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frames that would match his body ergonomically. "For me, I have to build a bike that I'm comfortable riding," Dave said. "I like the motocross style, so that's what I was shooting for." That paired with Dan's powerhouse engines proved a lethal combination. The competition was about to be hit with something they had never before seen. Dan's research led him to Honda's popular CBR street models. For the 540cc class, he would sleeve down a 600cc motor, and a 900cc down to 800cc for the premier class. The younger Watson liked the feel of Honda's CR250 motocross bike, so "That was unexpected," Dan said. "We didn't plan on that. We just happened to be there (AMA Awards Banquet in Las Vegas, Nevada), and they came out of the clear blue with that. Then the following year, Ricky Carmichael's mechanic won it. And this year Chris Carr's mechanic won it. So, it's pretty cooL" The modest bike builders know the importance of their machines but aren't so quick to admit it. "It's probably harder for us, because we didn't buy them, we built them," Dave said. "If you bring them up to somebody, and they see them, they're like, 'Whoa.' They're kinda surprised at how it looks and what it (Above) Watson eamed his 2002 800cc titles the hard way after Walter "Tiger" Strank went on a sixrace win streak. It came down to the final race of the year, where Watson edged out Strank for the title by a single point. (Left) Dave and his father Dan stand by one of the two championship-winning Hondapowered bikes that the duo has built. The bikes have been so impressive that in 2000 they eamed the AMA's Mechanical Excellence Award. (Below) Never one to sit on his laurels, Watson looks for a faster way up the hill. he stripped down the showroom-fresh cherry that he had just bought and made a jig to hold the bike's suspension components. From scratch, he built a frame that would best suit his body and riding style. "To do that - build a frame for the first time and not really be sure how the motor was going to go or how the frame was going to work - it was a big deal to finally get it running," Dave said. "It worked pretty good for the first time. We were pretty happy to see what we all went through - to think about it, to build it and everything. It was on the right path." Soon their visions and mechanical prowess would not only morph into championship-winning bikes, but earn them well-deserved recognition as the AMA's Mechanical Excellence Award winners for 2000. The nod is normally reserved for factory mechanics, so for a couple of guys who just wanted to make fast motorcycles, the honor came as a surprise. cue I e n e _ S • MAY 28,2003 41