[Photo Album]: Photograph Album of Motorcycles

(Columbus, Ohio), 1975. Hardcover. Near Fine. Quarto. Measuring approximately 12" x 10". Spiral bound padded commercial album with floral print polyester covered boards. Ten leaves, each with photographs mounted on verso and recto for a total of 80 color snapshots, each measuring 4.5" x 3.5". Small dent to outer edge of the rear board, affecting edges of the final two leaves, otherwise clean and well preserved, else fine. Diverse assembly of mid-1970s motorcycle and bike culture images. Based on internal evidence the images were most likely captured during and around the 1975 Charity Newsies Motorcycle Race. Held annually on the half-mile oval dirt track at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus, Ohio from 1939-1980, the American Motorcycle Association sanctioned 100-lap event was considered one of the premiere stops on the United States flat track motorcycle racing circuit. The event often drew a crowd of more than 20,000. In 1981 it was discontinued after repeated annual reports of public drunkenness and illegal drag racing among the spectators in the days leading up to the race. The 1970 event was prominently featured in the Academy Award nominated film *On Any Sunday,* a documentary produced by Bruce Brown and Steve McQueen. In 1990 the racing grandstand shown here was condemned and the track razed. Among the 80 images are many detailed shots of choppers, trikes, and lots of tricked-out, custom paint jobs. Japanese and American bikes are given near equal time by the photographer and the relaxed spectator images seem to belie the image of the Charity Newsies attendees which led to the race's demise.