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/126430
, larr III•• II J woke last night to the sound of thunder How far off J sat and wondered Started humming a songfrom 1962 Ain't itfunny how the night moves When you don't seem to have as much to lose With autumll closing in .. By Gary Van Voorhis Photos by Gerald Betke and Robert Klein The name Carroll Resweber IJ1tJS magic to dirt track fans in the late 19'O's and early 1960's. Resweber dominated AMA Grand National Championship racing like it has never been dominated, winning four straight championships for the Harley' Davidsonfactory beginning in 19'8. In those years and the poir that sandwiched them, Resweber raclced up 19 National wins, on the average winning every third NtJlional he rode. H'" smooth, almost effortless style IJ1IIS a sure crowd pleGS.. and glJ(Jranteedfrwtration to those who raced against him. Bart Marlcel and George Roeder were Harley teammates of Resweber. "He WtJS the best•.....,. Marlcel. "We did one helluva lot of racing against each other. Hell, if he IJ1tJS still around, he might still be the best. " Roeder feels much the ...me lJ1tJy. "I've never seen anyone GS good GS CarrolllJ1lls. 20 er= 17,earsliller We wed to Iulve little cards J1rirUed up with excuses why we didn't win and the wt one IJ1tJS 'Carroll Reswebn rtJced today. •Ifyou betJI Carroll everybody luanl about it. It made you somebody. " GtJry Nixon. who Reswebn remembers GS Iul.mg a lot of rtJ... ta1eJIt ia Itis early years GS an Expert. IJ1tJS a Reswebn admirn. "I betJI him once, I t ' - ' He .... thr best. /fthey Iuld lulybtJles and _ n true". he might still be tJrOVNI. .. Today. 18 years aftn Reswebn'sltJst AMA Grand NtJIitmtJ1 C"'..~ lide. sinuUzrities are being drawn between Reswebn andja, Sprinfsteen GS S/Jria«n «oa after IUs fourth strtJight title. Springsteen IJ1tJS only tlJ10 months old urIwa R_bn IJ10n IUs first National. He calls him IUs idol. DetnmintJlion ... also a word you hear often when ItJIJtiII« to /No" ..40 -... Resweber. Mainly it IJ1tJS h... detnmintJlion on the trad thtJI the, tJ1l retftrlll6er. but George Roeder remembers anothn Icind. "Aftn the accident ...hich eruled IUs career. many people thought Carroll lJ10uld lose the we of IUs left ann per-.aera. tly. But not Carroll. He IJ1tJS determined tlult he IJ1tJS gain( to Iulve the we of both h... arms. In the end, hi! determintJlion IJ10n out against everything. " So much for the PtJSt. The Carroll ReSlJ1eber of today war" in the HarleyDavidson racing shop in MillJ1llulcee. He ... 42 and divorced. H'" tlJlO children are very much in/(' raring with Riclcy just Iul.mg earned IUs ad.....cement points to Junior. whil,' ·r",,.i ... a close personalfriend of Winston Pro Sen'es competitor Ted Boody. ReSlJ1eber, through IUs job if nothing else• ... still close to rtJcing. However, he ...,. tlult nothing can ever talee the pio.ce of being on the trtJClc. Our conversation about the fJtJSI and tile present be«ins with ~ptembn 16. 1962. the day IUs career came to an abrupt end on lhe Lincoln, IlIino.... Half Mile. ~ ~ ii ro liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill •