Cycle News

VOL. 52 ISSUE 20 MAY 19, 2015 P139 Resweber was born in Port Arthur, Texas, on January 6, 1936, Resweber grew up with a love of two-wheelers—first bicycles, then a Cush- man scooter. By the time he was 16, he owned a Harley-Davidson 80 cubic inch "Knucklehead" and was burning up the streets around his home- town. When he turned 17, Resweber began racing on dirt tracks in Houston and Fort Worth. One of Resweber's fondest memories as an aspiring racer was watching national champ Joe Leonard race in Houston in 1953. Resweber and Leonard would later become arch rivals on the track. "Joe scared the daylights out of me the first time I saw him race," recalled Resweber. "I was standing on the outside of turn one watching my first race and Joe ran it up wide and I took off running like the blazes. I never thought he'd make that turn. He really impressed me. He was the man to beat." Resweber followed in the footsteps of two other riders from his area, Tommy Byars and Everett Brashear. Resweber considered Byars and Brashear his teachers in the racing game. Saying that he learned from the best, Resweber is quick to point out the inspiration his fellow Texans provided. In 1955, Resweber moved his family to Milwau- kee to race for engine builder Ralph Berndt and to be close to the abundant racing in the Midwest. The next year Resweber earned his first AMA national finish by taking fifth at the Springfield Mile in Illinois. On June 16, 1957 Resweber earned his first AMA Grand National victory at the Char- ity Newsies race held on the half-mile Ohio State Fairgrounds dirt oval. He proved that this win was no fluke when he earned another victory on the half-mile in St. Paul, Minnesota, two months later. Resweber started the 1958 season with a fourth-place finish in the Daytona 200. That would prove to be Resweber's best finish in the March classic. It was ironic that despite his incredible racing record, Resweber went on to be somewhat known for his hard luck at Daytona, even though he loved the race. That summer, Resweber had an impressive string of four straight Grand National podium finishes, including wins at the Du Quoin Mile and another victory in St. Paul. That string of successful races was enough to give Resweber his first AMA national champion- ship, winning the title by just one point over 1957 champ Joe Leonard. En route to his second championship in 1959, Resweber added first-place trophies from the Sacramento Mile and Springfield to his mantle in addition to winning the St. Paul AMA Grand National for the third year in row. Resweber again edged out friend and rival Joe Leonard for the AMA national championship in 1960. That year, Resweber won four nationals on his way to earning his third title. The 1961 campaign was the pinnacle of Re- sweber's racing career. A marvel of consistency, he earned five national wins, including a victory at Watkins Glen, his first on a road-race course. Resweber dominated that year and easily won his fourth AMA Grand National Championship, finish- ing with 62 championship points, compared to 39 points held by second-place Leonard. Longtime fan Jim Jones related a story about just how inventive Resweber could be on the fly. "It was the Indy Mile I believe," Jones said. "Ralph's (Berndt) bike was not quite powerful enough to take the lead. Carroll drafted most of the race in second. With two laps to go Carroll reached down and opened the mixture screws, counting clicks and drafting as tight as possible. On the last lap Carroll leaned out the carbure- tors, click for click. The fuel cooled engine provided just enough power to pull out of the draft and pass for the flag. Engine strategy and mixture adjustment at 120 mph! He was a racer's racer." CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives

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