Today in motorcycle history, August 17, 1950

      

   

  The August 17, 1950 issue of "Motor Cycling" (the green 'un') features the Norton Dominator, "Bred in the Finest Tradition of British Motor Cycles".

  Inspired by the wickedly popular success of rival Triumph's pre-war Speed Twin, the weight  of Norton's future was put on the shoulders of Bert Hopwood who had worked on the development of Edward Turner's original Speed Twin design. In 1947 Hopwood laid out his design and as hoped, Hopwood came thru, again.

  The Model 7 Dominator was the Norton factory's first twin-cylinder machine of the modern era and made its debut at the 1948 Earls Court Show. 

  Some specs on the Norton; bore and stroke are 66mm x 72.6mm, 497cc, single carb, OHV vertical-twin with 360 degree crankshaft throws (pistons both rise and fall together, but they fire on alternate strokes - all British vertical twins used this except, for arguments sake, the Triumph Bandit, which was never produced beyond the prototype stage. The Bandit used a 180 degree crank, where one piston is up while the other is down). The engine produced 29bhp @ 6000rpm, with minor tweaking 90 mph was easily achieved with a 'flick of the wrist'.

  Original cost in England was £215.

  "The Unapproachable Norton Dominator, the World's Best Roadholder."

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Today in motorcycle history, August 14, 1921

  

  

  Indian board-track Champion and fan-favorite, Shrimp Burns is killed after crashing his Indian during a board-track race in Toledo, Ohio.

  Albert "Shrimp" Burns was one of the top board-track racers of the 1910's and early '20's, riding for both the Harley-Davidson and Indian factory teams during his career. He was the youngest champion of his era, winning his first title at 15.


  On May 4, 1913, Burns entered his first professional motorcycle race in Sacramento and finished an impressive fourth. That summer, he continued to hone his racing skills on the tracks of Northern California. On August 17, Burns rode against the stars of the day such as Bob Perry, Ray Creviston, Otto Walker and Carl Goudy in a AMA Championship race in Sacramento. Burns took fourth in the 10-mile feature and finished second in another race. The established stars didn't like being upstaged by a 15-year-old kid who looked even younger and rode inferior equipment. Their protests/pouts kept Shrimp out of several of the big race meets that season. He was finally allowed to race against the same group of riders late that season in San Jose and he shocked the riders and the fans by earning his first victory.

  For the next several seasons, Burns continued to race in his home state and steadily earned a following of loyal fans. One reason the fans loved him was because of his toughness and his refusal to quit. In a Marysville, California, race Burns suffered a hard tumble on the wood. He hobbled to the pits and put his bike back together in time for the next race. Riding in obvious pain, Burns went on to win the five-mile final to the roar of the crowd. His friends insisted that Burns be checked by a doctor after the race and it was discovered that he had ridden with a fractured collarbone and broken shoulder.

  In June of 1919, Harley-Davidson signed the 20-year-old rider to his first factory contract.

  With Harley-Davidson, Shrimp Burns was eager to be able to show the rest of the country his talent. On July 4, 1919, he made his first appearance on the East Coast, riding a National meet in Baltimore, Maryland. Burns, who rode in an unusual style by hugging the inside rail around the circuit, won a five-mile solo race as well as a sidecar event. The Baltimore performance set him on the road to gaining a reputation as one of the country's best racers. Burns spent much of the summer of 1919 on a winning streak in Midwest races and even gave the legendary Gene Walker a serious challenge in Atlanta, something no rider had been able to do against the South's almost unbeatable rider.

  In the final major race of the 1919 season, Burns earned the 100-mile National Championship by edging out Ralph Hepburn by mere inches on the board track at Sheepshead Bay, New York.



  Burns shocked the motorcycling community by signing with the Indian factory for the 1920 season. In those days the rivalry between Harley-Davidson and Indian was so intense that it was rare for a rider to make the switch from one factory team to the other. Burns felt he was playing second fiddle to the more established stars of the Harley team and was promised the best available equipment by Indian.

  It didn't take long for Burns to prove his worth to Indian. He took home the very first National title of the 1920 season, winning the 25-mile National at Ascot Park in Los Angeles. According to magazine reports of the day the spectators on hand flooded the track and carried Burns on their shoulders, chanting his name. 

  Burns opened the 1921 season in spectacular fashion, winning on the new 1.25-mile board-track in Beverly Hills, California, before nearly 30,000 fans. After having won the opening race of the day, he crashed hard in the next event, the spill resulted in his hands and arms being a bloody mass of large splinters. The day's racing proceeded with Shrimp apparently out with his injuries. Before the final race of the day the large crowd came to its feet when it was announced that he would attempt to race. He borrowed a bike and rode with bandages covering him from his fingertips to shoulders. Early in the race it appeared that Burns was content to simply ride mid-pack in the draft of the others. On the last lap Burns made his move and went high on the final turn and sped down the steep banking to win the race in one of the afternoon's most dauntless performances. Later, a cartoon strip in a local newspaper showed Shrimp bandaged from head-to-toe racing in front of admiring fans shouting his praises.

  On August 14, during a AMA-sanctioned board-track race in Toledo, Ohio, coming out of a turn Burns ran into the back of *Ray Weishaar's Harley-Davidson. The impact sent Burns into the railing and he later died of massive head injuries. The motorcycling world deeply mourned his loss. Numerous tributes were written about him for months following the accident.




  Albert "Shrimp" Burns was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.





  *Ray Weishaar rode for the H-D's legendary 'Wrecking Crew,' and helped to popularize the nickname 'hog' by carrying the team's mascot, a small pig, around on their victory laps, of which there were many.

  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk

Today in motorcycle history, August 12, 1979

  


  

  In what would be one of the closest races in Grand Prix history, American Kenny Roberts wins the 1979 500cc British Grand Prix at Silverstone, in Northamptonshire.

  Britain's Barry Sheene, California's Kenny Roberts and the Dutchman Wil Hartog broke away from the rest of the field as soon as the race started. After only a few laps, Hartog fell off the pace as Sheene and Roberts battled for the lead. They would continue to swap the lead throughout the 28 lap event with the guy from Modesto winning by just three-hundreds of a second.




  Minutes before the start of the race, Roberts' Yamaha blew a seal and sprayed the bike with oil. His crew managed to replace the seal in time but, Roberts went to the starting line with his gloves coated with oil, causing his hand to slip on the throttle during the race.




  After an eleven-year absence from World Championship racing, Honda returned to competition with the exotic, four-stroke NR500 ridden by riders Mick Grant and Takazumi Katayama. The bike featured an engine with oval-shaped cylinders as well as a monocoque (see 1973 IOM Norton John Player Special) chassis. Both bikes retired from the race, Grant crashing out on the first turn after the bike spilled oil onto his rear tire. Katayama retired on the seventh lap due to ignition problems








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Today in motorcycle history, August 11, 2004

    

  AMA Expert-ranked Grand National number 64 Aaron Creamer crashes during an AMA Pro Racing Hot Shoe event on the half-mile oval at the Sturgis Fairgrounds in Sturgis, South Dakota. 

  Aaron "The Screamer" Creamer was running fourth on lap two of the 505cc Expert main event, (an AMA Hot Shoe National), when a chain-reaction accident occurred involving several riders. Creamer was transported to Rapid City Regional Hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota, and placed on life support. He was pronounced dead the following morning, according to an official press release issued by AMA Pro Racing.


  Creamer, was sponsored by the eastern regional newspaper Motorcyclist’s Post, campaigned as a GNC rookie during the 2002 AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championships, where he scored two points to finish 52nd in the series standings. In 2003, he joined forces with veteran tuner Eddie Adkins, improving to 27th. For 2004, Creamer and Motorcyclist’s Post owner Leo Castell put together a solid effort, recently announcing backing from Digatron, a developer of performance data acquisition systems. He had made two GNC main event starts thus far in the season, finishing 18th at the Springfield Mile and 15th at the Lima, Ohio, Half Mile.



  “I’m devastated by this,” Castell, Creamer’s longtime sponsor, said. “When you sponsor someone for a long time, they become like a family member. It’s a shame that this happened. This was one of those deals where Aaron was doing everything right, and still it happened. Aaron was coming around, and he was getting faster and faster. He may not have been one of the fastest riders yet, but he was certainly one of the best-liked.”

  Aaron Creamer was 24.

  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk

Today in motorcycle history, August 10, 2006

  

  

  Off-road motorcycle racer and Australian legend, Andy Caldecott is born in Keith, South Australia.

  Andy Caldecott won the Australian Safari Rally four times consecutively (2000–2003) and was a competitor in the Dakar Rally in 2004 (DNF), 2005 (6th), and 2006.

  Tragically, during the 2006 Dakar Rally Andy Caldecott died from a neck injury sustained in a crash during the ninth stage, 155 miles into the 372 mile special stage from Nouakchott to Kiffa. His death would be the 23rd in the 28 years of the rally.

   The local speedway track was renamed in his honor.

  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk

Today in motorcycle history, August 7, 1972

  

  

  One of the great Grand Prix riders of the 1940's, Ulster's Artie Bell dies at 67.

  While riding his 1939 Norton, Artie Bell participated in several races in the immediate post-WWII period including the 1946 Cookstown 100 and winning both the 1947 500cc Ulster Grand Prix (where he set a new lap record of 94.79 mph) and the North West 200.

  Following his North West 200 performance Norton race manager Joe Craig signed him up for the 1947 works team. The 1947 Isle of Man was the perfect example of being thrown in the deep end. Other than a visit, along with his wife, to the Isle of Man in 1935 as a spectator he had absolutely zero experience there. Bell went to the Island two weeks before official practice began and spent the time doing intensive research and note taking, he applied himself to learning the most demanding circuit in the world.

  Regardless of his lack of experience, Bell led the 1947 Senior for three laps. When he pitted for fuel Craig ordered him to ease his pace. Artie obeyed his manager, allowing Harold Daniell to come through and win his second Senior. Bell’s second place and fastest lap in his very first Senior made the motorcycle world to take notice.

 The next season he claimed first in the Senior TT race and third in the Junior. In 1949 he placed third and fourth as well as winning the North West 200 again. When Norton introduced it's Featherbed frame in 1950 it would contribute to his winning the 1950 Junior TT and second place in the Senior. Artie Bell would win the North West 200 for a third time.

  Sadly, Bell's promising career came to an end following a crash at the 1950 Belgian Grand Prix. During the 500cc Class race at the extremely fast Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the leader Carlo Bandirola was being followed by Les Graham and Bell. When Bandirola braked early for La Source Hairpin, the AJS Porcupine ridden by Graham hit the rear wheel of Bandirola's bike. Graham was thrown clear and Bell hit both their bikes at high speed, slamming into a timing-post. Miraculously, Bell survived serious injury, but was unable to race again.



  In 1996 the Irish Post Office issued a set of postage stamps of notable Irish motorcyclists that included Artie Bell.

  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk

Today in motorcycle history, August 6, 1978

  


   

  Rick 'The Lumberjack' Burgett wins the 500cc Class Motocross at Pine Top Motorcycle Park in Escoheag, Rhode Island en route to laying claim to the 1978 AMA Motocross National Championship.

  Riding a 500cc two-stroke Yamaha, from July 2, 1978 at RedBud Track 'n Trail in Buchanan, Michigan to August 27, 1978 at Sunshine Park in St. Petersburg, Florida, a span of 7 AMA National races 'The Lumberjack' would win 6 and place third in the lone 500MX race he didn't win. 

  Straight out of the woods of Oregon, Rick Burgett was the first rider from the NW to taste the laurels of a National Championship. Admired and respected throughout the Motocross world, Burgett was inducted into the Washington State Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2015.







  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk