Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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CN III ARCHIVES BY LARRY LAWRENCE G eorge Everett had it pretty good in his home- town of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He took up motorcycling in high school and riding year-round he got good fast. He started racing while still a teenager and proved to be a natural, winning races not long after he started his racing career. A lot of people in Everett's position would have been satisfied. Living in familiar environs around friends and family, quickly becoming one of the top dogs in the local racing scene with plenty of backing from local dealers. It was all good. But Everett's taste of success on the local level only whetted his ap- petite. Maybe it all came too easy for him, or maybe there was just a desire to see if he could win against the very best. Whatever the case, Everett made a move that most men only dream of. He chucked it all, and set out for California. He had no prospects, no promise of a job or any realistic idea of how he might fare in the ultra-competitive world of Southern California motorcycle racing. All he knew was that he had a dream and he was going to pursue it. His dream-fueled journey would ultimately see him become one of the leading racers in the country, but while Everett was on a path to greatness his story did not have a storybook ending. Motorcycle racing in the 1950s was many things, but one thing it was not, was safe. In fact, it was a brutal sport, which claimed many who dared to face the challenge of racing in the era of rapidly increasing speeds brought on by improving engine and chassis technology. Riding gear and track safety measures lagged way behind the curve and ultimately Everett became a casualty of the one most perilous eras of the sport at one of the most lethal tracks in the country. Racing lost a great talent. Everett was born on August 19, 1930 in Baton Rouge. He rode a motor scooter in high school and later went through a variety of motorcycles and got his first taste of racing. In and around his home in Baton Rouge, Everett began winning enduro and other off-road events. He also participated in flat- track racing but quickly realized that, even though he loved the sport, there weren't enough big races near his home to satisfy his competitive urges. At the age of 21, Everett made a momentous de- cision—he would leave Baton Rouge and move to Los Angeles to try to become a professional racer. It was a great leap of faith, but he was a young man on a mission. He'd been competitive in Louisiana, but he had no idea if he could contend in the white- hot racing scene of Southern California. Everett settled in Pasadena. He was methodi- cal in his approach to becoming a pro. At first, he participated in familiar scrambles races, where he continued to hone his skills. He then began riding short track and TT events. Everett steadily climbed the ranks and by 1954 he was the top novice rider in Southern California. EVERETT'S LEAP OF FAITH P142 George Everett was just beginning to hit his stride when he was tragi- cally killed while racing at Ascott.