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Still, there were people in the pits "
people of long association with road
racing" who said Aldana had lost tne
edge to be a winner again. They said
he was still one of the best around, but
the drive that separates the man on top
of the victory rostrum from the rest
was no longer there. If Aldana heard
the whispers he ignored them.'
Aldana appears to have mellowed
out considerably in past years. He
disagrees, saying, "I' do the same
things I've always done only now
they.'re no big thing.
"I believe that this year will be my
best ever," says Aldana.' "Things have
been coming together and I can't
really ask for a better chance."
At 3I Aldana is a realist and knows
that the big money" and he admits to
being paid very well to race this season
,- may not be around for very long and
he is doing everything he can to make
the most of it.
''I'm looking forward to racing in
the endurance series. I'll be riding for
Honda France as will Mike Baldwin.
In addition, I've signed a contract with
Serge Zago to contest some of the
500cc.Worid Championships. If things
work out I'll be riding for Don Vesco
at Daytona and I also hope to have a
Superbike ride for Daytona, probably
a Suzuki. I also intend to ride the Isle
of Man:"
How can Aldana do all these things?
Easy. His contract with Honda France
is'limited strictly to endurance series
events. What he does in his spare time
is· his business and he is making the
best of it. "One of the best things is
that I'll be able to base myself out of
my home in Es<;ondito (California)
lmd fly back and forth to the
endurance races. That is re.ally nice.
"This is my year for Daytona. I
should have won two years ago but the
bike broke while (Dale) Singleton and
I were dicing for the lead in the final
laps. Last year I believe I was robbed
no matter what anybody says. I
finished second, not sixth.
"It's .been a long time between
National wins for me. I've been
waiting for my fifth since 1973 and
don't think that isn't frustrating. I've
always wanted to win the 200."
One are.a where Aldana did heed
advice and his own intuition was in
wisely investing the money he earned
when he was a factory rider for BSA.
In those heady years Aldana was
reportedly paid around $50,000 per
season and he put that money to use.
"The money I got was used to buy
land. One thing I did know was that I
wanted to provide myself with
something· to fall back upon in the
future. I was lucky and things worked
oUt pretty well. I got into building
houses on speculation and did pretty
well at that. Right now I've got an I I
acre tract near my home that I hope to
develop into· Something that will
enable me to·be set for the future. The
mon~y L earn from this season is going
.into th·at."
.
Does Aldana have any regrets about
his last ten years in racing? Perhaps,
but he says he would probably do
everything basically ,the same. One
. regret he does have is that. tie was
'unable to cash in on. the big' money
throughout his career. And therein lies
a paradoz for as good a racer as
Aldana was, his partytime reputation
p~eceeded him. oOn
nearly. every
occasion.
There are some w.ho would say that
. Aldana threw away the prospect of a
brilliant riding career to be himself
ra~her than what others wanted him to
be.' But those who have observed him
over the past two seasons note 'an
extreme change. There probably isn't
a new David Aldana, only an older
and wiser one -- one who is determined
to still do things his way, but at the top
of the mountain rather than from the
outside loolting in. l
•
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