This Wednesday, the Put-In-Bay Road Races will return to the Put-In-Bay Airport on South Bass Island. 125 entrants will compete across nine different classes over a 1.2-mile circuit spanning the airport’s runway and ramp.
If you’re not from my neck of the woods, you’ve probably never heard of Put-In-Bay or South Bass Island. If that’s the case, you’re certainly missing out. The Village of Put-In-Bay is a small historical town on South Bass Island in Ohio’s Lake Erie. A notable party town for summer vacationers, I’m much more interested in the nature trails and historical monuments the island has to offer. But that’s beside the point.
For my day job, I work for a small airplane charter company on the mainland of Ohio just south of Put-In-Bay. We fly to the Lake Erie islands daily to transport passengers, freight, and the daily mail. This week, we are not able to fly into the Put-In-Bay airport as it is closed for the yearly Put-In-Bay Road Races. Now what does racing have to do with the airport?
Starting in 1952, Put-In-Bay was one of just two towns across the nation that allowed sports car racing on public roads. Back then, the race was held on a 3.1-mile course throughout the village. The drivers were limited to racing sports cars under two liters, and only 100 entrants were allowed.
The races were held between 1952 and 1959 and were hosted by the Cleveland Sport Car Club and the Northeast Ohio Region of the Sports Car Club of America. They were the result of the post-war desire to let loose, have fun, and spend money.
There were no qualifying races held since closing down the village’s streets for an entire day was already enough of a hindrance for those who lived there year-round. So the drivers began the race with a rolling start after drawing their starting position from a hat. Some notable drivers from these races included IndyCar, NASCAR, and Formula 1 team owner Carl Haas, Stoddard Porsche founder Chuck Stoddard, and female motorsports pioneer Suzy Dietrich.
The safety measures left much to be desired, but this was the 1950s. Track limits were simply lines of hay bales, helmets and goggles were the only safety gear, and there were no roll bars on the cars – just seat belts. Crowd control never proved to be an issue as getting to the races required either a boat ride or a plane ride leading to small crowds.
As more race tracks began to be built across the nation in the 1950s, state governments began cracking down on street racing deeming it too dangerous. The state of Ohio joined in 1959 by banning street racing altogether. This brought the end of the Put-In-Bay Road Races. The legal ones, that is.
In 1963, one final race was held on the island. Thrown together by fans of the original races and not sanctioned by any sports car clubs, it would prove unsuccessful and would not continue.
It seemed the races would be all but forgotten until 2009 when fans assembled a reunion for other fans, drivers, and their descendants. Today, this reunion includes a parade of all entrants around the original downtown circuit, presentations from the original organizers and drivers, a car show, and a race of qualified entrants around the Put-In-Bay Airport.
While I’ve not been lucky enough to attend the races, I have seen them from the sky while flying over South Bass Island. I certainly don’t mind that it interferes with our daily business because of how important preserving this rich motorsports history is.
The 2023 Put-In-Bay Road Races will take place from September 20-23 at the Put-In-Bay Airport on South Bass Island. This year’s entry list can be found here.
Featured photo from Stu Kerr at PIBroadrace.com
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