VOL. 55 ISSUE 24 JUNE 19, 2018 P93
bers Jody Smith, a childhood
friend who would also attend
South Pasadena High School
with Jim and Susan. "Then, when
we started riding motorcycles,
we would go to an area near his
house called Elephant Hills. We
rode almost every day and he
became a great rider."
It wasn't long before Jim took
his talents to the racetracks,
which were popping up like
dandelions throughout Southern
California; Osteens, Baymare,
Carlsbad and the granddaddy
of them all, a 500-acre off-road
mecca called Saddleback Park,
home to miles of trails, a TT
track, a mini-bike track and other
riding opportunities. Saddleback
would soon be hosting interna-
tional races, though it built its
reputation as a weekly destina-
tion for local racers.
"We could race at Ascot Park,
Carlsbad, Indian Dunes, Baymare
and Saddleback Park, all in one
week," says Jim Wilson. "Some-
times, you could make $60 for a
Pro class win, which was pretty
good for that time."
Wilson would soon switch
from Greeves ("the company was
struggling and I couldn't get the
parts to keep it running") to CZ.
West moved from his Yamaha
DT-1 to an AJS and the two Jims
began a fierce, but friendly rivalry
that would make them somewhat
West lived life at full speed.
When he died in 1975, he was
regarded as one of the best
up-and-coming motocross
racers in the U.S.
