After only a year in professional racing, the triumphant Harley-Davidson factory team poses onboard their magnificent 11KRs after a landslide victory at the 1915 Dodge City 300. Left to Right are 1st place finisher Otto Walker, 2nd Harry Crandall, 4th Joe Wolters, 5th Leslie "Red" Parkhurst, 6th Alva Stratton, and 7th Ralph Cooper.
Part III:
The white-hot excitement of the American motordrome came hand-in-hand with near-weekly accidents, and with an ever-rising death toll, wooden saucer racing would not last much longer. In just four seasons, close to 30 young motordrome racers had lost their lives along with another dozen spectators. Public outcry and a growing distaste within the industry marked the beginning of the end for the fabled wooden bowls almost as soon as they arrived. Then, in September 1914, the last board of the short, circular wooden motordromes was nailed in place in Omaha, Nebraska.
Motorcycle racing, however, was here to stay and continued to flourish alongside a booming industry. Race on Sunday, sell on Monday became the business model, but without the motordromes, enthusiasts and promoters looked to new venues. The small horse tracks that gave birth to motorcycle racing at the turn of the century continued to harbor those hellbent on speed and thirsty for victory, evolving into purpose-built dirt flat tracks in the middle teens. These dusty ovals, typically 1/2 mile to 1 mile around, began popping up nationwide at local and state fairgrounds, establishing a staple of the sport well into the modern era. The popular endurance and reliability runs of the first decade, too, transformed into flat-out, top-speed, no-holds-barred road races spanning hundreds of miles and putting riders and machines alike to a grueling test.
On July 4th, 1913, the Federation of American Motorcyclists organized a Grand Prix-style road race in Elgin, Illinois, to further turn from the perilous motordrome races. After nearly a year-long hiatus from the sport following the death of his rival and mentor Jacob DeRosier, Charlie “Fearless” Balke, the star of the American motordrome, returned from retirement to win the country's first national road race. Soon, long-distance road racing took center stage in America, and the first factory racing programs began fielding teams at events in Dodge City, Savannah, Birmingham, and Indianapolis. It was a period of large-scale transition as the increasingly high-level competition from the most prominent manufacturers contributed to an atrophy of American motorcycle makers. Those who faired well on the track, like Merkel, Thor, Excelsior, and the mighty Indian, enjoyed prominent status in the marketplace.
Harley-Davidson had built its empire thus far away from the racetrack, but in this era of intensified competition, the Milwaukee-based Motor Co. finally turned its eye towards the sport. Building a factory racing program would require specialized skills, and in 1913, Harley acquired those skills after hiring William Ottatway, a talented engineer and tuner from Thor. Ottaway quickly began the development of a racing platform using Harley's 1914 Model 10 production twin. Initially designated the 11K series, these new factory racing Harleys were tested throughout the 1914 season with a handful of unofficial competitors. After a mediocre debut at the 1914 Dodge City 300, Ottaway's 11K began holding its own, capturing regional wins and national victories in Phoenix and Birmingham. Finally, on Thanksgiving Day, 1914, Harley-Davidson fielded their first factory racing team at the Savannah 300 road race, and rider Irving Janke placed 3rd.
In just over a year since Ottaway was recruited, the potential of the Harley-Davidson factory racing program had been realized. Increased funding led to an expanded team of riders for the 1915 racing season, the machines were further refined, and Harley started the season strong with 1st and 2nd place finishes at the Venice 300 on April 4th. By the time of the 1915 Dodge City 300, America's preeminent motorcycle race, the Harley-Davidson factory team made a clean sweep of 1st through 7th places, the only exception being Excelsior's Carl Goudy in 3rd. The motordrome era was over, but as the Golden Age of racing matured, a new force emerged, one of American motorcycle racing's greatest legacies, the Harley-Davidson Wrecking Crew.