Cycle News

Cycle News 2021 Issue 22 June 2

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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CN III ARCHIVES BY LARRY LAWRENCE T he AMA's Battle Of The Twins (aka Pro Twins) Modified class was introduced in 1982. It was a relatively quiet class featuring lightly modified Moto Guzzis, Harley-Da- vidsons, Ducatis, BMWs, and a few other oddball or outdated bikes. While the main Pro Twins GP class had some star power—with Jimmy Adamo, Gene Church, Dale Quarter- ley and Randy Renfrow—realistically, the Modified class was a laid-back place where club racers could play on the same track as the big boys during AMA Pro weekends. Champions of the BOTT Modi- fied class included Joey Mills III, David McClure, Doug Gross and Pete Johnson—all fine racers, but none likely to draw a big crowd at an autograph session. Everything was going along swimmingly in the low-key class until a brash pair of brothers from L.A. came barging in with a suspiciously factory-looking (and factory–performing) machine. A Hawk had found its way into the hen house, in the form of Kevin and Craig Erion's inspired Two Brothers Racing Honda Hawk GT. It all started when Craig, who owned a construction company, while his little brother Kevin had a business installing alarm systems in cars, wanted to attend former AMA Superbike Champion Reg P130 THE (HONDA) HAWK IN THE HEN HOUSE ter winning the club title, Kevin went off to try his hand in the Pro ranks, specifically in the Pro Twins Modi- fied class. And he shook things up. Not only did Two Brothers Racing enjoy immediate success (Kevin won his very first Pro event at Day- tona in 1988), they also looked the part, with their team van and trailer painted up in matching colors. The crew was color-coordinated, as well, wearing team gear and easily becoming the best-looking Pro Twins Modified team on the grid. If that didn't ruffle enough feathers, Kevin went on to tally a class-leading three National wins in his rookie year en route to the championship. How dare this young whippersnapper come into this little class and not only look good but take all the accolades as well! Kevin seriously considered not Pridmore's riding school, but he didn't want to do it alone. "Craig called me and said he was going to a Reg Pridmore school, and he wanted me to come, too," Kevin recalls. "[He said] 'You have to have a BMW, though, so go buy one so we can do these schools together.'" It sounded like a plan to Kevin, so he dutifully bought a Beemer, and then it was off to Riverside Interna- tional Raceway for the school. "That was it," Kevin says. "We were hooked." The Erions soon evolved from paying school students into volunteer instructors. Then Kevin got hooked up with some buddies from Del Amo Motorsports and bought a Ducati F1, and he began club racing. The hours he spent on the track as a volunteer instructor with Reg Pridmore served Kevin well. He immediately became one of the faster Southern California club racers and won a class champi- onship in his first full season. Both Erion brothers were good racers, but Kevin was a bit faster, so he became the team's lead rider. Af- IN THE HEN HOUSE Kevin Erion swept five straight races on the "mild-mannered" Honda Hawk.

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