The Falls City tribune., 1911-06-02
LOOK At SH|LL|NGS
Why EngIand's Big Race Track
Proved a Failure.
Those In Control of Brooklands, Auto
mobile Course, Have Experimental
for Years in Attempt to
Make Sports Pay.

London.-The problem of how to
make Brooklands, England's big au.
tomobile track, pay, or at least prove
self-supporting, at last seems near SO.
luton. For four years. ever since this,
the largest racing track in the world,
was opened To the public, those In
control Of 1t have been experimenting
and out of bitter experience and the
loss of much money they have slowly
but surely learned hal its appeal is
not To the man in the street, however
good a sportsman he may be, but to
the rich and well-to-do.
When the track was first opened
only automobile races were held on
the great oval. Later on m~otorcycling
was introduced and finally aviation.
Now all three are combined at every
meet. But attempts to get a popular,
class crowd to witness the events
have been abandoned and the 1000 or
more men and women who gather to
see the races are recruited almost en-
tirely from the upper crust of Eng.
lish society-owners of motor cars
and flying machines of their own. As
a matter of fac many of the races
put on are arranged for amateur dri.
vers and airmen plotting their own
machines.
Motorcycling has become a popular
pastime in England and interest In
racing is intense. If Brooklands were
more accessible to London Ii Is safe
to say that the motorcycle races
there would attract large crowds. But
1t is a 60-cent train ride from Water
loo station, there is another charge
of GO cents to enter the grounds and
by the time a nan has paid for his
tea, a programme and a few other in,
cidental expenses he has put the
equivalent of a 81 bill out of commits
sion. The London sport can get so
much for So, or eight shillings, it ic
not strange that he does not rush to
~Brooklands on meet days no matter
how keen he may be on motoreycling.
These facts have their influence, of
course, on the incentives that are Of
fered to the riders who compete in the
motorcycle races. In the United
States the men race for substantial
purses and hold out for them If they
are not forthcoming. In England they
are willing to race for a silver mug
of little or nc value or almost for a
sheet OF paper stating that they won
such and such a race on such and
such a day at Brooklands. That, of
course, has been the trouble in trying
to match De Rozier against Collier,
the English champion rider. Quite
naturally De Rozier wants to race for
a fair sized purse, not being in bust
ness to collect mugs or diplomas of
merit, and efforts are being made to
get one of the clubs in England to
put up a bag of sovereigns for a
match between the Englishman and
the American.
Of the three sports o In full
swing at Brooklands aviation undoubt-
edly draws the largest crowd. 1t still
possesses the elements of novelty and
danger which have to a large extent
disappeared from automobile racing
and mo~torcycling. The flying contests
held at the big track are not what one
would call exciting. The fights made
at each meeting are added to the dis
lance covered by the same ~aviators at
previous meets and the one who COM
piles the greatest total before the
close of the season is to get the prize.
Thus, unless one is keen enough to
follow the progress of the several air
men from meet to meet the flying re-
solves itself into nothing more than
an exhibition of aeroplaning. Never
theless, it attracts a goodly crowd of
spectators.
Interest has been added to the fly
ing by the fact that a growing num-
Der of spectators have been up in the
air themselves. When races are not
being held at Brooklands there is a
corps of professional aviators con-
stantly on the grounds for the pur-
pose of taking passengers on more or
less lengthy flights. Booking offices
have been opened in London as well
as on the grounds and a fourishing
business is done.