Motorcycles Spur Memories

Motorcycles Spur Memories

Chronicle Tribune_08.25.1998

Race Daze

Pre-war cycle racing in Marion, today’s racers fuel sport’s popularity

Motorsports of any form is dangerous. To some it borders on crazy, and the craziest form of racing, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

Today’s riders in the American Motorcycle Association motocross races are close to crazy as you can get. Riding their dirt bikes over manmade, hilly, bumpy, twisting terrain, wearing light weight uniforms, gloves, helmet and minimal strap-on protective padding confirms my diagnosis of crazy.

When the helmet comes off, a teen-ager (that inconceivable age) is usually under it. The seam to have what it takes to be a professional.

A former racer once told me that riders develop an impediment in their throttle hand, as they grow older. It was a clever way of saying they get smarter with age and slow down.

It isn’t uncommon, however, for a few riders to continue into their late 20’s and early 30’s, especially on AMA Super Bikes that race on paved road courses.

On a recent visit with George Atkins, owner of Atkins Cycle Sales, he pointed out some very small dirt bikes for the 5-to 8-year-old kids who want to get an early start. According to Atkins, the professional motocross racers ride on of two bikes with 125cc or 250cc engines.

The big motorcycle manufacturers have traditionally supported their own factory team riders. However, Atkins pointed out they, like the automakers, are courting the financial backing of major sponsors.

A recent televised AMA championship race on a dirt course, carved out the rolling hills in New York, brought back memories of AMA racing in Marion.

A hilly, dirt track east of Marion, near the present location of Allen School, was the site of several national AMA championship races prior to World War II.

Those events drew as many as 60 entrants from 27 states, including Georgia, Texas and as far away as California for this prestigious event. MGM even sent a movie news crew to cover the 1941 race, the last one before the war.

Marion had its share of motorcycle racing stars, including Wayne Street, who, according to those who saw him ride, was a terror on two wheels. Also, there was Bill Blair, Peck Fogleson, Marvin Carter, owner of an Indian motorcycle dealership, and J.B. Jones, who worked for the Harley Davidson dealer in Marion.

Browsing thought the newspaper files from that era provided a wealth of stories and brought back memories of those glory days—I was just a kid.

Jones’ racing career started in Waco Texas, when he got a ticket for speeding. He didn’t have the money for the fine, but he entered a local motorcycle race, won it, paid the fine, and the rest is history. He consistently won at Marion and at the time of his retirement, had won more national championships that any other rider.

Jim Stone, owner of Harley Davidson of Marion, said, ‘At one time during the 1950’s, we could go to a motorcycle race within a 50-mile radius of Marion every night of the week.”

With an estimated 100,000 riders in Indiana alone today, sales of bikes, accessories and clothing are, no doubt, helped by the popularity of racing. It could be case of the chicken or the egg.

The full-face, carbon-fiber helmet was amazingly light, but very safe. However, the boots for off-road racing to fit my big feet weighed 8 ½ pounds. Somehow, a word processor seems a lot safer.