The Dangerous Thrill of Everett's Early Auto-Cycle Races
Before high-speed motorcycles were common, the Everett Auto Cycle Club turned a local track into a proving ground for 'dare-devil' riders and humorous slow-races.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The spectators of the Labor Day sports at the Fair Grounds will remember the autocycle races as the thrillers of the afternoon program. Auto cycle racing is having a great rage on the coast at present and some great speed records are being created. Encouraged by the enthusiasm shown Labor Day, the Auto Cycle Club of Everett is preparing for its first race meet which will be held at the Fair Grounds Sunday afternoon at 2:30. Some ten events have been arranged and great sport is anticipated. Speed races for various distances will be pulled off and a few freak races are on the list which should provide no end of merriment. The 1/8 mile slow race will be a good one; any contestant putting his foot on the ground after starting will be out, and the last one across the finish line will be the winner. Another entertaining event will be the 'miss-and-out' race. Contestants will be placed an equal distance apart on the starting line and started off five seconds apart. Any rider upon being passed must ride to one side of the track and drop out. It takes nerve to make the short turns on the local 1/2 mile track at top speed, and as they come whizzing down the rail, bodies lying flat over the handle bars and the go-devils spitting and rasping, there is something in the exhibition that brings the spectators to their feet yelling with excitement. Cash prizes of $250 have been hung up for the contests.
“It takes nerve to make the short turns on the local 1/2 mile track at top speed, and as they come whizzing down the rail, bodies lying flat over the handle bars and the go-devils spitting and rasping, there is something in the exhibition that brings the spectators to their feet.”
Everett's long history of motor sports continues to evolve, though the era of 'go-devils' sputtering around dusty half-mile tracks has been replaced by more formal safety and venue standards. These early races were as much about testing the mechanical limits of a new technology as they were about spectacle, mirroring the modern fascination with extreme sports.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.