Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/524688
IN THE WIND P40 MOTORCYCLE GURU BOB BARKER PASSES R obert Barker, better known by his friends as Bob, was an American motorcycle innova- tor and had a storied career in motorcycle engineering. Barker grew up in Altadena, California, and could be found learning life's lessons at the San Gabriel Drag Strip, Santa Barbara, or Marchbanks Speedway. As a young engineer in Southern California he was involved with the aerospace program that landed on the moon. In the late '60s, Barker rode a 350cc air- cooled Bridgestone to set an AMA record at Bonneville going 147 mph. Just a few years later in 1973, Barker was back at Bonneville setting another land speed record riding a Can-Am 125cc two-stroke to 138 mph (a record that stood for 35 plus years). He moved to Quebec, Canada, after Can-Am's vice president, Gary Robison, hired him to head up the design team that built the 500cc two-stroke street bike; uncertain emission regulations forced the cancel- lation of a brilliant design. In 1978, Barker was the Can-Am motocross race-team manager and he convinced his boss to let him establish (and choose the location of) a remote Can- Am workshop where motocross testing would not be inhibited by the cold winters of Quebec. So he picked Gainesville, Florida— chosen because of its warm weather and close proximity to the Gatorback MX track. Barker oversaw the Can-Am test riders and the development of parts until the end of the Can-Am motorcycle program. He and his wife Marrie opened an engineer- ing company—"RC Barker Engi- neering." Barker was a master machinist and specialized in tricky vintage motorcycle jobs. The company also produced machine parts for the State of Florida. The love of racing vin- tage motorcycles led Barker to be one of the founding members of AHRMA. Barker was "the guy" for anything and everything to do with Dunlop vintage race tires. He was also known for being a Manx Norton and Ducati 125 guru; an amazing problem solver and mentor. Bob Barker died in his sleep from COPD on Monday, May 25, 2015. He is survived by his wife Marrie. Hershel Auxier BOU STILL UNDEFEATED R epsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou continues to dominate the FIM Trials World Championship, celebrating another double victory in Sweden. Bou emerged victorious amid the tough muddy and slippery conditions in Borås, Sweden, even though Gas Gas rider Adam Raga did not make it easy for him. "Today we had to fight really hard to win the race because Adam had got himself ahead," Bou stated. "We were neck and neck on the second lap. The last lap was a tough one but I was able to take the victory, which I'm very satisfied with because we worked very hard." Despite his dominance thus far, Bou remains cautiously optimistic about his season, with six rounds still to go in the nine-round championship. "It is not possible to win all the races," Bou said. "But I will keep battling on because anything can happen in the two-day races and there's still a lot of championship to run." Jean Turner PHOTOGRAPHY BY HRC Repsol Honda's Toni Bou continues to dominate the World Trials Championship.