This is the 1975 program for the Stock Car and Motorcycle races held at Santa Fe Speedway which was located in the Chicago suburb of Willow springs, Illinois. 56-Pages
Some of the contents:
1975 Motorycle Races
It's man and machine in one of the most daring and, dangerous of all motor sports... it is called Short Track Motorcycle Racing. The rider's only protection is his colorful set of leathers and his ability to sit astride his "bike" as he hurtles it around the track at speeds of 80 miles per hour in wheel to wheel competition.
The Maywood Mustangs put it all together for the motorcycle races. When Bill Robbins, a Maywood policeman, started the Maywood Mustangs Motorcycle Club back in 1944-45, little did he know that twenty-seven years later his idea had blossomed into the greatest friend a Midwest motorcycling enthusiast could have - the nationally famous short-track "Professional" cycle shows at Santa Fe Speedway. Under direction of their 1975 president, Tom Mackey, the Mustangs handle each facet of the show. Members fill the positions of starter, timekeeper, scorer, clerk, cornermen, and pit steward.
The Art of Motorcycle Racing and It's Finer Points
Short Track Motorcycle Racing is something akin to running full speed through traffic on a tightrope with something balanced in each hand. At the start of the race, the rider sits with right hand on the throttle and left hand on the clutch blipping the throttle trying to give his machine "just" enough gas to build the RPMs to the peak point needed for a shot off the line. A fine touch on the throttle is essential because too much gas can cause a wheelie or can over load the engine and bog it down. The rider, balanced on his bike, eyes the starter, He wants to be the first man off the line but not to jump the flag.
If he jumps the flag, he is penalized by being handicapped and having to start from the Penalty Line behind the grid. When the flag drops, the riders leave the line; they shift into second gear and hand on throttle enter the turn. While some riders will then "pitch" their bikes into the turns, most of the faster ones will "drive" it through. As the rider sets up for the turn, his left foot will come off the peg and skim the ground. This gives the rider the feel of his angle through the turn and acts as "outrigger" to keep him upright in case he has given the bike too much gas coming out and caused the rear wheel to drift too wide on him.
Sliding through the short chute and accelerating out of the second turn, the rider shifts into third gear where the majority of riders will remain for the rest of the race. The preparation to race flat out at 75 MPH as these riders do, actually begins in practice when the rider makes his judgment of what the track condition is that night. He then selects the gear ratio and type of tire that he feels will give him the maximum traction and speed combination that he will need in order to outride the other competitors. Dirt track conditions are constantly changing and the "track-wise" rider will often make a change in his gear and tires between races. A dirt track can have a loose dirt covering over a hard base or a tightly packed clay surface - hence hard and fast like Santa Fe - over a spongy base. In the course of the night, the line that the mojority of the riders take as they race around the track becomes hard and smooth and visable to the eye; this is referred to as the "groove". A rider may or may not "ride groove" depending on his style. It depends on how he has set up his machine. He may elect to run in the loose stuff spraying dirt from the rear wheel as they run flat out in an all-out effort to win.
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Some of the pictures in this program include:
1974 Santa Fe Speedway Motorcycle Champions - Mike Gerald, Donald Doutre, Steve Elo, Randy Cleek (also includes a list of champions past from 1953 to 1974)
1974 Top 10 Experts - they came a long way to ride the clay at Santa Fe
pictured in action: Mike Gerald, Randy Cleek, Jimmy Lee, Clifford "Corkey" Keener, Phil McDonald, Darryl Hurst, Robert E. Lee, Paul Pressgrove, George Wills, Billy O'Brien
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Half Mile Motorcycle Classics and TT Events
Pictured: Jay Springsteen, "Corkey" Keener, Randy Cleek
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Program also includes:
Santa Fe Motorcycle Track Records
Points Final 1974
and
The Santa Fe 1974 Grand National Championship
Kenny Roberts National Number One
Pictured: Kenny Roberts, Mike Gerald, John Hately
The Story:
Fourteen riders - the very best at what they do - started what turned out to be the roughest and toughest Grand National Race in Santa Fe's History. Red Flagged twice before a full lap could be run, the first time it was when the King of the Short Trackers, Mike Gerald went down as the pack charged four abreast into the number one turn and a second time when a trio of riders bit the dirt entering the third turn; it was hot and heavy racing when the green waved. Mike Gerald led the first lap, but Mike Kidd zoomed by to take over the top spot. Kidd was forced high by a hard charging Kenny Roberts as Roberts took over top spot. The race was red flagged for the final time when Kidd hit the wall and was hospitalized with a broken leg. Finish - Roberts, Gerald, and Hately.
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This vintage Santa Fe program, a piece of motorcycle racing history, also includes a list of Past Grand National Short-Track Champions from 1961 to 1974.
1975 Santa Fe Speedway Stock Car & Motorcycle Racing Program available at
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