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1st ever race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway...
1st ever race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway...
Item # 676126
June 07, 1909
EVENING TRIBUNE, San Diego, June 7, 1909
* 1909 National Balloon Race
* Indianapolis Motor Speedway
* Very 1st race held at the famous track
The front page has a nice banner headline: "BALLOON RACERS ARE FIRED UPON" with subheads. (see) Surprisingly this issue is in good condition being from the "wood pulp" era. Very hard to find issues that are not totally fragile from this era in paper.
Complete with 10 pages, small library stamps within the masthead, some small binding holes along the spine, generally nice.
source: "The First Super Speedway": The first competition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a national championship gas filled balloon race organized by Speedway President Carl Fisher. Fisher and his co-founders James Allison, Frank Wheeler and Arthur C. Newby were anxious to recover their investments in the Speedway. Since construction of the track did not begin in earnest until April 1909 it took months to prepare the track for motorized competition. Fisher, fascinated with aviation, sought to host the national championship balloon racing competition - and generate revenue for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Company. He formed the Aero Club of Indiana, became the 21st person to earn a balloon pilot's license in the United States and worked with mentor George Bumbaugh to develop balloon vehicles. Their craft was called the Indiana and together they survived a harrowing ride through turbulent wind currents.
Category: The 20th Century
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