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/1499289
losing the 250cc world title to Saarinen by a single point. Pasolini, who often sported googly-eye stickers on his hel- met (nearsighted, he often joked that "with two extra eyes, I can see the track better") had a much different attitude about racing. "I ride," he would say, "for the pleasure of riding. And if I win, so much the better!" Off the track, he was eas - ily recognizable with his horn- rimmed glasses and an ever- present cigarette. When the green flag dropped, fans could quickly spot Paso, as he was the rider with the safety helmet that was always a generation behind the times. Long after other riders had switched to a three-quarters helmet, Pasolini was still competing with his old pudding pot. By the time he fi - CNIIARCHIVES P134 LLOYD HOUCHINS T here was nothing pretentious about Lloyd Houchins. After all, what kind of racer would accept and even embrace the term "Wobbly" as his nickname? "It was what the other racers called him," says his friend and former mechanic Steve Storz, "but by his choice, he made it his nickname." Houchins was a Triumph rider, who had achieved his AMA Expert status in 1968. He competed in some events in the Midwest and East Coast," but most of his racing took place on the West Coast, specifically Southern California, where he was a regular at the famous Friday night races at Ascot Park. "He was fast and aggres- sive," recalls Storz. "He was one of the guys you had to beat if you were going to win anything at that track." But off the track "he was well liked! Lloyd was a great character—a funny guy and a real joker." Houchins was a journey- man racer who worked a real job as an auto mechanic in a Chevy dealership in Glendale. Storz, a native Nebraskan, served as his mechanic, wrenching on his Triumph twins. "He got an opportunity to race a new XR750 Harley for the first time that day at the San Jose Half Mile National," Storz recalls, "and he was really excited about it." In the early 1970s racing, Triumph, BSA and even Norton were still win- ning races but "the XR750 was beginning to show its dominance over the British twins." Ironically, in 1973, Storz, who is today known for Storz Performance, Inc. (special- izing in Harley-Davidson performance accessories) was new to the world of the H-D V-Twin. "We were Triumph guys," he says. "We had lots of tuning and setup help from Bobby Self of Oakland Harley-Davidson, because the XR750 was all new." For all of the worst rea- sons, Storz will never forget the events of May 20, 1973. "I was near turn four watching them exit as they were heading for the finish line and the next thing I saw were two bikes [Houchins and Pat McCaul] flying through the air and clouds of dust. I ran toward the finish line to see what had happened because it was difficult to tell where each rider landed. "When I reached Lloyd, it was a scene that will be etched in my memory forever. He was lying un- conscious on the track and his leathers were torn open near his upper thigh and he was bleeding profusely. He had hit and destroyed one of the 4x4 wooden fence posts that lined the outside of straightaway with his leg, severing his femoral artery. "His wife and parents were in the grandstands watch- ing this happen. Everyone, including myself were in shock. It really made me question my involvement in the sport. "I knew his wife, Shannan, only a little bit from seeing her at Ascot, but I wanted to help her and their toddler son if I could. I was able to get some donations from our local motorcycle club and I believe that one of Lloyd's sponsors helped her out some, too. "We are still friends today and Shannan attended our Trailblazers Motorcycle Club Banquet this past April." Storz maintained his con- nection to racing, eventually working for Harley-Davidson as race mechanic, before founding Storz Perfor- mance, Inc. in 1979. Lloyd Houchins