O'Brien
Harley-Davidson's War Eagle
BOTT: End of the beginning or beginning of the end?
Part VIII
It was a good year; in fact it was the best year!
The
resentment shown toward the BOTT riders by the Pro-AMA officials was beyond
anything I've ever seen but with the love shown by the our riders not only
overcame it but gained the respect of everyone. The hatred that existed
between brands whin I grew up was gone and it was replaced by twins loyalty to
each other. It happened at the third race of the season at Elkhart Lake. The
track management did some thing that Jim France didn't do at first and that is
to let the spectators roam the padauk area. The spectators went nuts over the
twins and drove the mechanics nuts with questions and they did love it so.
like:
Ha man what's a
Norvin? That"s a cool bike dude, wow I've never seen Cal Rayborn Hog, How
did you get that or this to work .and Can I sit my kid on your race bike and
take a picture of him There must have been 1000 roaming the area and they kept
coming, it got so bad we had a hard time bumping off the Machines for practice.
Yes the nobody privateer was getting something he never had before recognition
and respect but they didn't keep it to them selves and on three occasions at Talladega,
Loudon and Pocono the Twins riders using there own money paid for lunch and
invited the Superbike Pro's and the AMA officials. They would have the
track owner set up a large open tent and provide the tables and chairs. Twins
provided the BQ chicken, beans, potato salad and track owner usually provided
the drinks. We were appreciated so much at the Riverside Ca race track the
sponsor Budweiser brought 50 cases of beer and food for us after the race.
There was NO bug
money for wining a twins race and what there was had to be spread out among
five riders in four different classes. Lot of the riders had to take out loans
make the series. They sometimes grouped together and rented a truck and
put 8 to 10 bikes in it plus tools, racing gas and travel across the USA riding
and sleeping in it. Yes these were the BOTT riders who's names are not legions
spoken of in big racing circles today and no there names are not listed in the
AMA hall of fame or any other hall of fame. Sometimes in life a window opens
for a short time and if your quick enough you get a chance shine and say
‘Ha world I'm somebody' and the window closes and only those that
were there remember and here are names of those few that year of 1981.
Devin Battley,
BMW; Bill Atkinson, BMW; David McClure, Ducati; John Long, BMW; James
Adamo, Ducati; Richard Schachter, Ducati; David Parsons ,BMW; Bob Unger,
Ducati; Ian Gunn, Ducati; Peter Frank, Norton; Wayne Reiss, Moto-Guzz;, Michael
Pangborn, Harley-Davidson; Juan Gonzales, Ducati; Stan Fridus, BMW; Buddy
Turner, Norto;, Michael Dozick, Ducati; Frank Sortelli, Moto-Guzzi; Dallas
Wilson, Ducati; Rick Herndon, Norton; Ed Culbertson, Ducat;, Kurt Liebmann,
BMW; Harrold Phillippe, Harley-Davidson; Dwight Lyons, BMW; Jerry Dean, Ducati;
John Ashmeed, BMW; Paul MacMillian, Ducati; Fritz Augustin, Ducati; Vance
Breese, Harley-Davidson; James Hayett, Triumph; Winfield Hopp, Kawasaki;
William Deitz ,Ducati; Rob Robertson, Ducat; Jerry Wood, Ducati; James Visser,
Ducati; Lance David, Moto-Guzzi; Roger Hutchins, BMW; Scott Brown, BMW; Eugene
Hise, Ducati; Bruce Earley, Ducati; Dave Ropper, Harley-Davidson; James
Mignogna, Yamaha; Vic Fasola, Laverta; David Creek, Ducati; Chris Wycroff
,Ducati; Bob Ramsbottom, Norton; James Bonner, Ducati; Paul Bennett, Norton;
James Woodside, Ducat;, Pat Palmer, Ducati; Steve Hanson, Moto-Guzz;, Ed
Thompson, Moto-Guzzi; John Porter, Ducati; Richard Booth, Moto-Guzz; Hal
Coleman, Harley-Davidso; Gil Greenlaw, Norton; Bert Stuckert, BMW; Jack
O'Neil, Norton; Ed James, Moto-Guzzi; Adrian Heironimus, BMW; John Stapleton,
Moto-Guzz; Donald Jouglard, Ducati; Ed Mullineaux, Ducat; Ely Schless, Triumph;
Doug Gross, Ducati; Michael Shilts, Yamaha; Tom Wegman, Vincent; Walter
Schaefer, Triumph; Bruce Kloete, Ducati; Jeff Hover, Yamaha; Ronald Raymond,
Moto-Guzz; Lee Florin, Harley-Davidsn; Bobby Goodin, Ducati; John Dodge,
Ducat;, Dwaine Williams, Norton; Clifford Lucas, Yamaha; Mike Masters,
Moto-Guzzi; Wendell Phillips, Norton; Danny Lindsey, Honda; David Vendola,
Moto-Guzzi; John Tesauro, Moto-Guzz;, Phil DiStefano, Ducati; Robert Lill,
Ducat;, Larry Theoball, Moto-Guzzi..
This is only 97
of the 165 in BOTT for the first year and these 97 were all on the starting
grid for the 1982 Daytona Speed-week race.
Beginning of the End
The
1981 season had ended that fall at Daytona Pro-Am and the BOTT rules committee
was to meet in Jim France's office Monday to discuss the 1982 season. I got
back to the motel and my brother Dick gave me a call and said for me to watch
my butt tomorrow when I meet with France, as the Japs have cut a deal to cut me
out. Present at meeting were Dwaine Williams, Stan Friduss, Bernard Perkins,
Earl Widman, Mike DiPrete, Jim France, myself and my wife Nancy. It started off
with a fight between Dwaine and Mike over an article in Cycle News where Dwaine
call Depree and rest of AMA officials a bunch of S.O.Bs who couldn't run a road
race if you held their hand. Dwaine asked Mike if he was right and Mike said
"yes we are bunch of S.O.B's but we don't want you saying it in the
paper".
The whole room
cracked up and France said "Now that we know who are the S.O.Bs, can we
get on with the meeting”. France went on to say he had two problems and he has
solved one of them and we were the other one. First he said the four Jap Mfgs
Kawazaki, Honda,Yamaha and Suzuki hadn't been able to grid more than 20
bikes, here and at other tracks, and that does not bring spectators in so I
talked them into paying $1000.00 per privateer rider that finish in first five
positions behind the factory bikes. This will give them some incentive. The Big
Four have also agreed to buy the exclusive at each track to help our expenses
and this is where you, BOTT, come in. You are making the Big Four look bad and
they want me play down PR on the Twins.
So here is the
deal: “Jesse, I know you and FGPRA own the copyright to BOTT so you will turn
it over to the AMA and they will manage it to Mike DiPrete's and MY
satisfaction, and we will let you have some say regarding the rules. Now the
AMA will not pay you a dime for this and if you don't agree to it, I will
rename the BOTT and ban you from this track and every other track in the USA.
Remember that what I don't own I rule. By the way, don't think of taking the
BOTT to WERA or AAMRR or any other alphabet series, because I'll bury them with
you. Know which way you would like it?"
For the sake of
the riders we took the deal and left the meeting and from that day on we would
have no respect left for Jim France. As we left the office DiPrete came up to
me and said he knew the Castrol Oil Company had offered BOTT $20,000.00 for
exclusive for next year. I said so what? Mike said that's too much PR, I'll
give them a call for you and cancel it. If it hadn't been for Dwaine and Earl steeping
in when they did, I would have been in jail…
Copyright Jesse O'Brien 2005