Shorty Matthews onboard his Thor 7 at the fairground dirt track in Detroit, June 22, 1912.
It is said that death rides a pale horse, but if you were racing motorcycles against a white Thor in around 1912, it wasn’t death but Shorty Matthews chasing you down. E. W. “Shorty” Matthews was a slight man, standing at only 5 feet tall and weighing in at around 110 pounds, his build was that of a Bull Terrier, and he was just as tenacious. Born outside of Denver just before the turn of the 20th century, Matthews made his way to California and began working as a mechanic before taking up motorcycle racing. He started running single-cylinder machines, most often made by Thor, around dirt tracks like L.A.’s Agriculture Park, but as soon as Jack Prince’s first board track motordrome, the Los Angeles Coliseum, opened, Matthews was on the line. With his small stature and steel nerve, Matthews took to the dirt and the boards equally well as one of the pioneers of the sport. Before long, his success captured the attention of the Aurora Automatic Machine and Tool Company, makers of the Thor brand, and Matthews began racing as a trade rider for the company in 1910.
Matthews made his way to Chicago in 1911, what would become a benchmark year for the rider on the white Thor. He ran elbow to elbow with the giants of the sport, icons like Joe Wolters, Charlie Balke, Ray Seymour, and Jacob DeRosier, earning him the second nickname of “The Little Giant.” At Chicago’s Riverview Motordrome in late summer, 1911, Matthews piloted his little Thor single to a record speed of nearly 80 M.P.H. He also was the only man to finish with a perfect 1,000 point score in the Chicago Motorcycle Club’s endurance run that same year. With Chicago as his base of operations, Matthews hit a stride onboard his Thor singles and twins, winning 111 of the 137 races he entered in 1911 throughout the midwest and Canada. He was a master of the single-cylinder dirt track races but remained a featured rider on the timbers of America’s motordromes as they opened, riding Riverview, Columbus, Cleveland, Tuileries, and Detroit.
His mounting experience and success gave him more influence with the brass at Aurora. As 1912 approached, Matthews was outgunned by Excelsior’s Big Valve 7 and Indian’s Big Base 8-Valve, immaculate pure-bred racing machines from the country’s preeminent builders. Matthews teamed up with brilliant Thor engineer William Ottaway, later of Harley-Davidson Wrecking Crew fame, to develop a powerful track machine in response. The result was the Thor 7 V-twin racer, of which only three were built for the 1912 season, Matthews getting the first off the line. The Thor 7 was a beastly machine with a seven horsepower, 61 CI IOE V-twin, low, short-coupled frame, rigid fork, and magneto ignition.
Early in 1912, the big white Thor 7 was displayed in the Thor dealership window at 1307 Michigan Ave in Chicago before Matthews mounted his campaign. Midway through the 1912 season, this photograph of Shorty Matthews onboard his magnificent pale horse during the F.A.M. One Hour Championship at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit, June 22, 1912. Once again up against the best, the slight but mighty Matthews squared off against Indian’s John U. Constant, Don Klark, and Erwin Baker, while a young Don Johns jockeyed a powerful Excelsior 7. Unfortunately, Matthews’ Thor had engine trouble on the 35th lap forcing him to retire and leaving Indian’s John U. Constant to claim the championship title. The next major event on e the calendar was the big F.A.M. National Championships at the Columbus Motordrome in July, and Matthews and his Thor would be ready.
In Columbus, Matthews and his new Thor made a strong showing against the best riders and the best machines in the country. He took wins in the first heats of the Amateur Championships in the 1, 5, and 10-mile events. However, Indian’s John U. Constant, his old rival from the 100-mile championship, had a new mount, one of the famed Big Base 8-Valves, and began to edge out the competition. Constant took the overall when, becoming the first F.A.M. National Amateur Champion, joined by his Indian teammate Ray Seymour in the professional class. Matthews continued to run for Thor, often being the man to challenge the mighty Springfield team for the remainder of 1912, but pressure from his new bride was mounting for him to retire from the increasingly fatal racing game. In October 1912, Matthews assumed the sales position at the Chicago dealership, committing to only run in road and endurance events as he eased into retirement.
By 1913, with a new wife and child on the way, Matthews officially called it quits, leaving Thor to become a distributor of Yale motorcycles in the midwest. Just as he had excelled in the sporting world, so too did Matthews make waves in the business world, with the trade magazines singing his praises as a Yale distributor. Still, the sport of motorcycle racing was in its golden age, and as the favor of the perilous motordromes faded, the F.A.M. Began toying with new styles and venues in which to compete. In an article in mid-1913, Matthews was interviewed about his opinions regarding a proposed 250-mile road race in Elgin, Illinois, for the next season. Matthews seemed quite enthusiastic about the new GP-style event and remarked that he might come out of retirement to run, onboard a seven horsepower British-made J.A.P. no less. He did return for Elgin as part of the Yale squad but was bested by yet another early star who returned from retirement, Charlie Balke, who won the inaugural event.
Within the year, Matthews was back in the game, signing with Indian and returning to his dominant position in single-cylinder flat-track racing. Matthews focused on dirt track competition, favoring his new Indian single 4-Valve racer from 1914 through 1916. However, despite his return to racing, retirement once again loomed for Matthews in 1916. While competing in Memphis, Matthews had a nasty high-speed collision with Atlanta’s Ed Wilcox. Matthews was rushed to the hospital, and early reports claimed that the crash would be fatal. Matthews suffered a fractured skull, and a spoke had gouged out his left eye. His wife rushed by train to be by his side, and, though he did eke out a recovery, his racing days were officially over. That same year, his old mount Thor motorcycles ceased production as the United States and its manufacturing industry shifted to focus on WWI in Europe, with sales officially terminating in 1920.
Seen here is the little giant himself, E.W. Shorty Matthews onboard his white Thor 7 in Detroit, June, 1912.
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