33°58′05″N 118°26′20″W / 33.968°N 118.439°W
 Los Angeles Motordrome as depicted on a vintage postcard; Ballona watershed visible in background. | |
| Location | Motordrome, near Playa del Rey, California, United States |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1910 |
| Circular | |
| Surface | Wood |
| Length | 1.0 miles (1.6 km) |
| Turns | 1 |
The Los Angeles Motordrome was a circular 1-mile (1.6 km) wood board race track. It was located in Playa del Rey, California, and opened in 1910.[1] In addition to automobile racing, it was used for motorcycle competition and aviation activities.
The Motordrome was a scaled-up version of a bicycling velodrome, and was built by Jack Prince, a pre-eminent constructor of velodromes at the time. It was the first of numerous board tracks built for auto racing in the 1910s and 1920s. As an early example of a race track purpose-built for competition, it marked the first use of then-innovative safety features that later became common to most tracks. The Motordrome was highly successful, attracting many competitors and large crowds of paying spectators, but it lasted just three years. A fire destroyed the track in January 1913.
- ^ Gnerre, Sam (January 12, 2011). "Los Angeles Motordrome". South Bay History. Retrieved 24 July 2012.