Modern Day Board Trackers

A group a German motorcycle enthusiasts have been working hard to preserve the sport of board track racing.  Up until this year, the group has raced on paved or concrete tracks, but finally they found a wooden bicycle board track in Hannover, Germany to use for this year's annual race.  This is actually very appropriate as bicycle velodromes were one of the first tracks used for early motorcycle races.

The racers ride motorcycles from the top three brands which you would have seen on board tracks in the 1920's; Harley-Davidson, Indian and Excelsior Super X.  Most appear to be fully restored, albeit with a host of reproduction parts.  Staying true to the sport, the riders do not use any modern safety equipment, but dress in the garb of a 1920's racer.  It does look like many of the motorcycles are fitted with rear brakes and perhaps some way to control the throttle.  Surprisingly, these features would not have been found on the original racers, which ran wide open without any brake systems.  I think with the amount of time and money invested in these motorcycles, adding brakes was a good idea.

The pictures and video that follow do a great job of capturing this event.  One of the motorcycles is outfitted with multiple video cameras, giving you a racer's view of the track.  Unfortunately, this probably the closest that most people will ever get to a board track race, unless you plan on visiting Germany next summer.  There is a teaser at the end of the video saying that they might be back again to race in 2013, so start checking Expedia for cheap flights to Europe...