Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125513
ce ~ ~ ' .., ... ''" " The news is out! AI Gunter, winner of five National Championships IUJd more hall-mile races thlUJ anybody in the country, is back in form again and is determined to Pllt the Matchless brand in the winner's circle. Seriously injured in a road racing accident two years ago, Gunter returned to the scene last year only to be pl3RUed by persistent-mechanical woes. Here is a progress report for those who have been wondering what he has been up to recently: ---------------------------------------------. •.... SLIDIN' AL SLIDES AGAIN!····· Track conditions, as you can imagine, enter into record setting or breaking so much that unless the track is just perfect these two nights, on whlch the chances are fairly much against it, it's out.of the Question. C.N.-Speaking of records, how close is sammy to breaking your mark for the most half-mile wins? GUNTER-I'd have to tell you again that I don't know because I don't keep up with that kind of stuff. If some body told me it was ten or three or something I'd have to believe him because I don't know. I'm not particularly interested in that because all it serves to prove to me is that I've been running longer than anybody else and I'm not so sure I want to remember that. C.N.-Have you done all of your own tuning during all these years? GUNTER-Yes, ever since I was Amateur, I guess. In this respect, I kind of have a two-sided nature. I can't be just interested in the riding alone and always seem to get tangled up with a mechanic or tuner in different opinions about the way which things should be and I feel that the easiest way to short-circuit that mess is to do it yourself. C.N.-You have a tuner this year, though? GUNTER-Yes, a fellow by the name of Freddy Pereira helps me in the pits and he's very good. He's very devoted and I appreciate him very much. He gives of his time freely and I couldn't ask for anybody to be any better. C.N.-Are you being sponsored by anyone r igh t now? GUNTER-Not as I think of a sponsor, I'm not. Hap Jones of NGK has helped me out and I appreciate that. Bell Helmets have given me a little time off here and there. But I don't really have a sponsor as SUCh. I would like to find somebody to take care of me. To be serious, I would like to find a sponsor, one that I could come to an agreement with. I would like to find one that I would be compatible with. C,N.-.-What's in the future, AI. When motorcycles are all over. Are you thinking perhaps about driving a car? GUNTER-I've driven a sportscar in the pas t for Mickey Thompson several. years back.ButI would kind of hate to make any statements about what the future holds for me because I find that Quite often I have to keep revising my goals and the main thing for me is to take care of what I'm doing ri ght now and I want to get back into contention with the motorcycle thing before I do anything else. CYCLE NEWS--One of the prime considerations in half-mile racing seems to be the age factor. SOme people ·in the know· have indicated that when you reach the age of 30, you're all through. You are now 33 AI, do you believe that to be true? GUNTER-If I believed that to be a fact, I wouldn't be running. But regardless if it is or is."'t, the main thing with me right now is that I'm going to do it until I get back into contention. I don't believe that age is a factor - never have. I can c~te a couple of examples - Chuck Basney and Tex Luce. Basney was near 50 when he got killed and Tex was certainly over 40 when he finally E Quit. The reason not many older fel- Q lows do it is because when they are older, they're usually smarter and f off in other endeavors. C,N,-Do you feel that when you have reached this· critical- age that the experience you have gained makes up for youthful eagerness? GUNTER-I hope that it will. C.N.-What about the bike you are running this season? Is this the first year for you and theG-50 Matchless? GUNTER-No. I spent most of last Relallvely IlNIOtlctld by the pUblic eye. AI Gumr, NaUonal Nulllber 3, bas been maldnca dete.. year, which I hoped would be used ml.ed effort to apia beCOllle the ludlnclullf-mller In the country. He _ rides a G-5O .atchas sort of an experimental year. in less. w11lcb sports sevenl InCeDlous meclulnlcal Innnvations. Only lut week he was pic lied by Bart llulcel to wlo the 50IIIIe National at Tula.. but a broIlen clulln put hapless AI oot 01 the order to have it operating well by ractl, this year. It's still got a little ways to go but I think in the end it's going I hope that the racing doesn't atC.N.-Would you try it? to be more competitive than anything tract people because we are billed GUNTER-Yes, I might. Unless its else and that's the reason I chose it as ·brakeless daredevils· because I so way, way out that it disagrees when I started to ride again last year. like to think that it is a sport, and with all of my previous thinking C.I.-Many of us have often wonas it is portrayed from that kind of along that line. Then I'd say • the dered why flat track racers do not view, it puts us in the same class hell with it.· use brakes or suspension on their as the barrel riders in the circus and C.N.-Are you also thinking about rigs. There seems to be a great deal I don't want to be in that category. returning to road racing? of publicity about that fact, yet no C.N.-What about suspension? one appears to have a satisfactory GUNTER-Oh yes, I'm thinking GUNTER-Well, as far as I can explanation. You run suspension on about it and I have a 0050 for that figure, the back wheel has to take your bike, don't you? too. But first things first. I have to the same bumps the front wheel does. get this dirt track thing shaped up GUNTER-For seven or eight years I think its a better idea to use susfirst though before I start on other now I have advocated the use of pension and I'm going to do it as endeavors. brakes. You won't go faster with long as the rules permit it. them, but that isn't the point. It C.N.-In checking over Ascot hisC,N.--Do you think that a lot of wouid be so damn much safer with tory we found that 2D-Iap record competitors are playing follow the them, even running around in the (1961) still stands today at ,Ascot. Can you explain why? leader as far as these matters are pits. I've written several letters to concerned? the competition committee but there GUNTER-Yes. that actually gets are so many hard heads left on there GUNTER--I think they do in every a Qualified answer because they only from the year '06 that you simply walk of life. Few people are capable run a twenty lap event two times in can't get through. There is such a the season and there is not much opof thinking for themselves. However, variation of opinion on the matter, if a guy is winning with something portunity for it to get broken because so what's one voice in the whole different than I have, I'm certainly if these two times of the year the crowd when everyone is saying no, track is not in perfect shape, it's not going to rule it out as not being no, no. desirable. not capable to be broken anyway. = WIN A TWIN yl.'j _.\ :~~, BILL_ ,.:;. ..... ':.".-' KRAUSE . .. : ~ ~;.; ~ THE motorcycle parts and accessories Dept. Store. HON DA / TP!!d.:.~ (\V;,~ I~ v 1257 5.LA BREA at Century • Inglewood • o71'{-l0o. 078·5035 t\'/ ,-----------------------------, MOTORCYCLES ONLY I I I SALVAGE I : COMPLETE SERVICE- HARD TO GET PARTS WE SERVICE WHAT THEY SELL : I L _~ ~s=- 100 Yamaha Tu;inJets to 100 LuckyWinners tad.,. Swinl by , ...r nearest V ....... 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