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Cycle News 2024 Issue 41 October 15

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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"I didn't have any background in the sport," she says, "other than a dirt bike that I would sometimes ride on the street. I took the new position and abso- lutely loved it! "I never really had a job de- scription," she says. "I would do PR work and local radio interviews before the races. There was one restriction in my contract, however, that stated I could not date any of the racers." She says today, "I was there for everyone—and no one." Griffis developed a close con - nection with her racing family. "I was so happy to be there. We were all so innocent, and we cared about each other. It was like an instant family." And the victory kisses? "They were mostly all gentlemanly kisses." All of them? Did any of the race winners ever get too familiar? At the question, Grif averts her eyes, almost looking off to see a past moment, four decades gone. "Yes," she says, with a wry smile and then, after a pause, one more, "yes." There is quite likely a name on the tip of her tongue, but that is where it remains. Grif is a professional; she doesn't kiss and tell! So, most of the victory smooches were rated G. While she couldn't have her favorites, Grif remembers a handful of rac - ers who became good friends. Harley-Davidson rider Clifford "Corky" Keener stood on the Grand National podium five times with Grif, and she remembers Corky as "my first best friend. Maybe because he was older than me and many of the other racers, but I just felt safe with him and his wife, Mary." She remembers other rac- ers well. Kenny Roberts, who "seemed very serious, very deter- mined," and Jay Springsteen. "He was so loose and so much fun, just the opposite of Kenny." No one can deny that much of the thrill involved with racing is the reality that competing at this level means that a rider is often on the ledge, living somewhere between glory and disaster. The good side of the ledge is exhila - ration. On the other side and not so far away is a place of devas- tating injury—or worse. "Ted Boody," she remembers, "was just adorable. He was not afraid of anything. He was so good-natured and could be so goofy." Grif was at Ascot Park the night Boody lost his life in a last-lap crash. "That night," she remembers, "was just horrible." Grif stayed with the Camel/ Winston series for an amazing 17 seasons before something told her it was time for her next journey. "I am a very spiritual person, deeply into metaphysics, and I listen to what I hear within my - self. I was 37 years old, and I just felt that I needed to move on." Life has been good for the former Miss Camel. Acting, pro- ducing plays with the late Patrick Swayze and starting a jewelry company, GrifCreation.com, with musician/composer Quincy Jones are just some of the adventures that Grif has had since leaving AMA racing in the 1980s. "My life as Miss Camel gave me the confidence to do these things," she says. "Being around winning, seeing what it took to be a winner, gave me the confidence to take on new and exciting ventures. It was a magnificent, magical time." CN VOLUME ISSUE OCTOBER , P143 Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives (Above) Grif stayed with the Camel/Winston series for 17 seasons. She currently lives in Maui. (Below) "Grif" even made the cover of Cycle News.

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