indian bikes dominated the meet the N.S.U. pulled off a couple of important victories in the hands of Ed Ligenfelder, who was promoted as the "Champion of the West." He won the fifth race of the event, a 10-mile contest for professionals.
 
The local distributor of the N.S.U. bikes was a gentleman by the name of Gus Habich. Habich served on the Indiana Motorcycle Club board of directors and also as an official for the Speedway race meet. Habich took advantage of Lingenfelder's success and ran an advertisement in the Indianapolis Star.
 
Lingenfelder was also pitted against noted motorcycle racing champion Jake DeRosier in a match race which resulted in a near fatal accident to DeRosier who was severely injured. The accident effectively put an end to the race meet, aborted after frightening accidents and withdrawals by competitors who knew the track was not ready for prime time. By any assessment this race meet was a fiasco and a terrible start to the Speedway's motor racing history.
 
Note in this ad that apparently the distributor was a gentleman by the name of Gus Habich. Habich served on the Indiana Motorcycle Club board of directors and also as an official for the Speedway race meet.