Yan Diomandé: The History of Speed
Emerging from the city of speed, a teenage Ivorian has become one of the world's most coveted wingers
In the freezing depths of a Michigan winter, during the early days of 1904, a 40-year-old industrialist named Henry Ford walked out onto the ice of Lake Saint Clair and built a racing track. The Ford Motor Company was less than a year old and its founder had something to prove. A few months earlier, a driver called Frank Day had been killed when Ford's premier racing vehicle - 'Arrow' - crashed during a race. Ford bought the machine back, rebuilt it in Detroit, and drove it onto the surface of the city's lake. Then he set a Land Speed Record: 91.37mph.
Ice is an imperfect surface for moving at speed because there are roughly a dozen different ways it can kill you. Ideally, to move very quickly in a straight line, you want a surface capable of generating more friction, less spin, and on which small steering adjustments don't risk catastrophic injury. You want something that can't collapse beneath you, that is available all twelve months of the year, and that runs in a near-perfect straight line for miles. Ideally, you want a beach.
This story was published in Volume I.
Unlock this article, and the full magazine - yours to download and keep, forever - by subscribing.
As a limited-time offer to celebrate the launch of Volume I., you can get your first month for 60% off. Join the club!
