Eddie Hasha (died September 8, 1912) was an American motorcycle racer on board tracks early in the twentieth century. His death contributed to the demise of the board tracks. He was nicknamed the "Texas Cyclone" since he was from
Waco, Texas
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...
, United States.
Racing career
Hasha began racing on board tracks in 1911 at Denver. He rode an 8-
valve
A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
motorcycle. In May 1911, Hasha attained a speed of 95 miles per hour (153 kilometres per hour) at the
Playa del Rey, California
Playa del Rey (Spanish language, Spanish for "Beach of the King") is a seaside community in the Santa Monica Bay and the Westside (Los Angeles County), Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It has a ZIP code of 90293 and area codes 310 and 4 ...
motordrome, setting a record for the mile.Pioneers of American Motorcycle Racing Daniel K. Statnekov, 2006, Retrieved December 5, 2007 In 1912, Hasha beat all of the established stars at the
Los Angeles Motordrome
The Los Angeles Motordrome was a circular wood board race track. It was located in Playa del Rey, California, and opened in 1910. In addition to automobile racing, it was used for motorcycle competition and aviation activities.
The Motordr ...
, and set professional records in the process. He then headed from the western United States to the east.
At one point Hasha went into a brief hiatus when he worked at a Harley-Davidson dealership in Dallas, having known Arthur Davidson as a close friend and business partner, who at one time loaned a racing motorcycle to Hasha in a 1910 race, defeating Bob Stubbs at Waco, Texas; he went back into motorcycle racing soon afterwards.
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area. The now-riderless machine dropped back onto the racing surface into the path of last-place rider Johnny Albright. The motorcycle hit the
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
rider in the shoulder and he slid down the track between the two machines. Albright died four hours later without regaining
consciousness
Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...
. Spectators panicked at the sight of a spinning motorcycle heading their way. Several people had broken bones and flesh wounds as they fought and trampled each other in the rush to get out of the way. It took over an hour to clear the grandstands. Medics came from all parts of the city to attend to the injured and those who had
fainted
Syncope, commonly known as fainting, or passing out, is a loss of consciousness and muscle strength characterized by a fast onset, short duration, and spontaneous recovery. It is caused by a decrease in blood flow to the brain, typically from ...
.
Impact on board tracks
Hasha's death made the front page of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. Having opened earlier that year on July 4, the board track was shut down and never reopened. The deaths brought comparisons between board track racing and
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
gladiatorial contests. Short ¼ – ⅓ mile board tracks began to close after they were labeled "murderdromes" by the media.