Dirt Track Rider of the Month

CHARLIE:

In 1969, I saw my first flat track race on a beautiful half-mile horseracing track in Roanoke, VA. It was love at first sight! One of the coolest things I remember about that day was meeting Bobby Yarborough. Although he was only seven years old (I was eight), he was already racing on a half-mile track against grown men and winning! Bobby Yarborough and I became friends and raced together many times over the next eight years. My first race was at Charlotte Court House, VA, in 1972 on a Hodaka 100 Super Rat.

TIM:

My enthusiasm for flat track racing began as a teenager when working at Yamaha of Atlanta in the early ‘70s. While my racing involvement was short lived, the love for the sport stayed with me and was re-ignited when I reconnected with Ed Salley in the early 2000s when looking for vintage Yamaha parts

CHARLIE:

It’s hard to pick my favorite race. I’ve enjoyed every one of them since 1972. My favorite moment of a race from this century (2018) would be a come-from-behind win against David Aldana to win my first AHRMA National on the TT500 built by Tim Bolin.

FAVORITE TRACKS?

CHARLIE:

I love cushion half-miles, so I would say that my favorite tracks are Harrington, DE, Lima, OH, and Frederick, MD. My favorite short tracks would be Aonia Pass, GA, Mid-Carolina Speedway, and Tar Heel Speedway (Tar Heel, NC).

WHAT CLASSES DO YOU RUN?

Seventies Singles 50+ Four-stroke Super Singles.

HOW LONG HAVE THE TWO OF YOU BEEN RACING TOGETHER?

CHARLIE:

Tim and I met in 2004 at Mid-Carolina Speedway through Ed Salley. Out of the blue, Ed Salley came up to me and said, “If you ever need someone to help you, I know a guy who lives in Mt. Pleasant that loves flat track racing.” I called Tim the next day (17 years ago), and we’ve been best friends ever since. Our race team is called Circle Burner Racing.

WHAT BIKE DO YOU CURRENTLY RACE?

CHARLIE:

Yamaha TT500 in a Knight frame, built and maintained by Tim Bolin

AHRMA

CHAMPIONSHIPS?

Four-stroke Super Singles Champion in 2018 and 2020

2022 SEASON PLANS?

CHARLIE:

Next year I’ll be racing in the Sportsman 750 class on a Yamaha 750 built by Tim Bolin and continue racing in Seventies Singles 50+ and Four-stroke Super Singles I want to publicly thank Tim Bolin for being my sole sponsor these past five years, for building a fast bike, and for building a safe bike. I would not have been able to go racing without his support.

TIM:

We have enjoyed many victories and even a couple of AHRMA Class Championships and those would not have happened had it not been for the influences of our late friends, Pop, Ed, and Pete. To every race we carry their memory!

DIRT TRACK RIDER OF THE MONTH