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/127550
GEVENT Dan Rouit Flat Track Motorcycle Museum grand opening ! First of its kind O'l 1""""1 By Donn Ma eda FRESNO, CA., MAY2. h irtY Ur-year-old Dan Rouit is -fo as enthusiastic a flat track fan as 'yo u ' ll ever me et, but with a twist. . . he owns his own museum. As a yo ung boy, Ro uit and hi s father made the short tri p from their northern Ca lif ornia Fresno home to nearby Tulare, Sacramento and San J ose to watch th e nation 's best racers slide th eir machines at over 100 mph . With each race that young Dan attended, h e wo uld save a souvenir poster, an d as h e grew older he began collecting photos and progra ms as T wet!. Rouit began hi s own raci ng career at the age of 15, and turned pro th ree years later : Un fortu na tely, R ou i r's racing career was cut sh ort in October of 1978 wh en he su ffered paralyzing in juries in a rock climbing accident. Though restricted to a wheelchair, Rou it co n tinued to attend the races that he loved and al ong the way added to hi s co llec tion o f raci ng memorabi lia. "I started o ut collecting posters as a yo ung boy, and jus t kept going from there ," said Rouit. " Pre tty soon it was helmets, bikes an d so on. I got the idea o to sta rt a flat track museu m aft er I was hurt, and it's been a dream of m ine for a long time." . Ro uit 's dream becam e a reality on' May 2, wh en he and his wife, Kathy, officia ll y opened the doors to the 1200 sq ua re foot mus eum tha t sits in the backyard of their Clovis, Ca liforn ia hom e. Sponsored by Rod La ke Racing, the grand o peni ng dr ew nearly 200 peo p le. Over 20 motorcycles sit ins ide th e museum, ran ging from Bubba Shobert's 100cc short tra cker, to Dick Mann 's BSA Goldstar. Though so me of the mach in es are on loan , many have been dona ted to the museum, an d all are in excellent condi tion. " It's better on display here than sit ting in my garage collecting dust," said Mann about hi s Go ldstar. "T his sure brings back a lot of old memori es, looking at th ese bikes. I think it's a good thi ng - a museum especia lly for flat trackers." The museum is open by appointment on ly, and the Rou its req uest th at appointmen ts be made at least two days in advance. To make an app ointment, co nt act th e Dan Rou i t Fla t Track Motor cycle Museu m, 309 W. Rialto, Clovis , CA 93612, 209/29 1-2242 or 209/ 297-8096. (;N (Abo ve) Museum cu rator Dan Rouit posed with th e T ri umph that h e raced in the mid-seventies. (Left ) Twenty motorcycles fill the museum's floor. (R ig ht) Dick Mann was am ong those who attended the museum's gran d opening. (Below left ) Mann and friends enjoyed watching old race videos. (Below) Nearl y every inch of th e walls is covered with old pho tos, po sters an d n umber plates. 26