VOLUME ISSUE JANUARY , P129
same battle in 1973, with Rob-
erts prevailing. Scott rode with
the Triumph squad that year but
had made the switch to Harley-
Davidson for the '74 season. De-
spite being hopelessly disadvan-
taged on the road-race courses,
Scott and the XR 750 were able
to make up the gap on Roberts
in the dirt.
During this 1974 season, both
men would win three consecu
-
tive AMA Grand Nationals. It was
a two-man race for the title, so
the gambling odds would point
to one of them being victorious
at the Charity Newsies event
on June 23. But as any circa
'70s dirt track fan knows, this
discipline brought too many
variables to the table, including
gearing, tire selection and even
the dirt itself, which could be
schizophrenically wet, dry, tacky
and slick all in the same evening.
Racers told tales of both riding
the cushion and diving inside
to a hard-packed groove in the
same race. Too many factors to
pick a winner. Better odds could
be found at the roulette wheel.
When the green flag waved, it
was Kenny Roberts with the lead
off the line, followed by Law
-
will, John Hateley, Corky Keener
and Chuck Palmgren. Roberts
fought off the challenges from
Lawwill and began to slowly
stretch out a small lead. With
Gary Scott deep in the pack, this
story would seem to have been
written, were it not for Triumph
rider Mike Kidd. A diminutive
Texan with one leg shorter than
the other, Kidd was a tough
competitor, but he had never
won a National. Kidd began to
catch Mert, and on lap 10, he
slipped past the former champ
and slowly began to reel in the
current champ. On lap 17, Kidd's
Triumph and Roberts' Yamaha
were side by side. Heading for
the white flag, he took the lead,
holding it to the end.
"Kidd exited turn four," Cycle
News wrote, "and headed for the
checkered flag with his left hand
balled into a fist and shaking at
the sky. The margin of victory
was the blink of an eye, and
young Mike Kidd took his first
National victory checkered flag
while a nearly hysterical Mrs.
Kidd hugged everyone in sight."
Kidd's Charity Newsies win
was the last Half Mile victory
for Triumph in the heyday of
the AMA Grand National series.
What else did he do? Mike Kidd
would go on to win his own
Grand National Championship in
1981, securing the title at the fi
-
nal race, with Gary Scott just five
points back in second place. He
picked up a unique sponsorship
package from the U.S. Army,
and when Team Honda went dirt
tracking, he was their first racer
to sign on. After hanging up
his race leathers, he played a sig
-
nificant role in the early days of
Arenacross racing and later was
inducted as a member of the
AMA Hall of Fame. A career that
was kickstarted at the Charity
Newsies Benefit Half Mile, Mike
Kidd was one of motorcycle rac
-
ing's greatest. Any major dude
will tell you!
CN
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Kenny Roberts (1) leads
Mike Kidd (72) and Mert
Lawwill (7). Two-one-three
is how they finished, with
Kidd passing Roberts on the
penultimate lap for the win.
