between them . Bob got the $250 that
KTM put up , but he would rather
have earned it by winning. _ . __
Always a natura l athlete , Balentine
participated in organized sports at the
j u nior high school level. but dropped
out when he found tha t he p re fe rred
th e individual form of competition
found in motorcycling.
Now to get in sha pe fo r ra ces ,
Balentine jogs a couple of m iles , two
or three times a week . He also tr ies to
get in one day of riding per week ,
usually with friends like Tom Kelly,
the DRA 250 class point leader who
also lives in Mojave. To get time to do
these things , Bob recently quit his job
after saving some money. ''I'm you ng
now , so I'll do it now ," said Bob ,
.explaining his decision to be a full time racer. Still, Ba lentine would like
to get into the motorcycle industry,
possibly testing and developing bikes
and accesso ries.
Radio-contro lled model gliders and
water skiing (the ski was purchased
with a Hooker Headers gift cert ificate
won in a ra ce) are Balentine's current
hobbies, As for girls, Bob says "Love
'em all," tho ug h there isn't anyone
special at the moment.
Balent ine isnt worried that someone
will come along ' and replace him as
DRA 's mo st successful rider. If it
happens, it happens. "Next weekend is
just like your first race," Bal entine
said,
explaining his
lack of
preoccupation with pas t glories.
Along with the riding, Bob does his
own wrenching, and he seldom breaks.
He and Cordis Brooks recently taught
a three-day desert racing school ,
passing on some of the techniques that
have made th em so successful.
Bob Bal entine enjoys what he doe s,
and what he does , he does very well.
•
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213-532-9129
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