Bill “Hard Luck” Jones sat near the track at the Atlanta Motordrome, reading his Bible, one Sunday morning in late October 1913.
Jones, one of the best Black motorcycle racers in the South, was mentally preparing to compete in the first event featuring Black riders at the Atlanta Motordrome, a race track made of rough-cut lumber on which motorcycle riders could reach speeds of more than 100 mph.
He was among at least 40 Black motorcycle riders across the country who had elbowed their way into a sport that wanted nothing to do with them.
Board track racing has been relegated to the annals of history. But, a century ago, spectators flocked to Motordromes to watch daredevil feats.
The quarter-mile Atlanta Motordrome had been built in May 1913 by John (Jack) Shillington Prince, a champion cyclist from England. The Atlanta track was one of many such tracks that Prince quickly erected in cities nationwide to accommodate growing interest in a sport that attracted crowds of up 10,000 viewers. White riders for the major manufacturers, such as Indian, Harley-Davidson or Excelsior, could earn more than $20,000 a year, according to Cycle News.