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/125599
Teen Road Racers Ride To Win story and Photos by Ernie Flores Motorcycle I'08d-raetllg, c:oasldered priDclJlalJ:r a man's world, bas beeD Invaded by two teea-ace boys from El Cajon, calif. '!be two boys, still in grade school !lave shown not ooly that they can rUle bikes l1Ite men, but that they can be w1mIers too. KelJy Evans, 15 and b1s brolller, Pat, 14, started raeiIIg onlyafewmootbsago, but tbetr record in ruged road circuits such as CRrLsll8d, 0raDge County IDterrational. Wl1low SpriDgs IJId RlYerside, !lave drawn Idm1rat1oD from prolessional riders as well as racing enthurlasts. In fact, DO less tban Don Vesco, the famous road-raclDg ace, bas taIteo notice 01 the boys IJId 15 DOW tutoring them 011 the finer points 01 tile sport. 'Ibe1r fatber, Dave Evans, a buildlDg CODtraetor, says be IJId bis boys often go riding in the desert on b1s trail bUce and they enjoy every minute 01 it. 'Ibis, be said, bas given the boYs love tor twowheeled macblnes and the enthusiasm to race them. KelJy, a nlnth grader at Monte Vista HlgIl bas now 12 races to b1s credit. He took to racing a little earlier tban b1s ..... E--. 15, I. _ - . t a . Jr_ a 70 . . ..... lie ..... III. 011........ • • • • • - - - Tear Out and Present at Box Office.-.--.- brother. '!be first competlt1oo be entered was a 5o-m1Je desert race seveD months ago. He rode b1s dad's tratl bike. KelJy was unable to complete the race that time. Just as be was t1n1sh1ng the first ten mUes, somebody ran bim 011 the course IJId in the spill the sbtftiDg lever of b1s bUce broke. 1bat ezperlence, especially OIl ODe'S first race, would !lave discouraged some other Itlds, but not KelJy. At this time, the klds bad seen ooly the traU IJId desert ftrlet1es 01 competition. So OIle day, their dad decided to brlnc them to a road race. They 1lked the sleek road maeblnes and tile speed wUh Ylbtch they were driven 011 the circuit. Their tather had to buy a road JDaebine a few days later. When the next road race was run, KelJy was In it. On his next race, Pat took the second place once more. But after that be would settle for notbing but the first. At this writlng, Pat bas nlne straight main event wins at the California Road Race Circuit OIl a lOOec Yamaha - an outstlJldlng record for a 5-toot-two, 82-polDld boy competing with tull-grown men as old as b1s father. His latest win was at Riverside 011 December 15. This was Pat's mostdift1cult race because it was ratning. Earlier that same day, the kld had a spill. He was a little wary in subsequent races. Never- Accident On Kelly's second race, he rode a 250ec Yamaha, formerlY owned by Don Vesco. KelJy managed to flnlsh in the top 10, wII1cb was remarlclb1e, considering that it was bis tirst road race and that it was a tough class COmpetitiOll where most 01 the professional riders participate. KelJy went on to more races after that, and would !lave garnered more honors had not an accident stopped blm. He was competlng in a l2-bour endurance race at Willow Springs when be was bit by a bllQ! going 70 mph. '!beimpacttbrewhim 300 teet IJId be sustained a broken collar 8rot... Pat, 14, has ,lied up a loa••trlo. vi lOOcc _• 12.,_wlo. 00 his Ylllalta. IIDt bad 'or .. tbeIess be was able to stick by bls record Just the same. ID ellPlalnlng the riding teellniques 01 Pat, his father said: .. He goes as fast as the other riders OIl the straights, but where most slow down OIl the corners, be goes through faster ." bone. '!be Evans boys' successes in motorAt this writlng. KelJy 15 still reeupercycle raelDg at an early ace !lave been atlnC from his injury. He plans to go back IIIJJn1y made possible by their fatller, a to the tracks as soon as b1s doctor allows OIle-time race ear driver bimse1f. A big blm to. AccordlnC to b1s molller, be could belp too is Don Vesco with tutoring, IJId bard1Y watt to start riding again. assistance in preparing tile bikes tor But wb11e Kelly's star bas temporarU7 racing. gone down, that of b1s brother, Pat bas So they would better respect tbe1r racrisen dramaticallY in the lasttew months. ing macblnes, the Evans' do their own Pat's first attempt to compete in a repeJ.r and maintenance. At tbe1r bomeat trail blke race was a dlsaWointment. He Lorera Lane in El Cajon, the EYaDa!lave was OIl a trail bike but bis tires were not their own shop with more tban $12,000 regulation. He was disqualltied. worth of racing maeblnes and parts. His tblrd try at racing was both a Dale Evans bas bigh bopes for b1s klds painful and exhlliratlng experience. In in the raelng world. Their immediate tills race be took a spill at 60 miles per hour IJId sIdnned ODe of b1s blps. Never- • goal is DI,ytooa tor Ylbtch tile boys !lave been preparing Jotens1vely. theless. be t1nlsbed seeOlld in the lOOec ..'!bey can go OIl racing as looc as it 15 main event, thus maIdng up for b1s tun to them." he said. earUer failures. Help New Young Riders ~ -x - 1/11 & 12/68 125 s.nlor CI... III . . UEPIIII ..,. $ ..,.$ 125 Junl.. C.... III.U Sall.... _ I•• ~ I•• - 12/221lle 2llONcM.. CI... 111 nEVE JAIIlELL $ ZIIIIIIlU. CAYA..- ..,. S 2llO_CI. . III UIIIY IIlII • • • • • • • • • • .. • • • • • •• . . . . . . . , . S 250-'-Cl. . III ar IIIEl T ZIIIII . . .IUlII .... DAYE 1IAIIlIS ...... PIISIaI ...... The IDland Motorcycle Safety AssociatiOll president is c:allinc for belp. His club bas members trom seven to elgbteen who ride bUces of 250ec and smaller. They were donated a large area of 1aDd OIl North RJverside Dr., DMr Devore Road In North Rialto. by the Fontana Water Iltstrict and the Owl Roek ColllPlU1Y. What tIley do is try to get klds off the street to teacb them· bow to ride and respect tbe1r machines. '!bey are sponsored by the Rialto Jaycees IJId !lave solid establlsbment approval. But president Del Lowen says the riders are pttlng bored with the same old trials event every month. They want to enter events organized by tile regular clubs. Lowen is asklng for co-sponsorsh1p from clubs tor an event oftlleir cbooslnc - trials, endurance, wtatever, soloocas U's tamed down to the small-try. He even says the olller club can keep the entry tee. Lowen's club will pr.eat a largetropby to the club that puts OIl tile best event 01 the year. "It's not much, we know," be said, "but it will show our appreciatiOll." There is also a large sip at their site where the name's of each partic:ipatlng club will be added as a co-sponsoring organlzatlOll. Mont_ WI..... _ 1•• 1/5/68 2llllcc Novl. . 1s1 rAllK IUSlCO • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• . . . . . . . , . $ ZlllllIILL CAVA.AUGH $ ... TIl .AVAIlIlO $ Profile: Hilltoppers' New President Story IJId Photo by Len Sipe 2OOA. .t_ III CAll YEIlIY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• ZIHI JOSEPH IOU ..,. $ ...,. $ 250 E_rt '1rSIaI 111. FOLEY an PllIL IIHLE • • • • • • .. • • • • • • • • • •• I PIISIaC Deoel1 Phantom. SC,amIll.. 1/12/89 175-200 Novl AmlEx 111 LOYAL PE.1l ••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• ZIIIII.KE IlE1l1I1CE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• .... 101 SAUILDERS ••••••••••••••••• . . ..,. $ ....... $ . . SIIIr1II $ 250 Novice lit 101 PATTEIl III 2M L.l&IY HlIlllSOll • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• ... . PIrSIaI 250 Am/Ex lit UIlIlY TAYLOR 21. KIIlK McDDWELL • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• .... JIM D'IEAL 3~OOAm/Ex 1st JEIlRY IILLlIlGHAM •••••••• . • • • •• ....;» ,..., ...... ...... EI . . . . FOR YOUR NEAREST BUiLT-TO-GO DEALER BULTACO WESTERN BULTACO AMERICAN, LTD. lOQ29 Chandler Blvd. 2765 Scott Blvd. No Hollywood, Calif. 91601 Santa Clara, Calif. QSOSO ....... ... . -. - ~. ...................... Lee Hamby 15 the newly-elected president of the Hilltoppers M.C. Twentynlne years old and single, he's been riding Sportsman events for two years, seldom misses a meet. Lee started out on a modlfled 305 Honda in TT scrambles at Elsinore and Perris. Recently he switched to the desert and 15 now mounted on a Tl00 Triumph. L.ee's Club, the HUltoppers, bas been in existence for over twenty years, and is strictly competition. Membersbip includes both Sportsman and professional riders. Lee works for Southern California Edison Co. as a sub-statiOll operator and is also part owner of Custom Auto Painting in Paramount. His sbop offers lIIe latest teebnlques in car and motorcycle custom paint work and boasts the only simulated-vinyl spray gun in southern California. Crowding an already busy schedule, Hamby attends Golden State College in Huntington Beach, taking courses in personnel management. And being a. bachelor, bis parties are reported to. really swing. .