1931 Clip

[iris123]

Not seen this before.Anyone know where and/or who is racing here?Looks a great stadium.Probably foreign.I thought maybe Paris or Germany by the ads......

 

http://www.dvarchive.com/stock-footage/999-2508/motorcycleracingin

[The White Knight]

Not seen this before.Anyone know where and/or who is racing here?Looks a great stadium.Probably foreign.I thought maybe Paris or Germany by the ads......

 

http://www.dvarchive.com/stock-footage/999-2508/motorcycleracingin

Nice clip.

 

My guess would be Germany.

[iris123]

Mucked it up a bit and posted the thread twice,but just edited on the other thread that having looked up "Wolber" it seems they were/are a French company involved in cycle racing and held a GP Wolber(for the very best cyclists in the world) up until 1931 funnily enough.So that could point to this being France.Possibly Paris.And maybe one of the alternative world championships even??? Guess on my part though

Edited April 13, 2015 by iris123

[The White Knight]

Mucked it up a bit and posted the thread twice,but just edited on the other thread that having looked up "Wolber" it seems they were/are a French company involved in cycle racing and held a GP Wolber(for the very best cyclists in the world) up until 1931 funnily enough.So that could point to this being France.Possibly Paris.And maybe one of the alternative world championships even??? Guess on my part though

Trust me - wrong again.

 

I was thinking that Wolber would be a German name.

[iris123]

Trust me - wrong again.

 

I was thinking that Wolber would be a German name.

So was i.The one that that got me thinking was the "Henri" in the other ad,which seems a French name.

Buffalo Velodrome in Paris was a cycling stadium that was used for speedway in the 30s,so could be a good guess?

[britmet]

So was i.The one that that got me thinking was the "Henri" in the other ad,which seems a French name.

Buffalo Velodrome in Paris was a cycling stadium that was used for speedway in the 30s,so could be a good guess?

.

This has now been confirmed to be the Buffalo Stadium, Paris by a college on the continent who's done a lot of professional research, of archived (hard copy) pre-war newsprint and of cine film.

Amongst items unearthed have been results of the European Championships (1932 - '35), at Buffalo Stadium, which supplemented the World Championships (1931- '35) that were held there in the early days of Dirt Track racing.

 

The rider with the broad smile at the end of the film is thought likely to be American Ray Tauser, - Any one have a view?

Tauser was Runner-up in the first Paris World Championship of 1931, so could this film be of the first ever World Championship held in Europe?

 

Dirt Track meetings at this velodrome, which also staged cycle races, football, rugby league and boxing matches, were, within a season, limited, and only in '32 did the promotion add the European championship, so making it seem more probable that this is indeed the 1931 Final.

And such an occasion could explain why a film crew decided to turn up at the Buffalo Stadium that day and record the race meeting: this cine film is a significant find.

.

p.s: Just taken another look at the film, . . and note the 3 riders/heat format, which accords with the World Chmpshp format known from the printed programme of a later year to have been used, as opposed to the 4 riders/heat for local French riders in the supplementary event on the same programme.

.

Edited April 17, 2015 by britmet

[norbold]

Great bit of research, britmet, and, as you say, a really significant find.

[iris123]

.

This has now been confirmed to be the Buffalo Stadium, Paris by a college on the continent who's done a lot of professional research, of archived (hard copy) pre-war newsprint and of cine film.

Amongst items unearthed have been results of the European Championships (1932 - '35), at Buffalo Stadium, which supplemented the World Championships (1931- '35) that were held there in the early days of Dirt Track racing.

 

The rider with the broad smile at the end of the film is thought likely to be American Ray Tauser, - Any one have a view?

Tauser was Runner-up in the first Paris World Championship of 1931, so could this film be of the first ever World Championship held in Europe?

 

Dirt Track meetings at this velodrome, which also staged cycle races, football, rugby league and boxing matches, were, within a season, few. Perhaps just one in its initial year, for only in '32 did the promotion add the European championship, so making it seem more probable that this is indeed the 1931 Final.

And such an occasion could explain why a film crew decided to turn up at the Buffalo Stadium that day and record the race meeting: this cine film is a significant find.

.

p.s: Just taken another look at the film, . . and note the 3 riders/heat format, which accords with the World Chmpshp format known from the printed programme of a later year to have been used, as opposed to the 4 riders/heat for local French riders in the supplementary event on the same programme.

.

Thanks for that.Some very good info there

[britmet]

Thanks for that.Some very good info there

.

. . . . . . . thanks to your find ! Well done.

[iris123]

As a little background on Ray Tauser and the American scene as a whole this article is very interesting.Not only about the riders themselves,but also the worries about speed making the sport less exciting and more dangerous....

 

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/too-much-speed-speedway

[cityrebel]

Demolished in 1957 according to Wikipedia.

[miro]

Australians in Paris 1928:

 

http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/BHC_RTV/1928/01/01/BGT407130859/?s=dirt%20track%20paris%201928

 

Any information on this clip from 1928 - would this be at Saint-Ouen? anybody know these riders?