Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Randy Green has made the transition from dirt tracking in the U.S. to becoming a speedway racer in England. Interview: Randy Green' Dirt tracker turned speedway racer By Dave Despain Photos by Alf Weedon and Despain Who is Randy Green and how did he become an international racing star without someone noticing? The answers to those questions document one of the most startling two-wheeled career transitions ever, and offer interesting insights into the economics of professional motorcycle rac- 28 ing. During the last four years, Green traveled from his Lake Stephens, Washington, home to the dirt tracks of America. He is best known as National number 24, a Honda.mounted short track and TT specialist on the AMA's Camel Pro Series. But by the end of last season, at ,the ripe old age of 22, Green had grown skeptical about dirt tracking's long-term future, and he began to explore other options. Fate intervened 1,n fortuitous fashion, and today this handsome, personable and articulate youngster is a budding rookie star in the prestigious British Speedway League. That is especially remarkable because Green's total speedway experience prior to making the transatlantic jump consisted of three races. "But I won them all," he' points out with a healthy laugh. The key links in the unusual chain of events that sent Green overseas are a pair of expatriate Europeans named Yogi Sylvest and Led Szmek. Sylvest is a Danish-born speedway freak who works for Air Canada and has contacts in Britain. Szmek, a resident of British Columbia, is the owner of Panther Racing, which has sponsored Randy since he was 17. Last faJI, Szmek offered Green a ride in an indoor speedway race, Randy won, and Led and Yogi decided to explore his international options. Sylvest pulled the right string to get Green a try-out with England's Hackney team and Randy decided to give it a shot. "I figured I might as well strike while the iron was hot," he recalls, still amazed at the speed with which his life has chan~ed. He went to the audition and so Impressed the team management that they hired him on the spot! That achievement shocked the American speedway eSIablishment. For years, the only U.S. path to the British League was through the weekly speedway shows in southern California. Riaers who paid thei'r dues there could get an international license through the AMA and try their luck in Europe. When word of Green's remarkable ascension reached SoCal speedway promoter, guru and power broker Harry Oxley, he immediately called theAMA's Bill Boyce, purveyor of- those intemationiI licenses, and demanded to know, "Who is this guy?" The answer is that Randy Green is an unusual character among' those who earn a living on two wheels. In a form of the sport where only big stars make big money and starvation is the norm, he has consistently turned a dirt tracking profit. Yet, like Oxley, many fans wouldn'trecognize his name. Like so many contemporary stars, Randy is the son of a pro ·racer who started short tracking a Yamaha Mini-Enduro at the age of five. By the time he was 10 he had added motocross to his repertoire and won a couple of state championships. Then, around age 15, he decided he would have to specialize in one or the other if he wanted to be a serious professiona . He chose dirt track. A novice pro at 16, Green finished second in the Western Region and proved he is a master of good timing; American Honda had just announced a new dirt track program and was looking around for promising young riders. For ltis Junior season, Randy signed a bikes/parts/ bonus deal, and immediately won the Western Regional Championship and 'Tanked third in the country. In 1983, his first Expert campaign, he was runner-up to Doug Chandler in the Camel Pro Rookie of the Year chase, but his season was most memorable as a learning experience. His Honda support was for short tracks and TTs only, so even though he took in a lot of money, he spent most of it attendin/'1; all the Camel Pro miles and haH-miles, chasing a rookie ti tle that looks good on a resume but pays no immediate cash dividend. The economics of that equation duly noted, Green soon traded his drealTl of the spotlight for a journeyman's view, specializing in those events where he knew he could turn a profi t. In the three seasons that followed, Randy kept his racing program well' into the black by riding a tremendous number of events each year, but carefully selecting only those in which he knew he could do well. Honda's support kept him on firstline equipment for the short-tracks and TTs, and when he saw a chance to make money, he'd enter his privateer Harley-Davidson in a nonNational half mile. Only rarely did he visit the high-prestige half miles and miles of the Camel Pro Series, where he knew his chances of a profitable finish were slim. Green beCame, in short, an accomplished cherry picker. "In 1984 and '85," he says, "I probably won as many Expert main events as anybody in the country ... but they were all little races. ' "By the end of '86," he .continued, "I had begun to accept that I would never be National Champion. I was open to the idea of doing something different. In fact, I'd given road racing some thought and even rode my dirt tracker in a couple of pavement events at Westwood in British Columbia. I was trying different things." . Randy's restlessness was largely a result of his pessimism about dirt tracking's long-term future. "It's not that the racing isn't good," he's quick to point out. "The only motorcycle series in the world more competitive than American dirt tracking is GP road racing. The problem as I see it is economics. Cost IS the biggest issue. We race very expensive bikes." A look at the recen~ change in Green's overhead, brought on by his move to Europe, supports his argument. When he left the States, he sold two 600c Hondas for $7000 each and an XR 750 Harley-Davidson for $5500. At well-used prices, his stable of equipment represented nearly $20,000. . In contrast, he launched his inter- national speedway career with two brand new bikes for about half that much - his Godden speedway machines are $5000 a copy. As for the American future, Green is unimpressed by recent attempts to reduce the cost of racing via the requirement of carburetor restrictors. He is among those who favors a. much more sweeping change - to a single-cylinder rule. "All the major manufacturers build a single," he points out, "and from their present racing budgets they could afford to give bikes to most everyone who could be competitive. The dealer could also be a big factor again because the cost of equipment would be within his league. I "With a single cylinder rule, a $10,000 bike would be very trick" he concludes. "Right now the Harleys and Hondas cost $25,000." Gieen's new position offers other benefits beyond reduced overhead.

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