I
f motorcycling racing fans
could wave a magic wand and
make certain infamous events
go away, there would be a far
too long list of races that should
never have happened. The
Monza Grand Prix of 1973, where
both Renzo Pasolini and Jarno
Saarinen were killed. The 1975
Saddleback Trans-AMA, where
Jim West became the first rider
to lose his life in AMA motocross
competition. The 2011 Malaysian
Grand Prix, where budding road-
race star Marco Simoncelli died
after an early-race crash. Sadly,
there are many other races that,
in hindsight, should be black-
flagged from the books. Damn
them for their ugly stains on the
history of two-wheeled racing.
Add to that list one more
event, a 1974 Half Mile AMA dirt
track race in Denver, Colorado,
where a 25-lap race was called
at the 20-lap mark, about 20 laps
too late. An unsafe racetrack was
putting AMA legends like Kenny
Roberts, David Aldana and Jim
Rice to the test. They were great
riders, thrashed about as if they
were rhesus monkeys in a shady
laboratory. Thankfully, there were
no deaths, at least none on the
track that night, which might be
the only reason the events of this
particular day have been all but
forgotten by everyone other than
the racers who went into battle
that evening on May 24, 1974.
The AMA's 1974 Grand Na
-
tional season would eventu-
ally become a two-rider battle
between Roberts and Gary Scott,
two young rivals who had been
competing since their junior
days. But as of May, the number
one plate was still very much on
the table, and veterans like Gene
Romero, Mert Lawwill, David Al-
dana and others were in the mix.
Even Dick Mann, who would turn
40 just a few weeks later, was
CNIIARCHIVES
P132
BY KENT TAYLOR
"WRECKAGE
STREWN"
THE DENVER HALF MILE
WASN'T PRETTY.
Dave Aldana (13) couldn't save
this crash after hitting a hole in the
track during the Denver Half Mile.
He wasn't the only one.
Jim Rice was one of the
many victims of Denver's
treacherous track.
