Motor-paced racing

Henry Chase Hill.  The Wonder Book of Knowledge.  Philadelphia:  The John C. Winston Company, 1923.

Oscar Hedstrom started out making bicycles.  The one above was called a "pacer" and was used to lower the wind resistance in front of racing bicyclists.  It was through this type of machine that Hedstrom came into contact with George Hendee, a Springfield, Massachusetts maker of bicycles.  Hendee was unhappy with the other pacers available and requested one from Hedstrom.  Hendee was so impressed that he asked Hedstrom to come up with a prototype for a motorized bicycle.  The rest, as they say, is Indian motorcycle history.

Oscar Hedstrom resigned from the Indian Motorcycle Company in 1913 after a disagreement with the board regarding dubious practices to inflate the company's stock values. 

For more, read Motor-paced racing.  Now often referred to as "Stayer racing" it continues to be popular in Europe.

Roger St. Pierre.  The Book of the Bicycle.  London Triune Books, 1973.