This beautiful poster has been re-mastered from an advertising card for the Corona Road Race, held on the “3-Mile Perfect Circle Boulevard” in Corona, California, on September 9th, 1913.
The vibrant colors and detail of this classic image have been painstakingly brought back to life to preserve a great piece of history.
The high-resolution image is printed on heavy archival photo paper, on a large-format, professional giclée process printer. The poster is shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, and is ready for framing.
The 13"x19" format is an excellent image size that looks great as a stand-alone piece of art, or as a grouped visual statement. These posters require no cutting, trimming, or custom framing, and a wide variety of 13"x19" frames are readily available at your local craft or hobby retailer, and online.
A great vintage print for your home, shop, or business!
CORONA ROAD RACES
In 1913, the City of Corona, California organized an international road race to take place on the town’s 3-mile circular Grand Boulevard. The event was held to celebrate the 53rd anniversary of California’s admission to the union.
The Corona Road Race attracted big-name racers like Ralph DePalma and Barney Oldfield – both were driving factory Mercers. A $3,000 prize was offered for the medium car class, with engines up to 450 cubic inches and a 250-mile race length. Earl Cooper, driving a Stutz, took that prize and appeared to have won the unlimited free-for-all that ran an additional 50 miles, averaging more than 74 miles per hour. Oldfield crashed, killing his riding mechanic.
A second road race held in November, 1914, drew a larger list of big racing names, and an even larger crowd to witness faster speeds – at up to 87 miles per hour. The unique boulevard race course was soon dubbed the “Indianapolis of the West.” There was no race was run in 1915, possibly due to other races being held that year at the Pan Pacific Exposition in San Francisco.
The race did return in 1916. Bob Burman, vying for first place in a Peugeot, lost control when a wheel collapsed, sending the car into the crowd. Burman, his mechanic, and a track guard were killed, and dozens of spectators were injured.
The horrific crash of 1916, and the onset of World War I pet an end to the Corona Road Races. The circular Grand Boulevard still exists in Corona today.
Unlike other race courses, Corona’s didn’t disappear into the weeds or developments. In fact, you can drive Grand Boulevard today and see its distinctive shape on Google Maps (Bing Maps version here).
