Dumb question #4: Racing on the boards

[clovis]

I've heard for years that some of the old race tracks were 'board tracks'.

It is hard for me to imagine building a track out of wood. Looking at some of the old pictures, those projects must have called for massive amounts of lumber.

I would think that the track would be slick, and the weight and push of the cars would pull the wood right off the track. I would also think that a wood track would be a maintenance nightmare.

What are the advantages to board tracks?

Why did they build them?

How thick were the wood boards on the surface?

Were there many board tracks? Are any still open?

[NoviVespa]

You might want to read this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_track_racing

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[jnormanh]

I've heard for years that some of the old race tracks were 'board tracks'.

It is hard for me to imagine building a track out of wood. Looking at some of the old pictures, those projects must have called for massive amounts of lumber.

I would think that the track would be slick, and the weight and push of the cars would pull the wood right off the track. I would also think that a wood track would be a maintenance nightmare.

What are the advantages to board tracks?

Why did they build them?

How thick were the wood boards on the surface?

Were there many board tracks? Are any still open?

The board tracks were often very high banked, and speeds were fast. In 1927 Frank Lockhart turned a lap at the Atlantic city track at 147+ mph in a 91 ci Miller. That record stood for 33 years until 1960 when Jim Hurtubise turned a lap of 149+ at Indianapolis.

[exfasteddy]

The board tracks were often very high banked, and speeds were fast. In 1927 Frank Lockhart turned a lap at the Atlantic city track at 147+ mph in a 91 ci Miller. That record stood for 33 years until 1960 when Jim Hurtubise turned a lap of 149+ at Indianapolis.

That is amazing. Only guessing, but I would think board tracks were easier to maintain, lumber was plentiful, track was smoother, and most roads back then weren't even paved yet.

[Vic Mackey]

Actually they were quite difficult to maintain. The cars put holes in the track rather quickly, and within a few years they would need to be rebuilt. That's why so many board tracks had such short life spans, they would be abandoned because they required too much work (and money) to get them back into shape.

[Michael Ferner]

Labour was cheap, wood was plentiful and the economy booming - board tracks were very fashionable things in the twenties. They were generally built by businessmen chasing a quick profit, which could be achieved within just a few races. The technology was readily available, as smaller board tracks had been built for bicycle racing since decades, and all it needed was a large piece of land within easy reach of a major population centre - not really a problem in the US of the early 20th century! So much for the advantages, and the "why did they build them". The disadvantages have already been listed in the OP: a slick racing surface, and a maintenance nightmare due to the weight of the cars, and the elements - the tracks would typically survive a maximum of three winters, and those few that lasted longer were basically rebuilt from ground up somewhere in between.

How thick? Usually two-by-fours laid on edge, i.e. four inches - not a very comforting thought when racing along at 150 mph! How many? Difficult to say. There were about two dozens used for Big Car racing, and many more for Midgets and/or Motorcycles. Any still standing? Fat chance...

[ZOOOM]

The board tracks were often very high banked, and speeds were fast. In 1927 Frank Lockhart turned a lap at the Atlantic city track at 147+ mph in a 91 ci Miller. That record stood for 33 years until 1960 when Jim Hurtubise turned a lap of 149+ at Indianapolis.

Actually, big Tony toured Monza in Italy at 176 in qualifying for the race of two worlds in 1958 ..... In the Novi...
ZOOOM

[Michael Ferner]

And don't forget that the Miller had only 91 cube inches, the Novi twice as much and Herk's Offy almost three times - the boards were VERY fast, indeed!

[NoviVespa]

I heard a story about the board tracks. They deteriorated so that holes appeared in the track. One driver said he saw a person stick his head up one of those holes.

[jnormanh]

Actually, big Tony toured Monza in Italy at 176 in qualifying for the race of two worlds in 1958 ..... In the Novi...
ZOOOM

Lockhart's record was an American record.

Tony's best lap at Monza was actually 177.046 and did surpass Rosemeyer's long standing European closed course record of 176.66 mph done during practice at Avus in 1937.

[Norman J Crump]

Lockhart's record was an American record.

Then surely the Daytona visit in 1959 would be the occasion on which Lockhart's record was broken, rather than Herk at Indy?

[jnormanh]

Then surely the Daytona visit in 1959 would be the occasion on which Lockhart's record was broken, rather than Herk at Indy?

Surely you are correct. All I can say is....duh. :mad:

[Frank Capua]

Once as a young lad I got to sit at the feet of Peter DePaolo one day in 1964 and listen to him talk about racing on the old board tracks. He talked about how kids would climb up the scaffolding in the banked turns and stick their heads up through holes caused by broken boards and how he would see their heads sticking up and then see them duck just before he got to them.

[Sea Fury]

"You used to get hit with some terrific blocks and knots of wood. We all came in with pieces of wood bigger than kitchen matches driven into our face and foreheads. They'd go in, hit the bone and then spread out. Then you had to remove them, of course. Tacoma was worse. You had the splinters and knots and all, but to save on lumber they had spaced out the 2x4s and caulked them with some mixture of tar and crushed rock. When Tacoma began to go it was like a meteor shower."-Eddie Miller

“Driving on the boards was always terrible, and then there was Tacoma.”-Tommy Milton

[KevMcNJ]

Lots of cool shots of the long gone Amatol Speedway board track which was located near Atlantic City, NJ here...

http://www.3widespicturevault.com/FRONT%20PAGE%20STUFF/Amatol_Speedway_Memories__copy%281%29.htm