Real Road Racing, The Santa Monica Road Races - Softcover

Harms, Phil E.; Osmer, Harold L.

9780965953313: Real Road Racing, The Santa Monica Road Races

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0965953319 ISBN 13: 9780965953313

Publisher: Harold L. Osmer Publishing, 1999

Real Road Racing tells the tale of the Santa Monica Road Races. These annual races were held between 1909 and 1919 on the actual city streets (ok, they were dirt roads) of Santa Monica. Drivers such as Barney Oldfield, Ralph DePalma, Earl Cooper, and Terrible Teddy Tetzlaff raced along Ocean Avenue to Wilshire Boulevard, then over to San Vicente and back to Ocean.

This is the first book dedicated to these events and contains race details, descriptions, and over 150 astounding vintage photographs and maps.

Extensive use of contemporary news reports highlight the text and add a degree of color that would be otherwise unattainable. Remember, in the teens, there were no radios or television to assist in reporting. Written language was thus more colorful and descriptive. The authors have made great use of this throughout the work.

Modern Santa Monica residents may well shudder at the thought of speeding racers attracting crowds of nearly 100,000 people to their town. But through the success of these races, Santa Monica was able to stave off annexation into the big nasty conglomeration that has become Los Angeles. Real Road Racing chronicles the growth of Santa Monica, auto racing as a sport, and the political aspects of the speed game that many attribute only to the modern era.

To describe this as a softcover book does the work a gross injustice. Artist Neil Nissing has taken an old 1913 race photograph and colorized it. He then added multiple design elements to help set the period of these events. The cover is indeed flexible, but it has edge flaps for all peripheral text, and is fully laminated. There are 153 photographs, numerous maps, and 140 pages.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From the Publisher:

Real Road Racing started as a small effort designed to provide details race results and a few photos to current and future historians. In the process of compiling the data, we came across so many interesting stories that the decision was made to expand our effort.

We had some trouble in obtaining the earlier photos, but managed to find a few hidden away. Our liberal use of direct quotations help lively up the text and keeps the story flowing. One comment weve heard is that the Real Road Racing reads more like a novel than a history book. Fine with us. Weve read too many of those ourselves and aimed directly at our peers with that in mind. History can and should be fun. This certainly is.

Real Road Racing is self-published. As my second publishing attempt (Where They Raced was my first), I have applied the lessons learned and believe this to be a superior effort. In using a softcover, we are able to keep the cost low. There are plenty of lesser works available for much more.

From the Inside Flap:

Between the rudimentary period of automobile development and the modern speedway era, road racing was king. Daring men competed in ill-handling, chain driven beasts to their glory or doom.

Real Road Racing, The Santa Monica Road Races, tells the tale of how this sleepy resort town became the Mecca for pre-1920s racing enthusiasts.

The Santa Monica Road Races epitomized early American automobile contests. Benefactors include the host city, a fledgling automobile industry, and the sport itself. Parallels to the modern era are uncanny.

Welcome aboard for a race through time when wooden spokes, volatile fuels, no seat belts, and hair-for-helmets were the order of the day!

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.