Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Gary Scott is a racing enigma. Other riders work and sweat and crash and try again in the hopes of landing a factory ride with works m achines and expenses paid and an honest-toGod salary for doing what they love--racing. Gary Scott had all tha t- -plus the AMA Grand Nationa l/Camel Pro Series By John Ulrich ,14 . Interviews conducted before and after the storm Champions hip--in 1975 , It was then tha t Scott, believing t hat the championship he had won for HarleyDa vidson wa s worth more than Harley-Da vidson offered to pay him in 1976, left his fac to ry ride behind, He forbade the use of his name, liken ess, or cbampionship in Harley-Davidson promotions and advertising, added Yamahas and a Triumph to his racing program and set out on his own . The falling out with Har le yDavidson dried up Scott's direct access to racing parts for his mile and halfmile machines , but that didn't mean he was through as a Camel Pro' Series threat. Scott won two dirt track Nationals and claimed Rex Beauchamp's factory HarleyDavidson-·the one way he knew to get the parts he needed to stay competitive. As the year rolled to a close, Scott , Harley-Davidson's Jay Springsteen and Yamaha's Kenny Roberts were locked in a death struggle for the championship, To boost Roberts' chances for the title, Yamaha had back-door-sponsored rider Skip Aksland protest Scott's failure to make the grid in time for the stan of a heat race at the Ri verside Na tional road race. The hope was that Scott's l Lrh-pl ace fin ish in the Na tional fin a l--a nd a ccompanying po in ts --would be disqua li fied . Angered , Scott cla imed Robert's bike a few minutes befor e the end of the rul e-set 30-minute post-race deadline for claims. When Scott came to collect the engine, carbure tors and ignition system (all the pans the claiming rule covered), a shou ting match with Yamaha's Kel Carruthers quickly escalated into a shoving free -for ' all. Yamaha's earlier protest was sub sequently disallowed. Scott had gained an engine and a new enemy, Yamaha. He finished the year second in the I points standings, behind Springsteen, but ahead of Roberts. Scott's road raci ng effort fell apart in 1977, He didn't ea rn points a t a single pavement event, and considered cla im ing bikes several times , but d idn't. Bu t Scott won six din track races and ended up third in Camel Pro Series points, behind Springsteen and Ha rley-Davidson's T ed Boody , With the start of the 1978 season, Scott faced the same old problem -staying com pe ti tive without any factory suppon. A few ra ces into th e year, he talked about his situation .. and the lengths he would go to to remain com petitive. " I read in Cycle N ews that (HarleyDavidson Racing Director) Dick O'Brien got a $5000 reward from AMF as an outstanding Harley -Davidson em ployee . 1 can't understand that , That man has done more horror for the privateer as far as equipment goes than anybody else. 1 know, I've been one of the top privateers and he won't even accept my order for a HarleyDavidson right now. And he wouldn't have a year ago . 1 called him and . asked about ordering a new motorcycle. He started yelling at me on the phone, saying that he had 200 orders in front of me and that he wouldn't even accept my order. 1 said I'd go th rough the local Harley-Davidson dealer on a legit basis, and he wouldn't take my order for one.' . "W hen it comes to a new motorcycle, 1just don't get one. It's the same with Yamaha. They wouldn't sell me one. As a matter of fact , (Yama ha Racing Director) Ken Clark said I'd be the last one in the world to get one. He said a lot of people up above him (a t Yamaha) are mad at me, 1 guess for claiming motorcycles, "But if that's the only way 1 can be competitive, I'll do it, even if it does make them mad. Even if 1 could buy new motorcycles, there's a very fine line difference between placing fifth or first , Sometimes it takes a factory effort to develop an extra two or three horsepower , and 1 don't think people should get pissed because a privateer is claiming a motorcycle to be com petitive, 1 don't think a person should be criticized for trying to be cornper irive. 1 don't think anyone should claim bikes just to cause problems, but if he has the talent , that's different. I didn't know if I wanted to take a bike at Daytona. I considered it, but th way the AMA screwed everything up , 1 guess we'll never know , incl ud in myself. " I do fe el that the (fa cto ry Yamahas at Daytona were far superio to anything a vailable to other people. 1 thought that was wrong. "T wo days before Daytona, I hear that Yamaha th reatened to pull thei entries-vthe fa ctory bikes-sunless th claiming rule was changed, since th cost a lot more to build than th cla im ing price . (Accordi ng to Stev McLaughlin , rider representative 0 the AMA Road Racing Committee , the 1978 claiming price for a 750c road racer was set at $ 7500 for th whol e bike , p rio r to Daytona McLaughlin says tha t AMA Racin Cza r Doug Mockett changed th claim ing rule back to the 1977 versio of $5500 for t he engine, carbureto and ign ition system only .) So the revised th e claim ing rule . That' outrageous. . "Luckily, th er e weren't a lot 0 changes in the road racers this year. s 1 just bought a couple of used bikes . was able to buy parts, The par situation was in pretty good sha around Da ytona time, so I've go enough parts to put together m program for the year. " I don't th ink there ha ve been a 10 of changes in the Harleys, either. They've been out for a few years, an the biggest problem I've had so far ' trying to get parts. There are just no enough parts to do any developmen work , even if a gu y has the time an faci lities . You just have to try to ge parts week by week, That's the thin Harley-Davidson has neglected. Th may feel they need to support a facto team, but 1 think their first obligatio is to the privateer. They shouldn't jus try to heat everybody, they're suplposedl to be out there making a good nam for Harley-Davidson. If they're goin to sell a motorcycle, they certainl ought to back up what they sell b making the necessary parts available. "T he biggest problem I've got i putting together my own program i keeping competitive equipment. 1 any type of racing, if you don't kee the cost down and keep the parts available, if people can't be competitive, then you're just not going t have as high a quality of racing, You won't have a good, solid program fo the competitors or a good show for th spectators to come see. "T he only thing 1 have in ' m pocket.. and the only reason 1 stay i

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