Auto racing is common for modern citizens. However, it was not always like that. Southern California became the center of auto racing only in the first half of the 20th century. A new sport appeared, which influenced the development of Los Angeles too. I-los-angeles tells more about the history of auto racing.
Why did Californians rave about racing?
Back in 1834, a court was held in California due to unpaid bets on races. The relevant information was preserved in the archives. Gentlemen bet on the best horses. Everyone wanted to win. Land, gold and flocks were put on the table. The absence of money was not a problem. One could instead use a pig or some piece of furniture from the house. The Agricultural Park became a place for fun and advertisers. People bet on horses, camels and even dogs.
In the early 1900s, drivers began to be enticed by demonstrations of speed and endurance. If all this is combined with the audience and the prizes, it should have become a real action. Thus, it happened in 1903.
Where were the competitions held?
At the beginning of the 20th century, Los Angeles was not so populated. There was quite a lot of free land. Thus, there was a horse track where competitions were held and the first races took place there.
The references of historian Harold Osmer are interesting. He researched this area and wrote about the racetracks of Southern California. He devoted most of his life to this issue, even published three books, wrote and defended a master’s thesis. He shared how and where the first races were held. Here are some interesting theses.
- As early as 1903, racers used to ride on the historic sports ground. It was the LA Memorial Coliseum, which used to be called the Agricultural Park
- The course was horse-drawn, one mile long. Auto races were prepared not as a separate event, but as an exhibition for the celebration of the Fiesta Week (quite a popular district fair of those times)
- Cars deserve special attention because the imagination draws their pictures through the film industry, for example, through the films The Fast and the Furious, King of Speed, etc. However, these were tourist cars and some of them were removed from the race. The one who finished first received the prize.
How does a modern resident of Los Angeles imagine auto racing? This is a full-scale race with 10 participants, a crazy competition for positions, points and money. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was really just an exhibition and part of a secondary show.
Second World War
The annual traditional holiday, which lasted a week, was the Fiesta, an agricultural fair. In 1903, a car was put on the track for the first time. Later, this event went down in history as the first official race in Southern California.
After these races, the next one was held at Ascot. The next races were held in the Coliseum in 1945. It was a difficult time for auto racing as everything stopped. The townspeople saved fuel and rubber for military operations. The men went to fight, including the drivers.
After the end of World War II, Bill White asked to be allowed to promote the races. In 1945, the event was repeated at the historic LA Memorial Coliseum. The number of spectators was 36,000. Residents of Los Angeles were not distracted by television or the Internet. Maybe that is why this sport quickly gained popularity.
Coliseum and auto racing
In 1946, 15 events were held in the Coliseum. Sam Hanks, the winning driver of Los Angeles, made history. In the Coliseum, he won 6 out of 32 races, which took place from 1945 to 1948. He was the Indianapolis 500 champion.
Then, came a long break, a time without racing at the Coliseum. The sports were resumed at Mickey Thompson Stadium.
One can feel the atmosphere of auto racing in Los Angeles and become a part of this sport even for a short time by watching the documentary film Where They Raced.