Priceville National - DT

from AHRMA MAG March 2021, Vol. No. 3, Issue No. 2

by AHRMA

ACP National - MX

BATTLE IN BAMA

4SR AHRMA NATIONAL VINTAGE

DIRT TRACK SERIES

Joey Rayborn

As the sun sets on Celebration Arena, David Aldana stands before a crowd of over 100. There's a bitter chill in the air and a tense quiet that fills the arena during the riders meeting. Luckily, the excitement to do battle on the track and get AHRMA’s first 2021 National race event underway is about to change all that. The thunderous roar of engines coming to life, the smell of high octane and two-stroke exhaust play on the senses and build the anticipation. Riders make last minute adjustments to their bikes, slip into their leathers, strap their steel shoe on tight and helmets even tighter. Who will be victorious? Who will set the pace and dare others to challenge them? The rivalries are made, the friendships formed; the bonds that bring them together on the battlefield we call ‘Dirt Track.’

The PA horns signal the battle is about to begin. Warriors and their mighty steeds head to the starting line. Seasoned veterans stand calm while rookies feel the firsttime jitters. A race can be won or lost in the first turn. Your race can also end right there if you make the wrong

BATTLE IN BAMA

PRICEVILLE, AL JAN. 16TH

BY: RICHARD BRODOCK PHOTOS BY: EDDIE RAPIDPHOTO

Gary Pettis (708) chasing David Aldana David Aldana

move Do you have the nerve to dive in and fight for the hole shot or sit back and pick your moment to pass right before the checked flag? The choice is yours, make it a wise one, but know this; you don’t have a lot of time to fix a bad choice if you fall behind. Ok, you’ve made your choice, the flag falls, the arena comes to life, and the first 40 feet are the most important. Get there first and make the rest work for it.

First on the track are the dinosaur, Classic 250, 500, and 750 classes. These pre-1967 machines, led by Dave Kaufman (c73) and Jeff Durand (79), rip around the track with no brakes for six laps, Triumphs and Royal Enfields side-by-side, competing once again for victory. Right behind them, Beni Rodi (27) and Preston Palmer (59D) finish less than a second apart.

Next to take to the battlefield is a mixed batch of four-stroke and two-stroke singles. The smoke, the ringing, the thumping sound of thunder. They jockey for position inches apart at speeds up to 50 MPH. Always on the edge and always watching for weakness

Mark Zeissler (65), Lance Jones (23), Charlie Roberts (64), Joey Rayborn (12)

in their opponents. Leading the way is David Aldana (13) and Charlie Roberts (64), but they would not go unchallenged. Joey Raborn (12) and Lance Jones (23) put down some great lap times while giving chase to Roberts in the new-for-2021 Spanish Cup, finishing one, two, three, respectively. David Aldana had his hands full in the combined Sportsman Class (Sportsman 250, 600, 750). Richard Brodock (278) was hot on his heels with Dave Kaufman (c73) and Steve Rogers (77x) close in tow.

With the newly added Director’s Choice Lightweight Vintage class, combined with Seventies Singles, Aldana (13) and Brodock (278) lined up next to each other again, with newcomer, Gary Pettis (708). While Aldana slipped out front Pettis and Brodock went back and forth the entire race. Gary gave a great effort in his first flat track race on his newly acquired Yamaha 500 and only fell short on the last lap to finish third in the race but second in his class behind Aldana. Aldana and Pettis would again share the track along with Joey Raborn (12), Chris Graber (17) and Steve Hall (7x) in the Senior Seventies 50+ and Super Senior combined race.

On this day there are no losers. To the victors go the spoils and the rest go on to fight another day. Thank you to those who race bar-to-bar, inches apart, sliding sideways in the dirt to entertain us in the quest to become the next AHRMA Dirt Track champions.

An extra special thank you to Tom Schumann, Sam Brown and the rest of the Tennessee Valley Flat track crew for putting on a great event and welcoming AHRMA’s dirt track racers.