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/128159
"They did a great job. It's always times stretched to over 145 miles, tak- awesome up here; it's the funnest ing the LOI (Letter of Intent) riders place to ride." over seven and a half hours to com- Long a favorite among riders of all plete. This year's event, though some- abilities, the Idaho City 100 is also what shorter (at a mere 95 miles), was known for being a tough event. In past no less challenging and kept the riders years, the one-day course has some- on the trails for nearly five hours. Seven-time ISDE gold-medalist (from 1969 to 1979) Billy Uhl was coaxed out of a 22year retirement by Gas Gas western rep Chilly White, whose father Gordon raced with Uhi in the '60s and '70s. Uhl competed at Idaho on a Gas Gas 300, placin9 sixth in the LOI Sernor class on Saturday while zeroing all the checks and posting some respectable spe· cial-test times. Most of all, he had a good time. Uhl went to his first ISDE in 1969 almost on a fluke with his father Herb, who operated a motorcycle dealership in Boise in the early '50s. The two had ridden the mountain trails and done some MX and cross-countrY racing, and had long followed the ISDT in motorcycle magazines. Through his connections with Sachs, the elder Uhl had an opportunity to go to the ISDT in West Germany as part of the U.S. team. Billy was named as first alternate and realized his dream when one of the riders suffered a broken leg at the last minute. It was the first time a father and son had competed together at an ISDT, and that fact led to a lot of attention from the press. In those years, one of the special tests was a road race, and things had been going pretty well for Billy until that test, for which his Sachs was comparatively underpowered. Though he got a good start, it wasn't long before he was being passed by much of the field. His father came past and, realizing the situation, slowed slightly and allowed Billy to get into his draft. Then he gradually picked up speed again and "pulled" the younger Uhl all the way to the finish line. Spectators along the road recognized the father-son team and cheered them on, throwing their hats into the hair. Uhl's finish in the road race was good enough for him to secure a gold medal, one of only two brought home by Americans that year (the other rider was Malcolm Smith). Uhl went on to compete in nine ISDT/ISDEs, Riding for Sachs, Puch, Hercules, Maico, Can-Am and Penton. Along the way, he earned seven gold medals and one bronze. He suffered one DNF, that coming on day four at the Isle of Man, when his 175cc Puch sheared a crank pin. He competed in Germany and Spain, behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia twice, at the Isle of Man, in Austria and in the U.S. (in Massachussets, where he finished fifth overall and top American aboard a Penton). His second trip to Czechoslovakia was in 1979, riding a 250cc Maico, and though he ·only" earned a bronze, he was one of only 89 riders to firnsh the difficult event. His most memorable Six Days was in Camerino, Italy, where he turned in an almost flawless ride to finish third, the bike never having touched the ground with anything but the tires. Following his impressive rookie performance in Germany in 1969, he went to work for John Penton, racing 50 weekends the first year while doing double-duty in R&D and sales. He stayed there until 1973. Following the 1979 Czech round, Uhl retired with wrist prob· lems. Settling in the mountains of Idaho, he was looking for a change and got away from racing altogether, but not riding. He took on work building and maintaining trails in the mountains around his home. These days, Uhl lives a relatively quiet life in a small town in the mountains of Idaho surrounded by some of the best riding trails in the countrY. In addition to designing, build· ing and maintaining trails, he has founded what may be one of the first trairting courses of its kind. Aimed at the off-road riders (beginner through expert), it's open to individuals and groups. Uhl is making the course available and friendiy to agencies whose employees ride OHVs as a part of their job. Perhaps more importantly, though, he became an advocate for (if not a leader in) the campaign against land closure to off-road vehicles and gave a moving speech on the subject at the ISDE Reurnon Ride last year. For more information on The Billy Uhl Riding School, call 208/864-2158, or log on to the new Web site at www.ohvtraining.org. Jeff Fredette gives a wave on his way to 18th overall. cue I _ n _ _ s • JUNE 19, 2002 45