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/1467308
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 19 MAY 10, 2022 P143 "It was great getting out on that big track and running the Gold Star wide open," Brelsford recalled. "It felt great at first, but then I noticed I was getting passed a lot on the straights. Jimmy [Odom] was watching and knew I was in trouble. So unbeknownst to me, Jimmy went over and talked to Dudley Perkins and told him, 'Mark's not going to be able to do crap out there, because that BSA is too slow.' Dudley told Jimmy that he'd allow me to ride Mert's [Lawwill] spare KR." Jimmy told Brelsford's sponsor Sonny Kenyon about the oppor- tunity for Brelsford to ride one of Lawwill's spare factory bikes. "Now, Sonny was such a good guy, and he knew just how to handle it," Brelsford explained. "Sonny knew I was loyal and wouldn't want to jump ship and abandon his team, even with Dudley's Harley offer. So, to make it an easy decision for me, he came up to me and said, 'Bad news kid, we found some metal in the oil of your bike.' Now I found out later there was never any shavings in the oil, but Sonny wanted me to have the opportu- nity to ride the factory Harley, and he knew that way I wouldn't feel bad for doing it." Brelsford had never ridden a Harley before, much less on a Mile. Perkins was the head of the AMA's Northern California district and as Brelsford says, "He had pull, to put it lightly." So, after all the practice sessions were over, Perkins arranged for Brelsford to have three practice laps, all by himself on a freshly groomed track. "I'll never forget it, I got on that Harley, and it felt like it was turn- ing zero RPMs. I thought it was a dog," Brelsford said. "I couldn't believe it was a factory bike. But then I came across the finish line at the end of that practice and be- fore I shut off, I realized 'Oh shit, I am flying into this corner!'" Luckily before Brelsford went out for his special practice ses- sion, Lawwill had given him an important pointer. "He told me if I get a little sideways in the corner to just whack the throttle wide open," Brelsford said. "I got into that turn and thought I was going to put it into the fence. Then I remembered what Mert told me, so I flicked it over, twisted the throttle wide open and the thing somehow made the turn." Brelsford went on to dominate the amateur national that day kicking off a great new relation- ship with Harley-Davidson. Brels- ford rode the Harley the rest of the year and went on to become AMA Amateur National Cham- pion. After the final race at Ascot that season, Harley's racing boss Dick O'Brien asked if Brelsford could meet him before he was to fly out the next day. After the meeting Brelsford was a freshly signed factory rider. So, everything was set for Brelsford's rookie pro campaign. He'd be traveling and teaming with Lawwill. Mert would work on his bikes out of Dudley Perkins' Harley shop in San Francisco. National Debut Runner up Mark Brelsford (87) and winner Skip Van Leeuwen (59) share a laugh at the trophy presentation. The two were good friends. When Brelsford was an amateur, Van Leeuwen would let him ride his spare bike at the weekly Ascot Park racing program in Gardena, California.