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/127946
Dirt tracker Billy Martin By Mike law Photos by Stewart Barber MA Grand National number 74 Billy Martin's star is clearly on ~-~ the rise. Martin, a lifelong resident of Stockton, California, is currently one of the AMA Grand National Championship Series contingent's lesser-known soldiers, as he goes out to do full-time batin both the G C and 883 classes on the Grand National circuit for the third year in a row. The operative word here is full-time. For at age 20, Martin is a classic example tle 24 of the young pro who decides to leave . home in the hope of hitting the big time. Martin's shot at Grand National glory has come through performance, perseverance and dedication. There have been many hours of hard work, with Martin paying his dues himself. While he has had the full moral support of his fam4y, Martin's way 'is not consistent with that of the archetypal young, up-and-coming privateer dirt tracker who is driven to the races by mom and dad, given shiny leathers to wear, and then handed a bike to race. Instead, Martin drives to the races himself, acts as his own sponsor liaiSon, and handles much of the setup and inaintenance on his bikes. And then, after all that, he still finds the mental and physical fortitude to go wheel to wheel With the best dirt track racers in the country. But although much of Martin's time has been invested in the school of hard knocks, aJ:ld he has y'et to score a major GNC podium finish, all the hard work definitely is starting to pay some dividends. He is now going into his second year aboard solid equipment provided by Skip Fordyce Harley-Davidson. He will be pulling double duty as he shoots for the Harley-Davidson Sportster Performance Series championship and gains experience aboard his 750 in the Grand National class, experience that might someday see him make a huge impact in the class. The big sponsors and the big wins are within Martin's grasp. If determination and drive are what it takes to make a Grand National champion, then at least Martin has already shown that he has many of the ingredients for a bright and successful future. 'When did you first get interested in motorcycles? Around the time 1 was 9, my dad thought it would be a.good way to keep my brother and me out of trouble, so he bought us a Yamaha 50 street bike. We rode that thing for a little while and, after a little nagging, talked him into buying us a Yamaha Bigwheel 80 witr the big four-wheeler kind of tires. We use to ride that thing all day, and sometimes we would get the light poles from the garage and set them up so we could end up riding till 9 or 10 o'clock. What about motorcycle racing? Where was your first race? My first race was at a motocross track in