P
oor Rick Jones. He had no choice. He
grew up in the magical motorcycle land
of Southern California, the son of par-
ents who were both auto racers. They also
owned a car dealership on Sunset Boulevard
called Italiano Motors, where little Rick got to
hang around with racing legend Ken Miles, the
same Ken Miles who drove a Ford GT Mk II to
a famous shared victory at the 1966 24 Hours
of Le Mans. Either by nature or by nurture,
Rick Jones was destined to become not only
a pretty good racer in his own right but also a
mechanic/engineer who would work with
some of the greatest racers in the early days
of motocross in America.
"Ken Miles was actually the service manager
at my dad's car lot," Jones recalls today. "I used
to go back into the shop and hang out with him.
He was a fun guy who didn't just shoo me off. He
had a go-kart with a McCulloch two-stroke chain
-
saw engine, and he would let me drive it. I was 9
or 10 years old, and he and my dad would set up
cones, have me drive around, and then stop
me to tell me what I was doing right or wrong."
CNIIARCHIVES
P140
BY KENT TAYLOR
Rick Jones (left)
turned wrenches for
many MX stars of
the 1970s, including
Gaylon Mosier (right).
RICK JONES
A M E C H A N I C ' S M E C H A N I C
