Flying High
Leslie “Red” Parkhurst races an airplane at the Wisconsin State Fair, circa 1915. Parkhurst began his racing career at age 13 after lying about his age, then became the first official member of the Harley-Davidson factory racing team five years later, in 1914. Parkhurst’s height (a lanky 6′-4″) and shock of red hair made him stand out. His ready smile made him a crowd favorite and a natural choice to feature in Harley-Davidson advertisements.
Parkhurst is perhaps best known for setting a number of speed and endurance records for Harley-Davidson in1920. These included a new 24-hour solo endurance record of 1,452 miles at the two-mile Sheepshead Bay board track in New York. His feat was especially impressive considering it included two hours of waiting out a heavy rainstorm, which made the boards too slick to ride on.
The airplane race was, of course, unofficial; such publicity stunts were common in those days. But let the record show that the biplane proved no match for Parkhurst and his Harley-Davidson® Model 11K factory racer.
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