Is open wheel history repeating itself?
As they say, in order to know where you are going, first you must know from where you came. Could the current death of open wheel oval-track racing in the USA have been predicted by looking at history? Perhaps. Here’s a little history for you. While oval dirt track racing started in the USA in 1905 on the dirt at places such as Brighton Beach, Coney Island and Harlem, racing on banked tracks did not start in the USA, but rather in Europe. The first ever banked oval racing track was built in Brooklands, England on the estate of Mr. H.F. Locke King near Weybridge in Surrey. Brooklands opened in 1907 and held its first proper motor race on July 6th 1907 and was won by H.C. Tryon. It was organized by the Brooklands Automobile Racing Club, today known as the British Automobile Racing Club. Speeds rapidly increased as cars became larger and more powerful. The first 100+ mph lap was set by Felice Nazzaro in the giant 21-liter (yes you read that right) Fiat ‘Mephistopheles’ in 1908 at 125.45 m
