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/125665
By Bob Sanford , Dave Aldana Is the rider that more than a few people feel will be the man to beatl Not just this year, but in many years to come. At the age of 20, the rookie Expert was last year's top AMA Amateur, and so far this year has managed; a win in the. Sacramento mfle- a victory over the country's top pros last week at Manazanlta (AriZ.) Raceway' ~ a very impressive showing at Daytona two weeks ago. Just for starters. Cycl~ News talked with Aldana a few days ago at his home in Santa Ana, Calif., where he lives with his parents and a younger brother and sister. His reputation as a "smart-ass young kid" was immediately dispelled, as he proved to be an affable, easy going, reasonably articulate conversationalist. To be sure, he is confident of his abWty. But in the same way that most professionals are confident about their business. 'Cycle News asked him about his early interest in motorcycling••• bit so I could ride my Ossa in Motocrosses and Scrambles. Now I'm just obligated to BSA for Nationals and certain special events. "I just quit working at Irv Seavers about a month ago. So now I guess you could call me a full time racer. And I feel I can make a good living at it. Last.year,I made like $15,000, which Is quite a bit for an Amateur. Of course that was tax free, and now I'm stuck with paying the taxes. Right now I'm not in really good shape financially, and I'm sort of living from race to race. Which isn't very good, I don't think. I'd like to have enough so I could, you know, have money in my pockets to spend and not worry about it. That's the way I'd LIKE to be. And someday I hope to be in that position. "After I get back from three months of Nationals in the east, my expense money from BSA should start coming in week after' week after week. I'll have enough to live even if I don't winanyraces.Actually,1 don't think I could spend it all, no matter how hard I tried. . "At Daytona, I was running aboutfifth,andl cut in behind Bugsie (Mann). I started racing with him when I shouldn't have been, and I overshot this turn and went off into the grass. I stayed uP in the grass, but when I was getting back on the track, I sUpped the clutch and gave it too much gas. Plunck: I flipped over right there. I landed on my feet and didn't get hurt. So I just stood there looking at my broken bike. Broken pegs and bearing and everything else. "I knew I blew it. At the time, I didn't know what place I was in, but I knew I was in the money, since everyone was dropping out, right and left. .. "Some people may say that I'm reckless, but I don't think so. And they probably think I'm riding over my head, but I think I can still go faster. I just use speed and gas as a way of controlling my bike. Well, I guess I'm a little wild, but I was a lot wilder when I first started. I'm really getting more conservative. But I don't want (Continued on page 23) Ph oto by Ben Hail "My father promised me a motorcycle when I was a kid, and, when I was 14maybe it was 15 - he got me a little Suzuki 80. Well, t started r1d1ng flat track at Ascot almost immediately. . . "Then I got a deal with Ossa to ride motocross and scrambles. I don't ride that sort of thing much anymore. But whenever I get the chance I do, because I enjoy riding. Period. Like, when you go to a half-mlle track you only get to ride five laps. Which isn't really a super long time. But you get a lot more riding in a day if you enter scrambles or motocross. . "I guess my first break was when I got a chanceto ride for Irv Seaver. Dallas Baker, the service manager at the shop, was looking for a rider for a 8-25 he had. Another guy and myself were interested, so we went out to Perris to try out. And Dallas picked me. The BSA company helped out with parts on that deal" "At that time - when I was a Novlce- an Amateur by the name of Jim Peterson was riding a 650 BSA for Dallas; Well. when he turned Expert, he got a ride with Triumph, so the bike was just sitting there. Well, they let me ride it, and I won my first race at Ascot. And that was the first time I'd ever jumped on a big bike in my life. " After that, BSA told me they'd help me go to Nationals and things like that. They gave me parts and whatever else I needed, as well as a certain amount of money to go to each National. Now I'm supposed to sign a contract. They've given me the money to sign - which I've already spent - but I haven't signed yet. They orig1na1ly said that I had to ride the BSA in every race I entered, but I had them change that around a little OnlyBULTACO Temple (ily Kawasalri Area's leading volume Kawasaki Dealer Steve' 5 Bu ltaco Complete Parts & Accessor ies 5663 N. 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