SAMMY TANNER RECEIVES DICK HAMMER AWARD

The “Flying Flea” receives the Trailblazers’ top award at 68th annual banquet. Photo by Mahony Photos.

In 2000, Skip Van Leeuwen, Tom Cates and Jim Feuling came up with the idea of honoring motorcycle racing legend Dick Hammer at the Del Mar Show. Hammer, who at the time was still winning a ten-year battle with cancer, had throughout his life demonstrated a rare level of “Desire, Determination and Dedication” in everything he pursued, from racing motorcycles to his fight with cancer.

A special perpetual trophy was created and Dick was the first recipient. He was surprised with the presentation of the trophy and well pleased to have an ongoing award carrying his name as a part of the popular Del Mar motorcycle event. The following year the honors went to 1970 AMA Grand National Champion Gene Romero, followed by racing great Joe Leonard.

Motorcycle racing ended at Del Mar in 2002 however, so the idea was presented to the Trailblazers to make it a part of our annual banquet. It has not only been a part of the Trailblazers annual banquet ever since, it is the club’s highest award.

For 2012, the Trailblazers Board of Directors considered many candidates, but unanimously agreed that Sammy Tanner best lived up to the Hammer’s “Desire, Determination and Dedication” criteria and we are proud to present him the award this year.

Tanner was born in Houston, Texas in 1939. He started riding motorcycles at age 14 and soon was riding and racing Triumphs on the midwest county fair circuit. 1958 was his rookie year in AMA Pro Racing and he scored the top ½-mile points in the country, and was 6th overall in National points. He moved to California and in 1959 scored his first AMA National win at Ascot Park riding a Triumph 500 twin.

Sammy later switched to a BSA Gold Star and went on to repeat victories at the 8-Mile National three more times, as well as wins at Elkhorn, Wisc., Heidelberg, Pa. and the famed Springfield 50-Mile National in 1964. He continued racing into the 1970s, including a stint in Speedway racing, before hanging it up and devoting full time to his Sammy Tanner Distributing Company that he continues to operate today.

On Saturday, April 14th, Tanner received his award at the club’s 68th annual banquet, which drew over 600 attendees. The program also included a toast to legendary race builder and tuner Shell Thuet, who passed away in July of 2011, as well as the Trailblazers Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Jim McMurren, Dan Rouit, Eddie Lawson, Sam & Gene Dempsey, Steve Scott, Ray Tanner, Bob Sirkegian Sr. and John Rice.

The date for the 2013 Trailblazers banquet will be announced here in the near future.

TRAILBLAZERS ELECT “JOHN R” TO HALL OF FAME

The Trailblazers Motorcycle Club has announced John Rice, better known as “John R,” as one of its 2012 Hall of Fame inductees. He joins previously announced inductees Jim McMurren, Eddie Lawson, Bob Sirkegian Sr., Dan Rouit, Steve Scott, Sam & Gene Dempsey and Ray Tanner to be honored at its 68th annual banquet on Saturday, April 14th.

John was born in 1933 in Long Beach and graduated from Jordan High School in 1954. He was married and has two daughters, Robin Capps and Tami Rice Greenhill, who is still an active motorcyclist.

Rice was, as many young men in the 1950s, very interested in motorcycles and bought his first two-wheeled ride, a Cushman scooter in 1956. That only lit a spark however and soon after he purchased a BSA 650 Golden Flash. He rode more and more and then decided to take the next step and try racing. John purchased a 350cc BSA Catalina Scrambler and was ready to go for 1957.

His first “race” was at the old Lancaster fairgrounds and didn’t go very well. John entered an enduro, not understanding that an enduro is a timed event, and as was his style, he rode wide open the whole way. Next he tried a Scrambles race at the “Rusty Nails” track in San Pedro and led the race until he got a flat tire on his BSA. Scrambles was more to his liking and soon became his favorite type of racing. He rode every Scrambles race that year, finishing 7th in the district and a very credible 5th in class at the Catalina Grand Prix.

In 1958 John joined the Army and was stationed at Fort Ord. He continued to race almost every weekend, breaking his arm at Perris when he fell and was run over by Elliott Schultz. He came up with a story that the Army would buy; however, he cut the cast off his broken arm every week and had the Army medics re-do it on Mondays. That, he says, took a lot of explaining.

At the time Fred Moxley of Lakewood BSA helped him and stored his motorcycle for him. One weekend he left the base and wasn’t going to race, but decided to go to Perris to watch and saw a young rider racing his BSA. John asked the rider what he was doing on his BSA and the rider promptly said Fred Moxley said it was okay. Thus began a friendship with Monte Darling that has lasted ever since.

John left the Army in September of 1960 and came back to Southern California and began working in the aircraft industry for a while, then motorcycles called again and he went to work for Monte Darling at Norm Best BSA in Buena Park. He stayed in the motorcycle business and later accepted an offer to work at Long Beach Honda, where he worked for the next 12 years.

At Long Beach Honda he started riding Honda 305 Super Hawks because they were faster than his BSA. He rode District 37 events every weekend and even rode Ascot Park as an AMA pro Novice in 1961 and 1962 for Norm Reeves. John decided that professional racing at Ascot was just too dangerous and wasn’t as much fun as Sportsman racing, so he returned to District 37 racing. In 1967 he got a Honda 450 twin and went to Perris to try to beat one of his heroes, Jim Hunter. He won the number one plate in the very tough 500 Expert class in 1967 and 1968.

While doing all of the Scrambles in Southern California he managed to ride Hopetown several times, eventually winning the 100cc class and the 125cc class on DKW for Ted Lapidakis. He also won the 350 and 500 Expert classes, almost winning the Open Expert on a 501 Maico, it broke while he was leading. In the last year of the Elsinore Grand Prix, while leading overall, he hit a spectator, crashed and broke his nose. He got up and went to the pits to repair the bike as best possible and ended up finishing second to Steve Hurd.

Rice also won the District 37 Perpetual Trophy for the 400 Expert class that year. The names on the trophy are a who’s who in Southern California racing history. Next he decided to try his luck at District 37 motocross and in 1969 became the number one rider in the 500 Expert class. He continued riding motocross until 1976 when he quit racing and started in another sport, endurance horse racing. In 1996 John again began racing with AHRMA Vintage Motocross on a vintage Honda. Unfortunately he broke his hip, which ended his active racing days.

John rode for, and was sponsored by Long Beach Honda, Ted Lapidakis, Frank Cooper, Norm Reeves Honda and Norm Best BSA. He has always been a serious competitor and definitely a trailblazer. He has lived in Ridgecrest, CA since 1995 and still rides off-road as often as he can and helps the Viewfinders Motorcycle Club lay out desert race courses and put on their races.

John Rice is still active in motorcycling and a true trailblazer, racer and a credit to the sport. He is one of the ironmen of early Scrambles events and motocross and a well-deserved inductee into the Trailblazers Hall of Fame. The 68th annual Trailblazers banquet will be held on Saturday, April 14th at the Carson Center in Carson, CA. The evening’s dinner and awards presentations will follow the Tom Cates Memorial Bike Show which will begin at 3:00 pm. Tickets are on sale and going fast online at: www.trailblazersmc.com.

TRAILBLAZERS ELECT DEMPSEY BROTHERS TO HALL OF FAME

The Trailblazers Motorcycle Club has announced brothers Gene and Sam Dempsey among its 2012 Hall of Fame inductees. They join previously announced inductees Jim McMurren, Eddie Lawson, Bob Sirkegian Sr., Dan Rouit, Steve Scott and Ray Tanner to be honored at its 68th annual banquet on Saturday, April 14th.

Gene (pictured above in 1961) and Sam started riding, and then racing, motorcycles in the early 1960s. At that time big British bikes were the rage and the Dempseys rode Triumphs. They were both working in construction then, and after working all week would prep their bikes on Saturdays and race the desert on Sundays. That was their routine for about ten years. Along the way Gene started his own construction company and Sam joined the L.A. City Fire

In 1970 the Dempseys first raced in the now-famous Baja 1000 from Ensenada to La Paz. They rode a 650 Triumph and finished 4th overall. In those days Baja was a two- man race, so Gene rode the first half and Sam rode it to the finish. Department in 1974 after completing five years for the Ventura Fire Department. Sam retired in 2007 after 33 years.

As the years went by the courses got rougher and rougher and were more physically demanding. There were three races per year in Baja: the San Felipe 250, Baja 500 and the Baja 1000. Along the way some additional riders joined their team. They included Jim O’Neal, Steve Hurd, Dick Vick, Ron Bishop, Lou Peralta, Mike Harper, Charlie Marshall, Chuck Koistra, Dave Lapraik and Bill Nichols.

Through the years they followed the age classes: 30, 40, 50, and presently in the 60 class. They have now ridden in all five classes with many wins and class championship awards. Gene and Sam (pictured at right in 1967) rode together for fifty years, ten years in the desert and forty years in Baja. In 2007 Don Lewis joined up with the Dempseys team and has won four class 60 championhips riding all three Baja races each year. Gene Dempsey passed away in September, 2009 from cancer. He was Sam’s brother, best friend and racing partner. According to Sam, “My personal passion for motorcycle racing for all these years could only be exceeded by Gene. He was one of a kind as everyone who knew him would tell you. He is greatly missed by all, but mostly by me.”

The Trailblazers congratulates Sam Dempsey and his late-brother Gene for a lifetime of motorcycling excellence. The 68th annual Trailblazers banquet will be held on Saturday, April 14th at the Carson Center in Carson, CA. The evening’s dinner and awards presentations will follow the Tom Cates Memorial Bike Show which will begin at 3:00 pm. Tickets will go on sale in January online at: www.trailblazersmc.com.

TRAILBLAZERS ELECT RAY TANNER TO HOF

The Trailblazers Motorcycle Club has announced Ray Tanner as one of its 2012 Hall of Fame inductees. He joins previously announced inductees Jim McMurren, Eddie Lawson, Bob Sirkegian Sr., Steve Scott and Dan Rouit to be honored at its upcoming 68th annual banquet.

Ray Tanner was born in 1922 in Salt Lake City Utah where he lived until he was 12. After the family moved to Los Angeles, Ray grew up with some interesting siblings: a brother who was a Harvard lawyer, another brother who became a millionaire industrialist, a sister who was a radical leftist socialist, a sister who became an elite socialite in Hollywood, and another sister who married a Chicago Bears quarterback.

After he got his driver’s license Ray was a terror on the street. He got kicked out of High School for spinning donuts on his Harley VLH in the lunch yard. Then again for riding down the street in front of the school standing on the seat, with the high school quarterback doing a hand stand on the pillion pad behind him. He was constantly getting into high speed chases by L.A. police and to avoid capture he mounted the license plate of his bike upside down.

Tanner was drafted into the Army in 1941. He participated in the Normandy invasion in June 1944, was in Battle of the Bulge in the Arden’s forest Jan 1945 and marched into Berlin. He was wounded 3 times and received the Purple Heart and two Oak Leaf Clusters.

After the war, Ray began racing his own VLH that was built by an L.A. tuner called “Little George.” He only had three sponsors over his entire race career: Joe Walker, Rich Budelier and Mel Dinesen, plus support from Walter Davidson from the Harley-Davidson Motor Company who pitched in monetary support, especially for the Catalina events where Ray was virtually always the best finishing Harley.

His first sponsor was Joe Walker. When Joe’s main rider got hurt, Ray got the ride for the 1947 Riverside TT National. He won that 100-mile race ahead of fellow Harley rider Floyd Emde.

In 1949 Ray began riding for Rich Budelier’s L.A. Harley shop because Walker would not field a 74 inch Harley along with the WR. Rich gave Ray a Harley 45 to race half-miles on, a 74 inch Knucklehead to ride TT’s, and another Knucklehead to ride on the street and to use in off-road races.

For one year, when the AMA pros rode outlaw races in protest over the lack of insurance, Ray rode Dinesen’s potent Indian Chief and was undefeated at the old Lodi Grape Bowl TT (the track prior to the Cycle Bowl currently in place).

When not racing Ray worked as a truck driver, line driver in tank trucks, and his routes were L.A. to Phoenix, L.A. to Oakland, L.A. to Kayesville Utah. The companies he drove for were Langley, PIE, and Ringsby. His wife Barbara was raised as an orphan in a Shreveport Louisiana convent and they met at a motorcycle race.

In addition to winning the AMA TT National at Riverside in 1947, Tanner’s career victories included winning the 1946 Three Point National Hare and Hound desert race, 1952 Gold Rush Hare and Hound, 1953 Greenhorn 500-mile Enduro on the new Harley K-model (which Harley advertised significantly), the Cactus Derby and the 1954 Pacific Coast TT Championship. He once led the Big Bear race to last check point until he hit some ice in Fawnskin putting him and his Harley 74 into a ditch. This handed the win to Dick Page and Ray got up to finish second.

Ray quit racing when he was still fast. In his last year, 1958, both he and Ed Kretz beat Joe Leonard at a TT at Carroll Speedway. Kretz told Ray after the race, “We can still put it to the kids.” That same year Ray was 6th at Catalina.

Ray’s son Cary mentioned how his dad enjoyed telling stories of his racing days and of his fondness for his competitors and riding friends such as Floyd Emde, Ed Kretz Sr., Jimmy Phillips, Don Hawley, Chuck Minert and Chuck Wheat Sr. and Jr.

His favorite motorcycle was a 74-inch Harley, always a hard tail, and the only one in his view that deserved the title “Hog.” According to Minert all other smaller motorcycles were termed by Ray to be “paper route machines.” Tanner died at age 59, and is buried at the military cemetery in Riverside, not far from the old Box Springs Riverside track.

The Trailblazers look forward to honoring Ray Tanner for a lifetime of motorcycling excellence at the 68th annual Trailblazers banquet to be held on Saturday, April 14th at the Carson Center in Carson, CA. The evening’s dinner and awards presentations will follow the Tom Cates Memorial Bike Show which will begin at 3:00 pm. Tickets are now on sale online at: www.trailblazersmc.com.

TRAILBLAZERS ELECT STEVE SCOTT TO HALL OF FAME

The Trailblazers Motorcycle Club has announced Steve Scott as the fifth of its 2012 Hall of Fame inductees. He joins previously announced inductees Jim McMurren, Eddie Lawson, Bob Sirkegian Sr. and Dan Rouit to be honored at its 68th annual banquet on Saturday, April 14th.

While many motorcycle racers of his era specialized in one certain aspect of the sport, Steve Scott excelled in many different types of events ranging from Scrambles and TT to Short Track, Half-Mile, Motocross, Speedway, Roadracing, the Elsinore Grand Prix and the famed Pikes Peak Hillclimb.

He started riding motorcycles in 1957 on dirt roads in the Santa Monica mountains. Some of his first bikes included Whizzer, Powell and Cushman scooters, a 125cc James, 125cc and 165cc Harley-Davidson Hummers, an old Tiger Cub with plunger suspension and a Honda 50cc C110. In 1963 he bought a 1961 Tiger Cub that he raced at Acton, Spencer Park and El Toro Speedway. That same year he also got into the motorcycle business, working at Honda of Santa Monica.

In 1964 he purchased a used 200cc Bultaco Sherpa S to race ACA Short Tracks at El Toro and earned the #1 plate there for 1964 & ’65. He also rode Ascot 1/2-mile and TTs as an AMA Class C Novice. “It was a good year, and very educational,” said Steve, “I got to eat a lot of dust by the likes of Gene Romero, Malcolm Smith, Jimmy Nicholson, Chuck Palmgren, Paul Conserriere, Glen Hayes, Sonny Nutter and many others.” Steve joined the Dirt Diggers Motorcycle Club that year and in Amateur racing earned the District 37 #2 lightweight plate. His success on the Bultaco got the attention of Doug and Wally Yerkes from Bultaco Western. Not only did they support his racing efforts, but they gave him a job too.

In an age of lightweight racing dominated by Triumph Cubs and Harley Sprints, Steve changed the landscape dramatically in 1965 when he got one of the first 250cc yellow Bultaco Metisse race bikes and earned the #1 District 37 plate. A lot of weeks he would race 5 times or more a week in Scrambles, Short Tracks and TTs at Ascot and El Cajon Speedway. El Cajon had an AMA Class C lightweight and heavyweight championship and Steve ended up high point lightweight rider for the year (Trailblazers Hall of Famer Jack Simmons was high point heavyweight class rider). Steve also went on the road for Bultaco Western that year setting up dealers and doing some racing in Oklahoma and also up at the Sidewinders TT in Portland, Oregon where he finished 1st place in the 250cc class.

In 1966 he decided to stay closer to home and with a lot of help from Bultaco Western, opened Steve’s Bultaco in North Hollywood. Motocross was just getting started in America and Steve raced some of the first events held here, including the Dirt Diggers first race at Hopetown. World MX Champion Torsten Hallman was there, which made it an international event. Steve got the hole shot and lead the race for a while, ultimately finishing 2nd to Hallman and first American rider.

By 1967 Steve had his Class C Expert Competition license and raced Ascot TTs on Larry Wilburn’s 650 Triumph and Larry rode his Bultaco. “I got the better part of that deal!” Steve remembers. In the 1968 Elsinore 100-mile Grand Prix, Steve got 1st overall on a new Bultaco 360cc El Bandito and also raced in a few Speedway races. He sold Steve’s Bultaco in 1969 and went to Spain to race Motocross for Bultaco. But after a couple of months came down with Hepatitis and returned to the United States to recoup.

In 1972 he started manufacturing aftermarket Bultaco parts such as engine gaskets, clutch springs, fork springs and tools, etc…parts that were sometimes hard to find at Bultaco dealers. That year he also raced the Pikes Peak Hillclimb for the first time. On a rainy and cold day, Steve started the race from the last row on a 250cc Bultaco Astro and about halfway up got the lead and held it to the finish. He was protested, but found to be legal and declared the 250cc class winner. He went on to win the 250cc class the next five years in a row.

In 1976 he sold his house and moved to Woodland Park, CO, which is at the base of Pikes Peak. He opened a motorcycle distributing company selling his line of parts and accessories and other motorcycle products to dealers in Colorado and throughout the USA.

Steve won his sixth 250cc pro race at Pikes Peak in 1979, then his long-running string of success at Pikes Peak had a dry spell for a few years with various mechanical problems. But at the 1985 Pikes Peak Hillclimb, American Honda donated 15 new 350cc XRs to be raced in a Jolly Rancher Celebrity Challenge by some previous winners and other invited riders, including Malcolm Smith. Despite the legendary competition that day, Steve took home the winner’s trophy.

Showing his versatility, Steve got into roadracing in the mid-1980s. In 1985 he rode a couple of 6 Hour roadraces with teammate Chuck Lee. “We made a good team,” said Steve. “Chuck was fast and I was ‘fast enough’ at Aspen and we finished 2nd overall in the Superbike class.” Then they scored an overall victory at Pueblo International Raceway at round #12 of the US Endurance Championship. Steve recalled, “Chuck got the holeshot and about 2 hours into the race it started raining. We lapped the field many times, being dirt trackers we liked it sideways!”

Later in the year Steve got invited to the Superbikers race at Carlsbad. His first ride in that all-new type of event did not go great. He rode Rob Muzzy’s 465 Yamaha short tracker and finished 16th in the main. But in 1993 he returned to Carlsbad for another try. He rode a CR500 Honda in the 500 pro class and finished 3rd in his last competitive event to date.

The Trailblazers congratulates Steve Scott for a lifetime of motorcycling excellence. The 68th annual Trailblazers banquet will be held on Saturday, April 14th at the Carson Center in Carson, CA. The evening’s dinner and awards presentations will follow the Tom Cates Memorial Bike Show which will begin at 3:00 pm. Tickets will go on sale in January online at: www.trailblazersmc.com.

DAN ROUIT ELECTED TO TRAILBLAZERS HALL OF FAME

The Trailblazers M.C. have announced that Dan Rouit will be among its Class of 2012 Hall of Fame inductees to be honored at the 68th annual banquet on April 14, 2012 in Carson, CA. Rouit became a motorcycle rider and enthusiast at an early age and as a teenager was a very active racer competing in both amateur and pro flattrack events. He excelled in Short Track racing and won many events in AMA District 35.

In 1978, Dan experienced a life-changing injury when he suffered a broken neck from a fall while hiking in the nearby mountains. Knowing his racing days were over, Dan and his dad began talking about starting a museum for flat track racing. In 1991 he fulfilled his dream when he and his soon-to-be-wife Kathy pooled their resources and had a building constructed to display historic motorcycles as well as posters, banners, trophies, helmets, programs and photographs. Soon the building was so full you could not walk between the motorcycles. Dan wanted to expand the museum but had limited resources.

Thanks to the generosity of his cousin Joe, a 30 by 60 foot building was added and the Dan Rouit Flattrack Museum had taken shape for motorcycle enthusiasts to come enjoy. But that was not the end of the expansion. In November of 2009, Dan’s need for yet another expansion became a reality with the addition of another 30 by 60 feet of display space. Today the museum holds over 90 flat track motorcycles and is still growing. While the museum has visitors throughout the year, their highlight event is the annual Open House. This past May, Dan and Kathy celebrated with a gala 20th anniversary gathering.

Congratulations to Dan Rouit for his election to the Trailblazers Hall of Fame. His work to give a home to the legendary machines raced by some of the biggest names in motorcycle racing history – many who are also Trailblazers Hall of Famers – is especially noteworthy to the club.

Tickets for the 68th annual Trailblazers banquet will go on sale after the first of the year on the club’s website at: www.trailblazersmc.com.

Contact info:

Dan and Kathy Rouit

Dan Rouit Flattrack Museum

309 West Rialto Street

Clovis, CA 93612-4331

BOB SIRKEGIAN SR ELECTED TO TRAILBLAZERS TO HALL OF FAME

The Trailblazers M.C. has named the third of its Hall of Fame inductees to be honored at its 68th annual banquet to be held in Carson, CA. on April 14, 2012. Joining the two previously named inductees—Jim McMurren and Eddie Lawson—Bob Sirkegian Sr. will be one of the two Posthumous awards in the next Hall of Fame class.

Sirkegian was born May 19, 1898 in Fresno, CA. He began riding in 1912 and was soon racing dirt track and board track racing. He also eventually became an Indian Motocycle dealer in Fresno. He was initially one of eleven board trackers riding for Indian, and later also rode for Harley-Davidson, Super X and many other factories. His AMA Life Member number was 31.

In 1921 he moved to San Diego to open another Indian dealership, while continuing his racing on board tracks and dirt oval tracks throughout the USA until 1929. He also became the first USA distributor for J.A.P. Speedway Motorcycles and began promoting weekly Class A Speedway races at Balboa Stadium in San Diego. In 1924 he took on Guy Urquhart as his partner at the motorcycle dealership.

In 1938 he sold his half of the partnership to Urquhart, married and moved to Nutley, NJ. At the request of the Indian factory he opened the largest Indian dealership on the east coast. Still a J.A.P. distributor he was now promoting Speedway racing 3 times a week on the east coast. This led to the creation of a West Coast-East Coast Match Race Series, which included legendary Speedway star Sprouts Elder, one of Bob’s friends from his hometown of Fresno.

In 1946, Sirkegian sold his east coast motorcycle dealership and moved back to the Los Angeles area where he and his younger brother Al opened up another Indian dealership known as Sirkegian Bros. They sold Indian, Mustang, Cushman and Evinrude Outboards, and later added Triumph and Ariel Motorcycles.

Upon Bob’s return to the west coast he became reacquainted with A.F. Van Order, Floyd Clymer and others in the Trailblazers and began attending the annual banquets, as well as providing some financial support when asked in order the keep banquets going.

In 1948 Bob built a a TT track called Sirkegian Stadium and promoted races there, as well as at another track called Mint Canyon which was located on another of his brothers’ property. In 1950 Sirkegian began promoting motorcycle road races and drag races at the Santa Ana Blimp Base

In 1951 and ’54, Sirkegian Bros. was the second highest selling dealer for Triumph and Ariel motorcycles in the Western USA. In 1952 and ’53, they were the highest selling Triumph and Ariel dealer in the Western USA. In ’53, Bob bought out his brother Al and became sole owner of the dealership. He also bought out Hollywood Motors, which sold BSA,

In 1955 Bob started selling BMW, NSU and BSA in his Los Angeles store after closing the Hollywood store. Then in 1957 he moved the business to Monrovia selling BMW, NSU, BSA and Harley-Davidson.

Bob Sirkegian Sr passed away at home on May 31, 1960, leaving his wife Ruby and two sons, Bob Junior and Douglas.

For more information log onto www.trailblazersmc.com.