Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

..... -------------------~--------------~--- -- .... "" "Jody has the "est feel and the "est ear for motorcycling of any"ody l're erer seen... I By Bob Lenk For the 1970 racing season, Jody Nicholas has made his return to full time competition. The ex-Navy pilot is riding for the SuZuki factory and made a spectacular showing early in the season by finishing second at the Talladega 200 mile road race. Jody has received lots of publlclt;y over the years owing to his unusual background as . an accomplished Violinist and Navy jet pUot. But as a motorcycle racer his feats are almost legendary, dating from the early age when he first started racing. In 1960, Jody won the 250cc Sportsman road race and the scrambles at Daytona. At the age of 17, he returned to Daytona as an Amateur and won the Amateur race riding a BSA Gold Star. Other wins that year included road races at Watkins Glen and Laconia. He also picked uP a win at the Nationals on the Springfield mile. Jody won the Canadian International Lightweight Championship to top off his Amateur year. At Daytona in 1966, he rode his last road race before going into the Navy. Jody was released from the Navy in September of 1969 and rode a few races at the end of the season. The 1970 season will be his first full year of racing since 1965. This is a brief summary of the racing care.er of Jody Nicholas. We will go back in Jody's life before he was a nationally CYCLE BOOTS 8y ROUGH, RUGGED & READY Come in FI'RST with RED WING'S MOTO CROSS BOOT. Constructed so it can be Wedged for SCramblers 16 Inch FREE RED DIRT PROTECTOR INSERT Offer ends Aue. 31, 1970 COMPANION BOOT FOR STREET USE 1 RED WING DEALER BAKERSFIELD 2015 Chester Ave. (80S) 323-6700 BURBANK 521 N. San Fernando Rd. (213) 843-0327 CANOGA PARK ~2021 Sh.... mari Way (211) 346-6888 COMPTON 306 N. Lone Beach Blvd. (213) 631-3723 COVINA 114 Shoppers Lane (213) 866-3114 CULVER CITY 10714 Washlnlton Blvd. (213) 839·3271 FRESNO 1901 Fresno St. (209) 237-8718 LONG BEACH 23 0 East 5th S~t (213) 436-1818 I'"I NORWALK 11864 Rosecrans Blvd. (213) 864-2411 PASADENA 899 Colorado (213) 792-8181 RIVE.RSIDE 3760 Ninth St. (714) 684-4327 SAN DIEGO 5229 EI Cajon Blvd. (714) 286-2002 SANTA BARBARA 601 State Street (805) 966-6735 SAN FERNA'IDO 1019 TrulRan (213) 365-2111 TORRANCE 1439 Marcellna (213) 320-6330 VAN NUYS 6352 Van Nuys Blvd. (213) 7.80-4069 known rQ@.d racer. To the times when he rode the streets of Nashville, Tennessee on his Montgomery Ward Doodle Bug. Jody says, "it was an linsprung minibike. I worked all one summer to save the $25.00 to buy it, and I think the man I bought it from bought a pair of shoes with the money." It had no brakes or lights and Jody wore out four engines while he owned it. I can remember the ftrst time I met Jody. He was 14 and worked at the West Meade Lawnmower Service, which sold 'I wor1ed all one summer to sare $25 to "uy (i .ini"i1e).•• I lawnmowers and Mustang scooters.Jody repaired lawnmowers for them and would do anything to be around motorcycles and scooters. It was not unusual to find Jody 7 m~s across town at Womacks Cycle Shop, the local Triumph dealer, sweeping the floor just so he could find someone to talk bikes with. He was a walk1ng dictionary of ioformation about motorcycle racing, riders and their machines. He could tell you who won what race and the time and speed for the race. When he wasn't working steady, he would go from bike shop to bike shop, doing odd jobs and talking with anyone he could find, about bikes. Jody's first ride came on a Allstate scrambler that was owned by Bill Malone, a local dealer in Nashville. He won regularly at scrambles throughout middle Tennessee, with the slow Allstate. The Allstate f1nally gave uP, and Jody took his savings to Lonnie Martin, of Lonnie's Cycle Center. He purchased a Parilla, and with Lonnie tuning It, Jody was a regular threat at the scrambles. Lonnie (now deceased) was one of the first people to realize that Jody had a lot of potential as a motorcycle racer. They met when Lonnie was a mechanic for Womacks Cycle Sales. When Lonnie later opened his own shop, Jody spent most of his time there. They became very good friends and Lonnie was almost a "second father" to him. Late in 1959, BSA introduced the C-15 250 and Lonnie bought one and set it uP for Jody to ride. The bike was a jet and Jody terrorized the area with win after win. Jody's progress was not going uno noticed. Norm Turner, the district manager for BSA and BSA Eastern were becoming very interested in the young racer. In the summer of 1959, Jody Visited relatives uP north and while there, took a bus trip over to Nutley, N.J., BSA's eastern headquarters. At Nutley, Jody . ran into his friend, Norm Turner ~ Norm showed him around and introduced him to the BSA officials. While making his tour through the racing department, Jody saw the new C-15 250Cc road racer. Norm asked Jody if he would like to have his picture taken with the racer to send to his parents. Jody was delighted. They didn't have enough light for the picture inside, so Jody pushed the machine outside so that they could get a picture. As Jody was going through the door, BSA's racing director, Herb Neas, th1nk1ng that someone was stealing his pride and joy, yelled for Jody to bring his motorcycle back. A,fter all was explained, Herb and Jody became good friends and Herb was to become very instrumental in furthering Jody's racing career. That fall. Lonnie Martin received a call from Herb asking if he and Jody were planning to go to Daytona next spring. Lonnie replied that they were planning on taking their scrambler and the dragster "Grey Ghost" down. lJerb wanted to know If Jody would like to ride. the new C-15 road racer. Lonnie and Jody were naturally excited about this turn of events and arrangements were made to send the machine to Nashville. The racer arrived the first of March and Lonnie and Jody tuned and geared the bike for Daytona. Jody also spent some time riding the streets of NashVille, getting familiar with the new bike. At Daytona, the odds on favorite to win the lightweight events was Ducati factory rider, Francisco Villa. The I tal1an rider had to settle for second, though, as Jody took -three wins in four days of racing. Jody returned to Nashville as a . local hero. Jody Nicholas Back to school, and Violin lessons. Jody's Violin teacher said, "Jody has as big a talent as any I've seen. He has natural musicianship." While across town, Lonnie Martin was saying, "Jody has the best feel and the best ear for motorcycling of anybody I've ever seen.

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