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/127849
stayed in long enough to salvage some money out of my career. The spo rt is a lo t more refined now, and the equipment is much better. When I first started, I ha d to weld my own bikes to ke e p them from breaking. As far as the riders are concerned, the yo ung riders now have so much more knowledge to help them to win. I guess we were the pioneers of the sport in America . Whenever Roger DeCoster and Mikkola showed up at a race, we had a burning desire to beat them. I now work with a number of young racers down in Texas, and I do n't know if these guys today have that same desire that we d id. A number of the guys hav e treme ndous supercross skills, but don't seem to want to work on the w hole pa ckage - which incl udes strength and conditioning.' Today, Howerton is getting along just fine. Still living in his beloved Texas, he stays busy by juggli ng a n um be r of unique projects an d respo nsibilities. -ee- «> "1 knew the time had come. 1 was just riding around. The desire was just gone. " WERA National Endurance Series, Indy Cycle Jam 4-Hour Endurance Race: ARCLICiHT SUZUKI WINS 1 S T OA AND 1 ST IN CLASS! On Metzeler Racing Slicks WERA MIDDLEWEIGHT SUPERBIKE ENDURANCE 1stl2nd OA - Areligh t Suzuki (Gateway) 1stl2nd OA - Arc ligh t Suzuki (Grattan) On Me tze/er Racing Slicks WERA HEAVYWEIGHT SUPERSTOCK END URA NCE 1st - TKO Rac ing (Indy) 1stl3rd OA - TKO Racing (Grattan) On Metze/er D.O. T. ME 21 Radials WERA National Challenge Series: Indy Cycle Jam, Gate way, and Grattan Rounds JOE PRUSSIANO AND METZELER'S ME Z1 RACING RADIALS DON'T LEAVE MUCH FOR ANYBODY ELSE! INDY CYCLE JAM 1st - Formula Two 2nd - 1100 Superst oc k 2nd - 750 Superstock -ee- «> "I've been working for a compa ny called Lon g a nd Assoc iates, in Lytle, Texas," Howerton said . "I do a lot of carlire testing - high-speed sluff. We work with experimental tires. I drive a lo t, evaluate the tire, and make sure it meets the testing criteria. A lot of it is do ne on wet handling pads . It's a lot of fun. We do wet-eondition dri ving, dry braking. ABS (antilock brake systems) testing and handling. All of the test drivers are real competitive with it. We also train the lire engineers to give them an idea of how the tires pe rfo rm in the various conditions. At first, the testin g was a hobby, . and now it's a job. I wo rk with Cooper, General, Continenta l and Dunlop, and really enjoy it. I'm also buildin g a house in th e Texas hill country, abou t seven miles north of Helotes, Texas. The location is abo ut 10 minutes away from San Antonio. It's bee n a nightmare. I had to build a roa d to get up there and everything is on boxes, but once it's do ne, the view will be fan tas tic. It's a lso a great place to ride with my two sons, Sean and Derek. I still love to rid e, but I've gotten picky abou t wha t I d o because I have been doing it so long. I love riding in Colo rado and still like to race now and then." So there you have it. One of the mos t compelling, intriguing and successful careers in American motocross history. Kent Howerton may not have been the most flamboyant and colorful racer to corne out of America, but he was, above all a winner. So, just w ha t wa s Kent Howerton's so-called "secret" that made him one of the greatest and most determined racers this nation has ever produced? . "There is no secre t," Howerton said adamantly, as he did to that young factory rider som e 14 years ago. "It's just a lot of hard work and determination. It's an abno rmal desire to want to d o well in anything - especially motocross. You're part marathon runner and part boxer. We were all abnormal people to be going through th e p ounding that we did in order to succeed ." 1:- GATEWAY 1st - 750 Superstock 2nd - 1100 Superstock 2nd - Formula Two GRATTAN 1sf - 750 Superstoc k 2nd - 1100 Superstock For inform at ion and brochure: phone: (610) 458·9662 fax: (610) 458·9663 410 Eagleview Blvd., Suite 106, Exton, PA 19341 31