VOLUME ISSUE AUGUST , P141
News covered the event, which
was also held at the Dunes.
"Robert seemed a little shy
and somewhat ill at ease with
so many ladies hanging on to
his every word," wrote CN, "but
as soon as the girls mounted
their bikes and donned hel
-
mets, they took on a more
familiar appearance and he
regained his composure."
It didn't take long for the
champ to transform from
bashful teacher to the knuck
-
le-whacking "penguin" from
The Blues Brothers. Before
long, Robert had "picked up a
slender branch to smack the
gloved hands of riders who
were not using their throttle,
brake and gears properly."
When that failed, he began
"using a small log to threaten
riders who were not in proper
form." When a World Cham
-
pion speaks, you listen, or
you find yourself up a creek
without a paddle.
Every classroom has that
one kid who pays attention
and actually benefits from
the lesson. In this motocross
school, "Robert specifically
mentioned how impressed he
was by Nancy Payne's im
-
provement during the class.
Nancy was quite enthusiastic
about the techniques she had
learned and felt that she was
cornering much faster than
before. Besides the mechani
-
cal aspect of what she learned,
she felt that the class taught
her to use her head more when
racing and gave her some
added self-confidence."
One year later, it would be
a very confident Nancy Payne
who would use her new skills
to become National Powder
Puff Champion, a two-day
event that combined a racer's
best results toward the
number one plate. She was
also picking up good results
against the men in local
races. Unfortunately, she also
picked up some bad advice
from her (now ex) spouse.
"He worked in the industry,"
Payne says, "and he made
some connections with the
Maico distributor in Holland.
We wound up moving there,
where I raced for a month."
The month ended, the mar
-
riage would end soon after,
and Nancy Payne retired from
motocross. A short, but fun
and fruitful run.
"I remarried, and we moved
to Arkansas. I tried racing again
when I was in my 30s, but by
that time I was a mother. I
hurt my ankle at a race, and I re
-
member not being able to take
care of my son. I realized I just
couldn't do this anymore."
A happy grandma, she now
lives in South Carolina. It's
been 35 years since Nancy
Payne rode a motorcycle and
55 years since she butted
heads with Steve McQueen.
"When I was done yelling
at him," she recalls, "he just
looked at me and grinned. He
patted me on the top of my
head and said, 'Well, I knew
you could handle it.'" A movie
star always knows talent
when he sees it.
CN
Subscribe to more than 60 years of Cycle News Archives issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives
(Top) In 1974, after a weekend
of motocross racing at Indian
Dunes, Payne earned the title of
National Powder Puff Champion.
(Bottom) Payne's motocross
career didn't last long, but it was
long enough to leave a mark.
