Conditions at the new Speedway, at this time unpaved except for a thin coating of “asphaltum oil” and crushed limestone, were deemed treacherous to riders accustomed to running surfaces of hardpacked beach sands or board tracks. The sharp rocks were hard on tires, and the original entry list of 30 riders dwindled to four brave men with Baker at the top of the list.
In the span of 11 minutes, 31.2 seconds, Baker won the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) 10-mile amateur competition and became the first Hoosier to secure victory in an FAM event. This no doubt thrilled the G.H. Westing Company, the sole distributor of Indian motorcycles in central Indiana.
While the next logical step might have been to continue closed circuit bike racing, that wasn’t Baker’s style. Instead, he began a series of stunts racing passenger locomotives from town to town.
While the image of a lanky, big-nosed, leather-capped rider bouncing full-tilt alongside a train was strange enough, consider there were virtually no roads. He slithered through mud, bounded over boulders and weathered rain and snow in open fields to make sure Indian motorcycles showed their best.
George Hendee, co-founder and president of Indian, approached Baker about staging a South American tour in 1912. It was a resounding success, as Baker logged 14,000 miles through Jamaica, Cuba and Panama on a seven-horsepower Indian. Months later, he rode his Indian into Savannah, Ga., as the first man to cross the United States on a motorcycle.