Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1170860
VOLUME 56 ISSUE 38 SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 P135 Jack Prince, famous for build- ing many of the board tracks of the 1910s, was brought in from the West Coast to supervise the construction. It was one of the most significant construction proj- ects ever seen in the Altoona area. Prince's plans called for four million board feet of lumber and 80 tons of nails! Hundreds of carpenters were employed. When the giant oval was completed the corners were sloped at a 32-degree angle. The track was packed with tens of thousands of spectators when it first hosted auto races in 1922. It appeared the new track was go- ing to be a hit and a moneymaker for investors. But perhaps owing to the remoteness of the circuit, deep in the Allegheny Mountains, subsequent races drew ever- smaller crowds. Then came the idea to host national motorcycle races on the track in 1925. The AMA had been established in 1924 and Altoona was one of the few board track races ever sanc- tioned by the association. The first motorcycle national at Altoona was held on Saturday, July 4, and a large crowd was in attendance. There was a buzz for the event since Excelsior had just debuted its new Super X and a special racing model, with a large capacity tank, was built specifi- cally for the 100-mile national at Altoona. Red Wolverton was pegged to ride the machine. Unfortunately for Wolverton, the gas tank split, spraying him with fuel. He luckily made it back to the pits without catching himself on fire. Repairs were made, and Wolverton got back into the race. The motor on the special Super X dropped a valve 70 miles into the race. Joe Petrali, on a Harley- Davidson, took the National win. The event was a big enough success that the promoters right away signed on to host the race again in 1926. The '26 race was held on July 10, but a week before, Excelsior brought a special team to Altoona for speed record attempts with Petrali riding. Petrali set a slew of 45-cubic-inch board track re- cords that day at Altoona, includ- ing the fastest mile at 107.71 mph. On race weekend, the weather was rainy in the area, keeping the crowds down from the year before. M.L. "Curley" Fredericks, from Denver, Colorado, came into prominence in 1921 riding Indian motorcycles in Class A (factory) competition on dirt tracks and riding the motordrome boards across the country. In those early years as a factory rider for Indian, he proved his capabilities, win- ning several championships in the 61-cubic-inch class. Fredericks came into his own in Altoona that weekend. He set a record onboard a new factory Indian competition motorcycle with a special 61-cubic-inch, side-valve motor by posting a jaw-dropping 114-mph lap during the time trials. Fredricks went on to win the national, and because of this feat, the engine Indian developed was designated the "Altoona" motor and remained in the Indian stable for years. Like most board tracks, the Altoona track went into disrepair. The 1926 races were the last mo- torcycle nationals to be held there and one of the final big nationals ever conducted on a board track, period. The track eventually was torn down. For a time there was a dirt track at the location and then an airport. Today it's the site of an industrial complex with several different businesses. I visited the site and was told by locals that remnants of the track can still be found in the woods behind the industrial complex. While I was there a guy from one of the businesses, ORX, told me that when they were building the foundation for their warehouse, they hit the old tunnel that went under the old board track. Tons of new concrete had to be poured to fill in the tunnel. The woods were too overgrown to attempt to find the remnants, but the gentle- man from ORX said in the winter, without the foliage, you can walk into the woods and find the bank- ing of the old speedway's turn four. CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives Joe Petrali sits on the Excelsior Super X, which he rode to several speed records on at Altoona in 1926.