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/125840
'-' '-' '-' '-' '-1¥#'-' '-' '-#'-#'-U'-''~-~-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .... .-. .... .-. .-. .-. .-'M'.. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. "U' ' '-' '-#'-#" '. .-. .-. .-. .-. .... ~ .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .'~-~#''-#'-#'-#'-#'-#'-#'-#"'#'-#'-#'-#'-U'-'-#"'8#'-' .-. .' .the-director of the 48th ISDT says he'd probably do it allover again By Gary Van Voorhis In order to get the real flavor of the ISDT you should really ride for Six Days and 1040 miles but, since I was on a short low bud2et trip, I setUed for six hours and 85 miles. And on the back of a BMW no less! I admit that this may sound a little. strange but then where else are you going to get the flavor and the feel of the event complete with running commentary while .omeone else does the driving; especially when that someone else is AI Eames. The idea behind this adventure was formulated back in April when I first interviewed AI just as his involvemen t with the planning of the ISDT was beginning. It was then that I stated the ,de.ire to return to Dalton after the ISDT was over, the pres.ure off and there was a little more time to talk and ride. Since I was not one of the chosen few who had covered the ISDT the return to Dalton, especially in the fall, was something eagerly I looked forward to. New England in the fall is just. about the prettiest place on earth with cool morning giving way to deceptively warm 36 afternoons before the realization that fall is here slips in with the night time shadows. Trees of russet hued leaves contrast with the green of the pines, the orange of pumpkins and the withering yellow com stalks. Wood smoke cuts the air with a unique aroma. The eighty mile trip from Springfield to Dalton was enough to make a person forget what he came for. Upon entering Dalton the first thing that caught my eye were the signs in the various business establishment windows announcing the "AI and Marie Eames Appreciation Night". AI explained later that the people of Dalton were holding the dinner as a way to show their appreciation (and maybe to-show the enthusiasm that was lacking before the event). In any case the people of Dalton are proud that the ISDT was held there; perhaps a little embarrased that they failed to realize the magnitude of what was happening prior to the start, but extremely proud none the le.s. School children wear Six Day patches on their coats; cars and shop windows sport .tickers and everyone has his or her personal story of a "happening" during the 6 day•. Imagine if you will a rider frantically ge.turing for a funnel; drawing imaginary pictures in the air that re.eMble a curvy female body or the shoppers who were on a clothes buying spree and decided to try on the prospective purchases in the ai.les of a busy .tore; the British genUeman who endured an explanation of the state lottery when what he really 'wan ted was a lavatory and lastly the monumental task of the local bank that undertook the function of currency exchange. Schools let claaes -out and. often riders would pass through .treets lined with flag waving children or roads. in the middle of nowhere that sported - flag lined .tretches. There are probably a thousand storie. but those are typical of what went on. One thmg that really impre••ed me was the display of enthusiasm that the townsfolk of Dalton still have; they show it, they speak it and to them the ISDT is still alive and well in the person of AI Eame.. AI was a well respected citizen before the ISDT but now he commands a sort of awe for putting Dalton on the map. "I think that the contact that the people of Dalton with the European and even with the spectator from other parts of the US was .0 genuine that they want to recall it by physically displaying their involvement with it. This became more and more evident as the week (during the Six Day) progressed and it is still evident." Back at the Eame.' home AI unlimbered the special BMW that was given to him for his trail layout duties along with his other two wheeled transportation: a Hodaka and a Triumph thumper. I opted for the Hodan .ince I was carrying cameras and it was then that AI made the suggestion of going double trucking on the blue BeeEm. A quick tria1 run on the back and I was convinced; the BMW was like riding in a cadillac (of course you had to hold on) and I felt sure that I would be able to walk upon returning from this courageous journey. What some people won't go through for a .tory; AI is an astute rider and he knew the trails by heart but in all honesty he scared the hell out of me a couple of times especially on hi. favorite back roads where the hills peaked at about the same time your stomach was one step behind your tongue. Nothing to it. AI had contacted a riding buddy, Dave Norton, who had been a frequent helper during and after the ISDT to ride along with us and with the beautiful weather it was amazing that we didn't have a whole caravan. I figured that I might as well get the big questions out of the way first so 1 could relax (relax?) and enjoy the scenery. The AMA shake-1,!J) was damalting enough to the membership and other concerned people but both Russ March and Don Woods were key personnel in the Six Days set up. "In the eyes of the Europeans losing Russ March (US jury member) and Don Woods (Clerk of Course) was a drastic deterioration of our efficiencies. I think losing Russ was a big mistake because Russ carried a lot of the organizational structure for the ISDT - in whatever capacity - in his head. A lot went with him when he left the AMA and consequently we were strongly suspect of being totally disorganized as a result. I think it affected our scoring set up because it brought further criticism upon us from the Europeans that might normally have been explained away:' We stopped at the Parc Ferme, nowthe sight of monthly turkey shoots, and AI pointed out that all there was left to identify the spot were a dozen or so flag poles stretching skyward naked in the Indian Summer sun. You could .till visualize til,e multitude of activity that took place just four week. prior; I wondered about the scoring snafus; "I think we were remiss in not putting together a completely independent back-up .ystem of .coring - a hand scoring system. As far as I'm concerned we continued scoring as we .hould have and, with all thing. being equal-the exotic scoring .y.tem (time clocks, etc.) I think a good job was done. In the US we tend to capitalize on the inefficiencies of other. while in Europe they tend to bury their mistakes to the point where they are not made known to the masses; this is one of our problem....