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/1542726
M otorcyclists are good people who do good things for other people. The Distin - guished Gentlemen's Ride (raising money for pros- tate-cancer research) and the Honda Ride for Kids (benefitting the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation) are two current examples of riders saddling up to help out. Turn back the hands of time a few years (52, for this story), and you will find that some riders also liked to engage in a little bar-banging racing for a worthy cause. It's 1974, so put Steely Dan's "Pret- zel Logic" on the TEAC, pop open an Olympia beer and then head to the Ohio State Fairgrounds to wit- ness one of dirt track racing's most major dudes score his first- ever AMA Grand National win. The Charity Newsies is an organization that is still active today, nearing 100 years of help- ing disadvantaged kids in Cen- tral Ohio. The story goes that, in 1907, a young, scantily-clad lad was standing on the street corner in bitter cold weather, hawking some primitive form of communication called newspapers. He was relieved of his duties by some good Samaritans, who took over his sales post and urged folks to dig deeply and give a little extra for these cumber - some ink and paper con- traptions. The youngster went home with a hand- some booty, and folks in the region have been giving a little extra ever since, helping to keep warm clothes on several generations of kids who need a little help. The famous Charity Newsies Half Mile dirt track race was a regular stop on the AMA's circuit, and the list of winners includes heavy-hitters like Mert Lawwill, Bart Markel, Gary Nixon and Don Castro. When the 1974 Camel Pro Series came to town, rivals Gary Scott and Kenny Roberts were engaged in a fierce strug - gle for the championship. These same two riders had fought the CNIIARCHIVES P128 BY KENT TAYLOR Mike Kidd made the CN cover when he rode an U.S. Army-sponsored Harley XR750 to the win at the Sacramento Mile in 1979. MIKE KIDD'S FIRSTEVER AMA GRAND NATIONAL WIN CAME AT THE 1974 CHARITY NEWSIES HALF MILE. 1974 CHARITY NEWSIES HALF MILE