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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VOLUME 59 ISSUE 9 MARCH 1, 2022 P125 the history of the 200. "He was such a determined rider," Davis said, himself a racing star of the 1910s and '20s. "He didn't hold back at all. He'd tell you before a race, 'Stay out of my way or I'll run over you.' And most people believed him." Kretz was the favorite at many Daytona 200 races in the years to follow, but he was never able to win the race again, despite often lead- ing. In 14 other races at Daytona, Kretz had nothing but tough luck, primarily mechanical failures with his Indians and, later, Triumphs. Kretz continued to race in the 200 until he was 47 years old in 1959. For years he held the record for running the most miles in the 200. Kretz went on to dominate the famous Langhorne, Pennsylvania, 100-mile dirt-track race, win- ning that race three times before World War II and once more in 1948. He also won the popular road race at Laconia, New Hamp- shire, before and after the war. At times, Kretz and his Indian were so dominant that com- petitors, especially those backed by Harley-Davidson, went to great lengths to try to see Kretz wasn't his best on race day. In the motorcycle- racing documen- tary called "Glory Days," Kretz was interviewed, and he talked about local Harley dealers who would often invite Kretz to big parties the night before a national and make sure he had plenty to drink, hoping he'd be a little hungover the next day, but there was no chance. After all, they didn't call Kretz the "Iron Man" for no reason. During World War II, Kretz served as a motorcycle-troop instructor, teaching new recruits how to ride and maintain Indian war mounts. Often the troops, knowing that Kretz was a famous racer, would talk him into giving them an exhibition of his skills. It didn't take much prodding–Kretz would gladly oblige the troops with a few hot laps of broad-slid- ing around a make-shift dirt oval. By the time he retired from racing in 1959, Kretz had earned nine AMA national wins as well as numerous Pacific Coast titles. He richly deserved the title of Iron Man by virtue of his longevity in a young man's sport. He was also voted the AMA's Most Popular Rider in 1938 and again in 1948. During the 1950s, Kretz's son Ed Jr. joined him on the national cir- cuit and became a rider of some repute, bolstering the fame of the Kretz name even further. After the war, Kretz opened a motorcycle dealership, which he ran until he retired in 1986. After retiring, he made frequent popu- lar appearances at vintage motor- cycle meets across the country. At the 50th running of the Day- tona 200 in March of 1991, Kretz was the guest of honor and took a lap on the Indian he won the race on in 1937. Kretz said that TT racing was his favorite form of racing and called the Laconia, New Hampshire, circuit his favor- ite. He called Babe Tancrede and Ben Campanale two of his best friends even though they were his archrivals on the track. Kretz passed away in Janu- ary of 1996. He was 83. Shortly after Kretz' passing, national TV host Jay Leno made a generous donation to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Kretz's honor. Kretz left a legacy as the first big star of Class C racing. He was inducted posthumously into the AMA Mo- torcycle Hall of Fame in 1998. CN This Archives edition is reprinted from the September 2, 2009, issue of Cycle News. CN has hundreds of past Archives editions in our files, too many destined to be archives themselves. So, to prevent that from happening, in the future, we will be revisiting past Archives articles while still planning to keep fresh ones com- ing down the road. -Editor Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives those backed by went to great tary called "Glory talked about local Ed Kretz Jr. (left) and Ed Kretz Sr. (right) in 1948. (PHOTOS: COURTESY AMA MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME)