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.

EDDIE LAWSON NAMED TO TRAILBLAZERS HALL OF FAME

The Trailblazers M.C. have named Eddie Lawson as the second of the 2012 Hall of Fame inductees to be honored at the 68th annual banquet next April. Additional inductees will be announced in the near future.

Eddie Lawson will go down in history as one the greatest motorcycle road racers of all time. Lawson won the 500cc World Championship four times during the 1980s. When he retired from GP racing in the early 1990s, he ranked third on the all-time 500cc Grand Prix wins list with 31 victories. In addition to his international accomplishments, Lawson was equally successful on the domestic front. The Californian won the AMA Superbike Series twice (1981 and 1982) and the AMA 250 Grand Prix Series in 1980 and 1981. When inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, Lawson was the only rider to ever win the AMA Superbike and 250GP titles during his career. Lawson also won the Daytona 200, the first time during the prime of his racing career in 1986, then again in 1993 when he returned to the event after retiring from full-time motorcycle racing.

Lawson was born in Upland, California, on March 11, 1958. He grew up around motorcycles. Both his father and grandfather raced. Some of Lawson’s earliest memories are of going out to the desert races with his father. Lawson started riding an 80cc Yamaha when was 7 years old, having to hold the nearly full-sized bike up on his tiptoes when he came to a stop. By the time he was 12, Lawson was racing the local Southern California dirt track circuit. "We rode mainly at tracks like Corona and Ascot. I didn’t do very well for the first couple of years," admitted Lawson. "I just sort of rode around cautiously trying to not fall off my little 90cc Kawasaki Green Streak." It didn’t take Lawson long to get over his timidity. He quickly became one of the fastest young amateurs in Southern California during the early 1970s heyday of dirt track competition. Besides dirt track racing, Lawson also began to hit the local road races after his grandfather bought him a 50cc Italjet. He later graduated to a Yamaha RD350. This road racing experience would later prove to be very valuable for Lawson.

Lawson obtained his AMA expert license in 1978. He was riding Shell Thuett Yamahas, which were very fast for Yamaha dirt trackers, but was no match for the Harley-Davidsons that dominated dirt track racing. Lawson did manage to do decently on TT tracks. His best finish of his rookie expert season was fifth in the TT national at Santa Fe Speedway near Chicago. By 1979, it was becoming clear that Lawson was fighting an uphill battle on the dirt tracks, while just the opposite was happening at the road races. At 20, Lawson was already considered one of the top road racers in West Coast club racing. In 1979, he proved that he was a force to be reckoned with when he finished second to a young Freddie Spencer in the AMA 250 Grand Prix national at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, California. Lawson finished the season as the second-ranked rider behind Spencer in the AMA 250 GP series. While doing a made-for-television Superbikes event late in 1979, Lawson was invited to a Superbike tryout at Willow Springs Raceway by Kawasaki. Lawson set fast time in the tryout and was offered the ride. "It was really pretty fun to ride those old 1000cc Superbikes," Lawson recalls. "They were pretty heavy and had a lot of power and with the wide handlebars you could actually ride them a lot like a flat tracker, power-sliding out of the corners and everything." It did not take long for Lawson to get used to racing Superbikes. Lawson won his first Superbike national at Talladega, Alabama, in April of 1980. That season saw some epic battles between Lawson, Freddie Spencer and Wes Cooley. The season ended with Cooley winning the title in a controversial manner, with protests and counter-protests being filed between the Kawasaki and Suzuki Superbike teams. Cooley had to wait two months after the season to finally be awarded the championship. The same season, Lawson dominated the AMA 250 Grand Prix Series.

The Superbike controversy at the end of 1980 just made Lawson more determined. He came back in 1981 and won the title after another great year of battling Honda and its top rider, Freddie Spencer. The Lawson/Spencer rivalry would go down as one of the best in the history of Superbike racing. During this period, AMA Superbike racing really came into prominence and started to replace the Formula One class in importance. Lawson again won the 250GP title in ’81. Lawson’s ’80 and ’81 championships marked the only times that Kawasaki would win the AMA 250 Grand Prix titles. Lawson's last full season of racing in the U.S. was 1982. Again, Lawson and Kawasaki held off a serious challenge from Honda, that year with Mike Baldwin, who finished second in the series. Lawson accepted an offer from Yamaha to contest the 500cc World Championship for the 1983 season. Before he left for world championship battles, Lawson donned his steel shoe one last time and competed in the Houston Astrodome TT AMA Grand National, where he finished sixth. Lawson spent his first GP season learning the tracks and how to live outside of the U.S. for the first time in his life. Lawson looks back on the ’83 season as the most trying of his career. "I was away from home for the first time, I wasn’t having that much success and at times I wondered what I had gotten myself into," Lawson recalls. The 1984 season changed all that. Lawson began winning and getting used to his surroundings. He won the 1984 world championship. It would mark the first of four world titles Lawson would go on to win (1984, ’86, ’88 and ’89). By the time Lawson retired from GP racing after the 1992 season, he had won a total of 31 world championship races, which placed him third all-time in the 500cc class.

Lawson won the prestigious Suzuka Eight Hour race in Japan in 1990 with teammate Tadahiko Taira. After retiring from full-time motorcycle racing, Lawson came back to race in the Daytona 200 in 1993. He won in a spectacular last-lap duel with Scott Russell, marking a triumphant return and his second Daytona 200 victory. He raced at Daytona one more time in 1994 and finished third. Lawson continued racing in Indy Cars in the mid-1990s after his motorcycle- racing career. His progress through the Indy Car ranks was such that several auto racing publications cited Lawson as the top up-and-coming driver of the circuit. Unfortunately, the team that Lawson drove for was under-funded and was forced to field uncompetitive machinery and Lawson eventually left the sport. When inducted in 1999, Lawson was enjoying retirement living in Lake Havasu, Arizona, spending a lot of time on the lake and racing shifter go-karts with friend and fellow Hall of Fame member Wayne Rainey for fun.

Story courtesy of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

JIM MCMURREN ELECTED TO TRAILBLAZERS HALL OF FAME

The Trailblazers Motorcycle Club has announced that Jim McMurren is itsnewest Hall of Fame inductee. McMurren, who lives in Nestor, CA, competed inmotorcycle roadracing, TT, 1/2-Miles and Miles, but it was Short Track that heenjoyed the most. Once they earned their AMA Expert racing licenses, Jim andhis lifelong friend Sid Carson, made Short Track racing the center piece of theirracing careers. Jim and Sid were true professionals, racing where the moneywas, rather than worry about chasing the AMA points at National Championshipevents. Every spring from the mid-1960s into the 70s, Jim and Sid would leavetheir homes in the San Diego area behind and move to Chicago for the summerto race motorcycles in the Midwest.

While there was racing going on all around them, every Wednesday night Jimwas racing the weekly Short Track races at Santa Fe Park on the southeast sideof Chicago. It was there that he learned the ropes of the sport against some ofthe sport’s greatest Flat Track racers, including Neil Keen, Gary Nixon, Fred Nix,Dick Mann, Darrel Dovel and many more. McMurren was ranked 3rd in the nationin short track racing in 1967, and 2nd in 1969.

In the off-season Jim and Sid would return every year back to San Diego,where they have been partners in a crane operating business dating back the60s. After his professional racing career was over, Jim continued to race localvintage events on his famous “Number 11” Harley-Davidson Sprint. And evenwhen health issues prevented him from racing, he was seen as late as April inattendance at the Wayne Hosaka Memorial race at Perris, CA.

McMurren and other Trailblazers Hall of Fame inductees yet to be named will behonored at the 68th annual Trailblazers banquet at the Carson Center in Carson,CA on Saturday, April 14, 2012.

For more information, log onto the club’s website at: www.trailblazersmc.com oron Facebook.

2011 Banquet News

At the conclusion of this year's banquet, all Trailblazers Hall of Famers in attendance were invited to take the stage for a group photo.

580 ATTEND 67TH ANNUAL TRAILBLAZERS BANQUET

A capacity crowd of 580 was on hand Saturday, April 9th at the Carson Center in Carson, CA for the 67th annual Trailblazers banquet. The day started with a great showing for the Tom Cates Memorial Bike Show with 60 motorcycles entered, a record according to show director Tom White. Then, once inside the banquet room, it was time to enjoy a great dinner plus a wine toast to member Cindy Rutherford to give support to her personal battle with cancer this past year.

Next came the annual Trailblazers Hall of Fame inductions for 2011. This year's inductees included: Jerry Branch, Tim Hart, Paul Hunt, the Love Brothers (Bill and Richard), Peter Starr and Joe Parkhurst. And last, but not least, came the awarding of the Trailblazers top prize, the Dick Hammer Award, this year to 1963 Daytona 200 winner Ralph White.

In the next month, the Trailblazers board of Directors will meet to finalize the date of the 2012 banquet, so check back for those details.

We look forward to seeing you all next year for the 68th annual banquet!

FORMER TRAILBLAZERS PRESIDENT MAX BUBECK DEAD AT 93

Sadness did hover over the Trailblazers banquet with the news only the day before of the passing of former Trailblazers president Max Bubeck. Max, who in his racing days, had won the grueling Greenhorn Enduro among his many victories, is credited with reviving the Trailblazers banquet back in the 1970s when then-president Floyd Clymer had passed away. There were a few years where no banquet was held until Max urged the group to begin again the annual tradition which continues today. Godspeed Max.

RALPH WHITE NAMED TRAILBLAZERS 2011 DICK HAMMER AWARD RECIPIENT

At a recent meeting of the Trailblazers Board of Directors, motorcycle racing legend Ralph White was unanimously chosen as this year’s recipient of the Dick Hammer Award, the club’s top honors. He will be formally recognized at the 67th annual Trailblazers banquet at the Carson Center in Carson, CA on Saturday, April 9th.

Bio on Ralph White courtesy of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

Photo by Walt Mahony/Mahony Photos

Ralph White was a leading AMA Grand National racer during the 1960s. White won four AMA nationals during his 12-year professional racing career, including a victory at the

prestigious Daytona 200 in 1963. While he was known primarily as a road racer, he proved his versatility by winning the most coveted race in AMA Grand National dirt-track racing – the Springfield (Ill.) Mile in 1965. During his career White was a factory rider for Harley-Davidson, Matchless, Yamaha and Kawasaki.

White was born in San Diego on March 7, 1935. His father was a Naval reservist and was called to service during World War II. White was 6 years old and living on a Navy base in Hawaii during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. “It was early in the morning and my parents were still in bed,” recalls White. “I went down stairs to get something for my sister and was halfway up the stairs on the way back when the first bombs hits. It knocked me off my feet. I ran into my parents’ bedroom, my dad, still in bed, said it was probably just some training exercises. I looked out the window and told him that the planes had red spots on them. He jumped out of bed and quickly reported for duty. We didn’t see him for two days.”

Back home in San Diego in the mid-1950s, White graduated from high school and split time between working, going to college and having fun with his new-found love – motorcycling. By the late 1950s he began racing a Harley-Davidson K-model at local field meets and later took up scrambles riding for A.J. Lewis’ Matchless dealership in El Cajon and winning a district scrambles championship. It was during this time that he and other San Diego notables Brad Andres and Cal Rayborn learned the art of road racing by practicing on an old local airstrip. All three would go on to be recognized as top road racers of their day.

Former Daytona 200 winner and Harley-Davidson dealer Floyd Emde helped White get a ride with Leonard Andres with support from Harley-Davidson. In 1961, his rookie expert season, White showed great promise. He took a surprising third at the Laconia (N.H.) Classic road race and finished the season tied for ninth with Al Gunter in the AMA Grand National standings.

The 1962 campaign was even more successful for White. He not only matched his previous year’s finish at Laconia, he also earned a third-place finish in the Daytona 200. White climbed to fifth in the standings that year. His greatest accomplishment came in 1963 when he was victorious in the Daytona 200.

White rode that week with a broken left wrist and had to wear a bulky leather brace. It was the first year bikes were allowed to run with fairings, and White won the pole for the 200 at a record 78.80 mph. (This was on the 2-mile infield road course that didn't include Daytona International Speedway’s high-bank turns). In the race, White’s chances of victory seemed lost on lap 24 when he crashed. Fortunately White quickly got his bike back in the fray and stayed in the top five. As the 200-miler progressed, each leader--Roger Reiman, Tony Murguia and eventually Dick Hammer--all had problems and dropped out. In a race of attrition (only 18 of the 65 starters finished) White found himself with a comfortable lead, ultimately winning by a lap and a half over Triumph’s Larry Williamson. “I was the last man standing,” White said of his Daytona win.

He led the 1963 championship point standings through mid-season and might well have won the title, but for crashing on a wet road course in practice for a national at Windber, Pa., and suffering a badly injured left knee. Ralp was forced to miss the Windber race and then raced injured for a month afterwards, resulting in poor finishes. Despite all of this, White still earned third in the final championship standings, only 10 points behind Dick Mann. That would prove to be White’s highest finish in the championships.

1964 was the last year for White on the Harley-Davidson racing team. It was a solid year – four podium finishes fifth in the championships - but he earned no victories. By this time, he had started a business, and work was taking more of his time. He asked Harley-Davidson to fly him to the races, and they declined. That opened the way for White to work out a unique deal for the 1965 season in which he became a factory rider for Yamaha in the then non-national Lightweight support class at the road races (later called 250 Grand Prix) and rode for Bob Hansen’s Matchless team in the nationals. “Yamaha flew me to the races, paid all my expenses, plus gave me $500 salary per race to run in the 250 class,” White remembers. “I split the purse with Hansen in the nationals. I remember when I won the road race in Des Moines, Iowa, I split the $750 purse with Hansen, so not much was left.” 1965 turned out to be the most successful year for White in terms of wins. He was victorious at the new Loudon (N.H.) road course, which replaced the old Laconia circuit, the aforementioned Des Moines road race and earned his only dirt track national victory – a great one – the Springfield Mile. The Loudon win was interesting in that White raced at the regular Friday night program at Ascot Park in Gardena, Calif., winning there and then hopping on a midnight flight to Boston. Fellow racer Dan Haaby picked him up from the airport, but the two didn’t make it to Loudon in time for Saturday’s practice. With just a single Sunday morning practice session, White won his heat race and the pole, and then went on to win the race on a Matchless. Less than six months after being dumped by Harley, White remembers a satisfying exchange with his former boss on the podium at Loudon. “Walter Davidson came up to me and said (jokingly), ‘You sonofabitch. We’ve (Harley’s racing team) been here since Wednesday and you come in here on Sunday and steal this race away from us.’ It was one of those times when it seemed I could do no wrong.”

His Springfield Mile win was equally impressive. It had rained hard the night before the race and helicopters had to be brought out to fly over the track to dry it enough so that cars could get on the mile oval and wheel pack the surface. Riding a Gary Bray-tuned BSA at Springfield, White remembers being pretty disappointed after qualifying. He had just barely made the race and would be forced to start near the back of the field. As it turned out the ’65 race was one of the true great Springfield Miles. Most of the field raced in tight formation nearly the entire race.

White remembered leading one lap and being tenth the next. The lead changed 31 times during the race. On the final lap Bart Markel was leading, but slipped off the racing line going around a lapped rider, and White took the lead on the back straight. “I didn’t want to lead that early,” White recalls. “I figured Markel would be coming back real fast.” Bart did gather his momentum with Gary Nixon right behind him-- and the two drafted White coming out of the last turn. But White held on to win over Markel by a half-wheel length. It was a Springfield classic.

After winning a career-best three Nationals, White was only able to finish sixth in the championships due to inconsistent finishes. By 1966 his results began to fall off. That year he earned five top-10 finishes (a fourth at Daytona was his best) and was ninth in the final standings. It proved to be the final time he would finish ranked in the top 10 after six straight seasons of doing so.

During the late-1960s White raced primarily in West Coast Nationals. He experienced a brief resurgence in 1971 when his old friend Bob Hansen called him to race a factory Kawasaki triple in AMA national road races. White showed that he still had the skills to be competitive by earning a podium finish (third) at Road Atlanta and a fourth at Talladega.

Ralph White retired from pro racing after the 1972 season. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2001. At the time he had homes in Southern California and Arizona and still ran his construction equipment business.

WAYNE HOSAKA 3/10/48 – 1/16/11

MAKING THE MOST OF WHAT YOU HAVE

By Don Emde

The motorcycle world was saddened to learn of the passing of Wayne Hosaka on Sunday, January 16th. He is known best to motorcycle enthusiasts as a former pro racer on the AMA Class C circuit in the 1970s, and later as a sponsor and supporter of the sport through his Flattrack.com website. In his later years Wayne (or “ Hos” as he was known to some) became a talented artist, taught girls how to play basketball, enjoyed gardening and played the harmonica.

“ But wait!” you say. “ Wasn’ t he paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair?” The answer is yes. Wayne’ s motorcycle racing career came to an abrupt halt only weeks after he had qualified for the main and finished 8th in the National at the 1971 season-opening Short Track race at the Houston Astrodome. Next up was a daytime Flattrack event at Ascot Park where he suffered a broken neck in a crash in the Semi, permanently losing most of the feeling in his body from the neck down.

Wayne Noboru Hosaka was born on March 10, 1948. He was raised in the San Diego area and at a young age developed an interest in art and motorsports. His Uncle Mits Hosaka had a motorcycle business and was constantly doing speed work on motorcycles, go-karts and about anything else with an engine in it. When Wayne was about 6 years old, he and his cousin Hito got first into go-karts, and next into motorcycles.

Wayne quickly rose up through the ranks in AMA District 38 Amateur TT racing, first on a 100cc Hodaka and, later, larger Bultacos and other brands. As a former racer in the area myself, I can attest that if you wanted to win races in San Diego in the late-1960s, you had to get the best of Wayne Hosaka, which was no easy task. In a word, Wayne was just “ fast” on any motorcycle he rode.

Wayne, who was a new father at the time he was injured, was focused then on a career as a motorcycle racer. But the Ascot crash changed everything and he looked for things he could do within the scope of his limitations. Eventually he became employed working on computers, using voice command software and limited hand motions. (BELOW:

Wayne at speed on his Don Vesco-sponsored BSA 650 in 1970.)

In the early 1990s, Wayne became an early user of the World Wide Web and in 1995 created a website for the motorcycle Flattrack community called Flattrack.com. The website and forum he created quickly became a must-read for everyone interested and involved in Flattrack racing. In a recent interview, Wayne said, “ My original mission statement was to provide a place for Flattrack enthusiasts to share information on racing, equipment, schedules, etc. I did not fully realize the impact it would have on the sport as an “ Open Forum.” It gives promoters, riders and team owners a place to discuss issues and help establish rules and regulations.”

Along the way, Wayne’ s father, himself a talented artist, encouraged Wayne to get back into art, which he had enjoyed as far back as Elementary school. But the hobby now required him to paint using a mouth stick for a brush for detail work, with some use of his left hand for broad strokes. In 2004 he became a member of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists and through the years produced many amazing pieces of art, some, but not all, motorcycle related.

Wayne remained very busy to the end. He got involved as a basketball coach for girls, loved to listen to Blues and would entertain friends at parties playing his harmonica. He did some gardening and spent time with his three grandchildren.

Mia Larcom, one of Wayne’ s assistants with Flattrack.com website, wrote the following on the website the day after Wayne’ s passing: “ On January 16, 2011, Wayne crossed the final checkers. His life, his artwork, and his never ending search for peace and humanity were an inspiration to all who knew him. This site was his gift to the flattrack community. HE was a gift to the EARTH. Hos will be missed, but never forgotten. Thanks Wayne.”

Wayne Hosaka was inducted into the Trailblazers Hall of Fame in 2005. He is survived by his mother, sister Marsha, son Wayne Hosaka, Jr. and three grandchildren. Following the passing in 2004 of Carol, his wife of 24 years, Wayne was fortunate to have the support of Kathleen Fabry as his primary care giver.

Godspeed Wayne.

Note: Wayne Hosaka Services:

There will be a Memorial Service for Wayne Hosaka on Jan. 29 @ 2pm at Christ Unity Church, 311 Highland Ave, El Cajon, CA. Immediately following will be a Jam Session at the Down Town Cafe, 185 East Main, El Cajon, CA

1960s Southern California race supporter Pete Pistone (in the back) with his racing team that included Wayne on the right (4), and Wayne’ s lifelong friend Sal Paluso (123R).

Don Emde (57x) chases Wayne at South Bay Speedway in San Diego in 1968.

Hosaka leading TT legend Skip Van Leeuwen at an Ascot Park TT in 1970. Mahony photo.

Wayne (55x) battles Terry Sage (70z) and Eddie Mulder at the Houston Astrodome Short Track in 1971. Wayne finished a career-best 8th place in the National. Mahony photo.

Wayne paints a photo of racer Digger Helm.

Here is a painting Wayne did of famed racer Al Gunter.

A Wayne Hosaka painting of Neil Keen.

JERRY BRANCH TO BE INDUCTED INTO TRAILBLAZERS HALL OF FAME

Jerry Branch earned a reputation as one of the best engineers of racing motors in the second half of the 20th century. He specialized in engine airflow and worked extensively with Harley-Davidson, helping develop the heads for the famous XR racer. He also did important development work for several manufacturers in AMA Superbike racing during the 1970s and 1980s. Branch also assisted John Britten in the development of the famous Britten V1000 racer of the 1990s. In addition, Branch helped formulate rules for AMA Superbike racing and was instrumental in working with the AMA’s racing department for years, refining technical specifications for its various racing classes.

Branch was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on August 1, 1924. His stepfather was a respected pharmacist and Branch grew up in an upper-middle-class area of town. His daily route to school took him past Memphis’ Harley-Davidson dealership. By the time Branch was in high school, he was spending a lot of his spare time hanging around the shop.

“One day the shop owner told me if I was going to hang around all the time that he was going to have to put me to work,” Branch remembers. “Of course I was thrilled. I worked there all summer and in September when it came time to go back to school I talked to my parents about staying on full-time at the dealership and that’s what I did.”

Branch worked at the Memphis dealership from 1940 to 1957, interrupted by a stint with the Marines in the South Pacific during World War II. By the late 1950s, Branch was starting to grow impatient with his work at the motorcycle shop.

“I was the highest paid worker they had and I was only making 65 dollars a week,” Branch said. “Plus, I was really into racing and there wasn’t much of it in that part of the country.”

So Branch left Memphis on a bus headed for the Mecca of motorcycling—Los Angeles. Branch landed a job at Long Beach Harley-Davidson and dove headlong into building bikes for many of the top West Coast riders such as Dick Hammer, Troy Lee and others. By the mid-1960s, Branch began working closely with Harley-Davidson and racing chief Dick O’Brien.

In 1968, Branch left the dealership and opened his own business to build racing heads for Harley-Davidson. A visit to the engineering department of an aircraft company opened Branch’s eyes to airflow. He went to work learning all he could about airflow in an engine’s combustion chamber and was able to find major horsepower gains in Harley-Davidson’s racing motors. Three years after opening his business, Branch’s expertise was being sought by other makers and he began doing work for other manufacturers, including an increasing number of projects in the automotive field. One particularly high-profile project he took on was helping increase the gas mileage of the famous Offenhauser Indy Car motor when fuel consumption restrictions were put into place.

Some of Branch’s research led to unique discoveries. For example, he found a Harley-Davidson racing engine produced better airflow by using smaller intake ports and valves. At first, Harley engineers doubted Branch’s findings, but after seeing the test results, prototypes were built and the engine revved higher and produced a good deal more power.

Now established and renowned for his work with Harley-Davidson and in automobile racing, Branch began expanding his business and became heavily involved in engine development work in the burgeoning AMA Superbike Series. Branch was involved with the formulation of the original AMA Superbike rules. He did much of the head work for Cook Neilson’s Ducati Superbike that won at Daytona in 1977. He also did extensive design work for Kawasaki and Honda’s AMA Superbike teams and Honda’s AMA Grand National dirt track effort. In one memorable non-stop two-day session just before Daytona, Branch, along with assistance from Honda Racing engineers, helped coax competitive horsepower from new factory Honda Superbikes that came out of Japan nearly 30 horsepower down to its competition.

Branch’s expertise even took him outside of the motorsports realm. He once was asked to see if he could improve the suction performance for a vacuum cleaner sold by Sears. Branch’s redesigned vacuum was so powerful that it couldn’t even be pushed because it created so much suction. After the company cut back the horsepower of the motor, the Branch design worked perfectly.

Branch’s reputation reached worldwide. A young aspiring motorcycle builder from New Zealand named John Britten asked Branch to help him with his new motorcycle.

“I told John that I appreciated the effort he was putting into building this motor, but I told him that frankly it was a real mess,” Branch remembers. “John came to California and we had several meetings and he greatly improved the motor. His bike was doing well, but he said it would eventually need more power and we helped him design a five-valve cylinder head for the Britten. That’s the motor John was working on when he passed away. Unfortunately I don’t think any of the five-valve Brittens were ever produced.”

Branch was a good friend with fellow Memphis native Elvis Presley. When Branch worked at the shop in Memphis, Elvis, then a teenaged high school student, pushed in a well used Harley 125 asking if Jerry could get it running. “I’d work on Elvis’ bike and get it going and a week or two later he’d be back pushing the bike to the shop.”

After Elvis made it big in music and movies, he often asked Branch to come out and work on his motorcycles and also had him teach some of his Hollywood friends how to ride.

Branch wrote engineering books on his engine air flow work. He sold his Branch Flowmetrics to Mikuni in the late 1990s. He retired, but didn’t slow down, indulging in many hobbies, including flying and scuba diving.

Branch’s racing engine development eventually found its way from racing bikes to production models. His innovations were far reaching and helped usher in the awesome power of the Superbike era of racing.