Reggie Smithers wrote:

In college I did some motocross racing, strictly amatuar stuff, but lots
of fun. Did you have any sponsorship, or did you just open your wallet?

Sort of a combination. Arizona and California motorcycle racing in the
early 60's was a combination of hare and hound, hare scrambles,
scrambles, but mostly flat track racing. I raced out of Arizona with
occasional trips to SoCal and Ascot. Competition was in three divisions;
novice, amateur, and expert. I held the #4 expert (white) plate for
three years and was one of only two sponsored riders in Arizona. The
other sponsored rider rode for the BSA shop and held the #1 plate, I
rode for the Ducati shop. I had top points for flat track and dessert
racing, but the Ducati couldn't compete in scrambles.

Motocross grew out of scrambles, and Arizona had probably the best
scrambles track in the nation at Garden Park. Garden Park was in
Carefree and is now cluttered by million dollar homes...a true waste.

BTW, the Ducati was taken from the show room and completely disassembled
and customized. Engine was polished with tuned intake and exhaust. Took
a full year to mod at the shop's expense...but did it ever run!

--
Skipper