Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

This man is the best Six Days rider in America. But that doesn't satisfy him. He wants to be the best ISDT rider in "the entire world." By Gary Van Voorhis Frank Gallo wos born on October 25, 1956, in Lisbon, Ohio. He stands just ~hy of : six Jeet tall and cranks the scales up to just over 200,pou~~, He ~ bT~umjihal~,a;;~ es and an easy smile. He "lik es " listening to mUSIC, hIking fln1. , haoing ~n." '! ftvon'te Jood is a grilled steak and he likes to ~h ",t do,:"" Ultth Ice cold milk. HIS first interest in motorcycles came in 1969 and hISJITst bike was a Honda. l/.e presentl is a contract rider JOT KTM. Last Jail he Teturn~d J:t:om t~e ,SwedISh. Inter~tional Six Days Trial with credentials that named him 'f menca s. best SIX Days rider." Fronk Gallo eats, sleeps, rides, talks, breathes, dreams, lives and loves motorcycles. And the Six Days. CN: People are calling you the "fastest off· road rider in America." How do you respond to that? , FG: "It makes me feel good, but I think that there are four other riders that are as fast as I am . Teddy Leimbach, Kevin LaVoie, Dick Burleson and Jeff Hill." CN: But you consistently beat them? FG: "Yeah, I guess I'm son of modest about that deal. " CN: We've heard that highly resp~c· ted riders have switched to smaller dIS' placement bikes in local events rather than ride against you . How does that affect you? FG: "I've never given that much thought. I've always figured that they were changing classes to become more competitive . to get away from me mainly . but also to become more competitive among. themselvc:s and get a ra cing edge gomg. I switch to a smaller bike occas ionally to make my· self work harder. Some people think a 250 is undersiz , but wh yo come" off a 400 it is different and it makes you ride different." . CN: But don't some of the riders feel that you are so fast that it is just better for them to ride in another class than to race you? FG: (A little laughter} "Yeah, th~t could be right . But I hate to look at 11 that way . I guess some people,will run away from it like that , but I d~m't really care for it. These guys might think they're jumping classes to stay away from me or whatever. J:lowever, you don't get better by eluding yo~r competition, you've got to meet 11 head on." CN: You enjoy speed, have you ever thought about riding din track? . FG: "Yes, I Rot a real itch at Houston watching the (Winston Pro Series) short track and T'T Nationals. I've never really raced dirt track except for a few TT's which were really just a smoothed out MX track. I would really like to try it someday. Hey , it would be easy to build up a little something. We 've got a track about an hour from here (Lorain) which has a Friday night program of short track and I think it would be fun to go down there and playa little." CN: Do you think that .dc:'ing ~hat might add a little to your riding skills? FG: "The way I look at any type of racing is that it all help~ ~me way or another . It's the competmon. If you have an open mind you can make whatever you do work for you . That's why I've always liked to ri~e almost anything and not really be ned down to one form of racing like enduros or hare scrambles or whatever. I do them all." CN: You have a reputation for doing what John Penton terms "magic tricks." Do you do those numbers to tum the spectators on or are you constantly experimenting with different lines . One person we know went so far as to say that you "might not be playing with a full dec~ ." , . . FG: "1 like to experiment with different lines and look for ways that are faster. I don't really do things to show off or anything. I guess that a few people might talk about some of the things I do, but I don't think ~f a.ny· thing being really dangerous. I m Just having fun ." CN: How do you see yourself stacki~g up against the likes of the Czechs In the future? FG: "As an individual competitor, I feel that I'm doing well. If you look at my score for last year's ISDT and t.hat of Kevin 's, I was about 70 POints , (seconds) ahead of him , which boils down to about five seconds a day over three special tests and that really isn't anything , I was about the same amount of time (points) behind the overall class winner. I feel that I've gotten close now . I'm working harder than I ever have because I feel myself getting dose to their scores and their abilities. I beli eve that with just a little more concentration, I'll be right up there. The Czechs are ' really good . They have their riding d~w~ to .a science. You can't say that It IS their support or anything else that .makes them win, It might help , but It'S the riders themselves who get the Gold Medals. Of course, they ride all the time and really train the entire year for just the ISDT. That is what makes them really good, CN: Who do you feel is the one rider who pushes you the most in events like hare scrambles? FG: "Picking one rider is hard, but it would have to be Teddy or Kevin or Jeff, I guess since Teddy h~s been beating out the oth~r two t?at ~t wo~ld be right to say he IS next In line. I ve got respect for all three in any type of event." CN: Since the ISDT is predominantly a test of how a rider does in the special tests, do you plan to compete a~in in some form of motocross compennon to add to your go·fast ability? FG: "1'11 be riding more MX although because of grading points I won't be in a National Championship class, I plan to ride as many of the Regional Championship events as I can. CN: Did riding in last year's MX series help you in your preparation for the ISDT? FG: "Definitely. I was able to ride the special tests all week long in Sweden and not fall once, which is really a big plus. In fact , I only ~obb!ed once in a test during the enure SIX days and there I only lost a second or two . Riding MX was a big plus. " CN: Do you feel that · the . Two.~ay Qualifiers are ade dynamite and one guy drops pomts. It would be nice to be able to choose the six best riders on the Trophy Team without politics." . CN: What advice would you give a youngster just starting out .in the woods who wants to become a Six Days rider? FG: "One thing that a lot of riders don't realize is that they have to learn how to ride first. I spent two years riding in the woods and trail riding before I ever entered an event. More than anything else. learning how to ride before competing has kept me from ever being seriously injured. When I went to an event I already had ability and therefore all I had to contend with were the other riders. A lot of youngriders today get a bike and then want to get out there and corn pete right away . Doing that really makes a lack of riding ability show up. Another thing is for a rider to get himself a bike that is made for the type of riding he is going to do. In nine years of riding, I've competed on Husqvama and Penton/KTM . I believe that I've been really fortunate in having had very good equipment." CN: The Japanese factories have in , troduced some reportedly healthy salaries and bonuses for their factory riders. Do you see yourself competing on a Japanese brand if the price was right? FG: ''I'm pretty loyal when it comes down to things like that and it would take a helluva good amount of money to get me away from what I'm doing right now ." . eN: Do you have a goal or something personal that you want to prove to you rself? FG: "What I mainly want to pro~e to myself is that there is an Amen.can rider who can be the best ISDT rider in the enti re world . Hopefully, some day I'll get -to prove that to everyone. I'm not sure how close I am to that. I've got to see what I '. Ic;ar!,ed last year over this year. Discipline and hard work are the keys," • 21

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