In the early fall of 2004 Bill and Beth Bradford travel to Bill's childhood home in Bourbon County, Kentucky to inventory and settle the estate of his recently deceased parents. In the attic they discover a large trophy and, most astoundingly, a large scrapbook Little do they know that the unearthed scrapbook contains hundreds of newspaper clippings detailing the extreme sport of board track racing, an era in motorcycle racing forgotten by time for over 90 years, and the career of one of the sports biggest superstars, Charles "Fearless" Balke, as lovingly assembled by his wife Snooks, Bill Bradford's distant great-aunt Staged on half mile circular tracks built of wood and banked at 60 degrees, board track was the most dangerous, most exciting, and deadliest competitive sport of its time. Riding inches apart mounted atop primitive bikes the racers battled not only each other but also the unforgiving boards where accidents regularly maimed or killed participants and fans alike. Little wonder that the newspapers christened the tracks "murderdromes". Its young stars - the "lords of the boards" - braved these incredible dangers in pursuit of equally outrageous rewards. But lurking beneath it all every racer knew that the price of admission was a willingness to put your life on the line for a shot at glory. This is the first hand story of Charles "Fearless" Balke, his early years, storybook romance, and his tragic final curtain. Although it reads like fiction, this is a true story with every character, event, and location documented. Enjoy.
In the early fall of 2004 Bill and Beth Bradford travel to Bill's childhood home in Bourbon County, Kentucky to inventory and settle the estate of his recently deceased parents. In the attic they discover a large trophy and, most astoundingly, a large scrapbook Little do they know that the unearthed scrapbook contains hundreds of newspaper clippings detailing the extreme sport of board track racing, an era in motorcycle racing forgotten by time for over 90 years, and the career of one of the sports biggest superstars, Charles "Fearless" Balke, as lovingly assembled by his wife Snooks, Bill Bradford's distant great-aunt Staged on half mile circular tracks built of wood and banked at 60 degrees, board track was the most dangerous, most exciting, and deadliest competitive sport of its time. Riding inches apart mounted atop primitive bikes the racers battled not only each other but also the unforgiving boards where accidents regularly maimed or killed participants and fans alike. Little wonder that the newspapers christened the tracks "murderdromes". Its young stars - the "lords of the boards" - braved these incredible dangers in pursuit of equally outrageous rewards. But lurking beneath it all every racer knew that the price of admission was a willingness to put your life on the line for a shot at glory. This is the first hand story of Charles "Fearless" Balke, his early years, storybook romance, and his tragic final curtain. Although it reads like fiction, this is a true story with every character, event, and location documented. Enjoy.
