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 J ohnny Gibson, one of the top racers of the 1950s, winner of the 1956 Daytona 200, passed away on January 30, 2018 in Boca Raton, Florida. In addition to his Daytona win, Gibson was also one of the stars of the popular Friday night Ascot Park races in Gardena, California along with the likes of Sammy Tanner, Al Gunter and host of other top rid- ers of the era. Gibson played a key role in the revival of speedway racing in Southern California during the 1970s and '80s. He built a track in Irwindale and helped foster a generation of riders that would bring the U.S. back to world prominence in FIM Speedway World Championship racing. Gibson was born in Los Angeles on July 6, 1930. He grew up on an alfalfa ranch in the Imperial Valley before moving to Pasa- dena when he was 11. Gibson's father, John Sr., was a leading Southern Califor- nia motorcycle racer of the Class A-era in the 1910 and '20s. At one point, Gibson Sr. rode for the famous Cyclone factory. Gib- son's uncle was the West Coast importer for Ariel and Triumph Motorcycles before World War II, so a young Gibson grew up around motorcycling. As a teenager, Gibson began racing speedway. "There were about seven tracks in California in the 1940s," Gibson recalled. "I guess the most popular track was Lincoln Park, but we'd race all week long and always get good spectator turnout. We even raced on a baseball diamond in Santa Monica." By the 1950s, speedway's popularity began to wane. Gibson blamed it on television. "People used to go out for the evenings for en- tertainment," he said. "But when TV got popular, it really killed speedway." With the sport on the decline in America, Gibson and a team of seven other American riders headed to Eu- rope to race speedway. It was a real eye-opener for the young Americans. "We'd race in front of crowds of 40,000 to 50,000. It was amazing how popular speedway was over there." When he returned to America, Gibson began racing dirt-track events with sponsorship from Triumph importer Johnson Motors. Gibson scored four top-10 finishes at the nationals in 1954. His best race came at the AMA Grand National road race at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, California. His crew discovered a problem with his bike just before the start and Gibson finally got going after the rest of the field was well underway. He charged hard and Johnny Gibson, 1930-2018 P112 Johnny Gibson was a top flat track racer in the 1950s and a Daytona 200 winner. The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer passed away last month.