Leftclankers
Corky Keener
(Originally posted on Flattrack.com)
When Chew first introduced me to flat track, he told me quite a few fascinating stories about the races and legends of yesteryear's tracks. One of the names that kept popping up, in his stories, was that of a man called "Mr. Dirt."
A few years ago, at Lima (Ohio), I finally got to meet the man, himself. Recently, he was kind enough to grant us an interview... and we loved what he had, to share!
It surprised me to learn that Corky had not been born, twisting the throttle.
"I had no interest in motorcycles," he said. "When I was about ten years old, my dad started building me a quarter midget race car. He got the plans out of a Popular Mechanics, or something, and started putting it together for me. He got it to where it was driveable... it wasn't complete. The body wasn't all assembled, or anything, but I could drive it. I took it out, took it for a ride, and drove it into a ditch. The steering was broke, it had a bent frame... it was unrepairable."
He continued, "My dad knew this guy, who had a cabin up north, and he repaired boats. It was a young boy's dream, up there... an old farmhouse, lots of land, with these old cars sitting around. Model A's... OLD cars. I went out and was looking around, at them, while my dad and the guy talked. I found this scooter... well, it didn't have a motor, or anything, but it was this old scooter... and I wanted it. The guy said yes, but he wanted to keep the wheels. So, my dad and I brought it home. He put in a motor, added a couple of Go-Cart wheels, and that was my first two-wheeler. Now, in Michigan, when you turned 14, you were able to get a license... I believe it was for anything under 5 hp.When I turned 14, I got my license, and I got a Cushman scooter. I rode that thing all over."
The transition from a Cushman scooter to a fast-paced flattracker seemed like a big jump, to me. He had my attention.
"One day, I was sitting in the parking lot on my scooter, and I saw this guy on a Triumph Cub. We started talking, and he mentioned ice racing. I had never heard of such a thing... you mean, they RACE these things? So, a few months later, I went to watch. A couple of years later, I bought a BSA. The rest is history."
And what a history! With five National wins (and numerous podium finishes) during his career, his name is engraved in the hearts and memories of MANY. Of course, few refer to him by his birthname (Clifford Keener). We know him as "Corky" or, more commonly, "Mr. Dirt."
Corky credits Gary VanVoorhis, a former reporter for Cycle News, for giving him that title.
"Back in those days," he explains, "Cycle News was FULL of flat track. Upcoming events, race results, rider profiles... all kinds of stories about the sport. There were a lot more races, back then, you know. Here in the midwest, you could find a race almost any night of the week. Gary would go to a lot of these races, and write race reports. Cycle News would publish them, as fillers. Somewhere along the way, he started calling me 'Mr. Dirt...' I guess, because I really liked those half mile fairground tracks."
He described how many racers, in his day, were able to race professionally.
"There was a race, SOMEWHERE, about every night. If you felt like taking a drive, Santa Fe and Granite City (St. Louis) ran every Wednesday. Flint held a race every Friday. It seemed like, no matter what day it was, there was a race being held, somewhere. The guys would hit the local non-nationals, and use the money they won to get to the Nationals."
I asked him if he did that.
He answered, "No. Not really. I had a job as an electrician, at GM. I didn't have a lot of money. I was scraping by, really. But, I felt really fortunate to have the job I had. Most places, if you keep asking for days off, they let you have so many and then they let you go. My employers were good people. They knew what I was doing,and they let me have off days whenever I asked. They never cut me off.When I was done racing, I'd come back, and my job was waiting on me."
He added, "Then, I won a non-national in Ohio, and the payout was equal to a week's pay, at my job. After that, I won a National, and the payout was about a YEAR'S pay. I just thought, WOW!"
Corky sounded a bit wistful, as we lamented the fact that so many Legends of Racing have found themselves struggling, once they retired their steelshoes.
"Some people look ahead, to the future," Corky said, "And others live month-to-month, or on a day-to-day basis. A lot of racers live their lives by the lap."
What memories those laps bring, though. Corky told me about the time he was riding a Triumph for a fellow out of Canada. He was running in third, with Jack Warren in the lead.
"I saw the two guys in front of me, and I saw their bikes getting smaller as they pulled away. I just put my head down and decided to keep my place in third. Pretty soon, I saw the checkers. As I came around, on the cool-down lap, the flagger handed ME the checkered flag. I guess the other two guys had pulled off, or something. I had won, and didn't even know it! That just goes to show you, you can't ever give up. You don't know what could happen."
Perhaps one of the most famous races, in flat track history, is the 1975 Indy Mile. Rex Beauchamp had been walking away with the lead, when he broke down. For the rest of the race, Corky Keener and Jay Springsteen battled for the win.
"On the front straight, we kind of made a show of it, for the fans," Corky said. "We were pinching each other on the leg, as we passed, and all... but, in the turns, we were fighting for that win."
He recalls how, as he approached the finish line, he saw a blur rip past him.
"I thought it was Jay, at first. I was thinking, 'Man, he is one stubborn son of a gun... couldn't even let me take this win!' I didn't realize, until Jay pulled up, that Kenny was the one who had passed us."
How disappointed was he?
"I lost," he said. "It happens. But, hey... on the other hand... how many races out there have people remembering who took second and third?"
He mentions the 1979 Syracuse event, where he took second to Steve Morehead by a mere six inches. "It was great, racing with the folks I got to race with... Springer, Morehead, Drake, Campbell, Poovey... there was so much talent, out there. But," he adds, "The neatest thing was that we were racing together every weekend. We travelled together, pitted together... we were more than competitors. We were close friends. Family. We were like brothers. That made the racing even more fun, for all of us."
One especially memorable evening was on July 4, 1976... the Bicentennial celebration of our country's independence.
"We had left Albuquerque, and we were driving to San Jose. It was the Bicentennial, so there were fireworks going off all over, as we drove down the road. We were getting into the spirit. Someone had gotten a bunch of bottle rockets, and we were setting them off out of my truck's windows. We'd hold the stick, light them, and release them. Whoosh! They'd shoot behind us. Steve Morehead was behind us, in his truck, nd they were shooting over him and on either side.
"Well, we stopped at a gas station. Steve came up to me and asked what on Earth we were doing. We got in my truck, and I gave him a bottle rocket. He held it by the stick, lit it... and waited. And waited. I realized, he didn't know he was supposed to let go! I hollered for him to toss it out the window, and he released it, but it was too late. BOOM! It went off, in my truck. For two weeks, I was cleaning the soot and pieces of bottlerocket out of my truck, and the smell stayed around a lot longer. I mean, we were lucky, it wasn't worse... it could have been REALLY bad... but it sure was a mess. We still laugh about it."
Corky credits a lot of people, with his success, but one name stands out above all of the rest.
"There were too many people to name," he said. "I rode bikes for dozens of people. Others helped out in other ways. But,it was Bart Markel who resurrected my career. He was a mentor, a teacher, a cheerleader... he made the big turn-around in my career, and my life."
I asked him what advice HE would give to a young person who is interested in pursuing flat track racing.
"You know, I have never had anyone ask me that. I guess I would tell them that they have to be dedicated. Work hard, have a desire, and be willing to get your hands dirty. At some of the races, you'll see the kid off playing.. they only show up to ride... and Dad is doing all of the wrenching, cleaning the bike up, loading the hauler, all of the work. If you want to succeed, you have to be willing to work for it, and work HARD."
Corky is retired, now, both from racing and from his job as an electrician. He isn't resting, though. He's still using the lessons he's practiced throughout his life... working hard, getting dirty, doing it himself... as he works on extensive remodeling on his home, in Michigan.
We sure appreciate him for taking the time between projects, to speak with us. Thank you, "Mr. Dirt!"
