Leftclankers
Dave Aldana
(Originally posted on Flattrack.com)
Dave Aldana is a man who needs no introduction.
Anyone who has ever seen the classic motorcycle racing documentary, “On Any Sunday,” is familiar with the “crazy kid from Santa Ana.“ Known as one of the most colorful personalities to sport a steelshoe during the 1970‘s, David Aldana was a top AMA Grand National Series competitor. He won 3 national races during his rookie year, bearing the 38X number plate. He went on to win a total of four AMA nationals during his career, capturing a victory in all but one of the five disciplines that make up the coveted “Grand Slam.”
Only the short track eluded him.
He explains that he was never really a big fan of riding the short tracks. He was more comfortable on the bigger tracks, where you could build up speed and slide right through.
Dave mentioned one event he was at, when he was riding the BSA of one of the racers he looked up to more than any other, Dick Mann.
“I thought I’d impress him,” said Dave, “And I was out there riding wide open, all the way around. I came back in and asked Dick if he’d seen me… WFO! He told me, ‘No. Don’t do that.’ I was like, what??? He said, ‘You want to keep the front and rear in line. Drive it in, then shut it off, going in, to keep the tracking going. You can’t slide it all the way around the corner, and keep them lined up.’ So, I went back out, and I did what he said… and he was right!”
Another important lesson Dave learned was from the motocross icon, Roger DeCoster.
Motocross had newly been introduced in the United States. Dave was taking an all-day class in motocross riding, and found it to be a lot tougher than it looked. Frustrated, he told Roger, “Yeah, you can do that on your bike… but you can’t do that on a bike like mine. It isn’t set up for that kind of stuff.”
Roger proceeded to straddle Dave’s OSSA, and executed the same maneuvers he had just demonstrated, perfectly.
“That was, like, a huge wake up, for me,” exclaimed Dave. “That’s when I realized, maybe it isn’t all about the bike…it’s the RIDER!”
He says that he also learned a lot about front braking.
“That really helped a lot, too!” he said.
One thing he never imagined, during those early days of motocross, was how it would take off in comparison to flat track.
He said, “I read about guys today, spending $1000 to win $300. That’s unbelievable. You used to be able to win, what, five or six thousand at a mile? Of course, bikes cost more than they did in the 70‘s. You used to be able to buy a BSA, brand new and race ready, for three thousand bucks. That‘s it. And, you could win that back in one race.”
He added, “ The Japanese bikes started being competitive in the 70’s. Before that, the Harleys mainly had the British and Spanish bikes, you know? And that brought in the factories. They paid out salaries… good ones. Plus, they sent you your parts and all. As a rookie, I had a salary of $25,000. On top of that, they had sponsors that supplied all of our parts, fuel, gear, and everything.
“Back then, a guy could race, as a profession. Now, there’s no way. I look at the guys now, and I wonder how they do it. Most of them have those 8 to 5 jobs, all week. They leave work on Friday to go racing, then have to be back on Monday morning. And, they’ve got to worry about what happens if they get busted up… break an arm or something… and have to take some time off work.
“That’s the biggest difference I see in the sport, today. The money.”
While he gives a nod to the television stations that do feature occasional flat track races in their lineup, he points out that road racing, Supercross, Motocross, and such greatly dominate the motorcycle racing airtime.
“It all comes down to dollars and SENSE… how many viewers do the races get?” he asked. “I wonder why the dirt track guys can’t get it televised more. I mean, obviously, the other guys have it figured out. I don’t know how they do that, tracking viewers and demographics and all. But, you know that if some energy drink or parts supplier or something asks what kind of audience the other sports get, you know they can tell you the ages, gender, where they live, what brand of cigarette or candy bar they prefer… anything.”
I asked Dave if he accredited any of the popularity the sport had during his decade to the “On Any Sunday” film by Bruce Brown.
“Oh, sure… I’m sure that played a big role. The thing is, you know, we were just lucky that we were at the right place at the right time, to be recognized and appreciated for doing what we loved. There have been a lot of riders, both before and after us, who I would say were greater riders than most of us. But, to go back… and to still be recognized as a professional… as one of the riders from ‘On Any Sunday’… is a great thing. It’s very humbling.”
Since we were on the topic of the film, I had to ask Dave about the numerous crashes he had been involved in, and whether it was true that he had never broken any bones as a result of them.
He chuckled.
“Yeah, well, I played a lot of sports, in school. I played football, ran track, pole vaulted. Knowing how to land when you fall, you pick that up. A lot of it, too, is knowing when to let go of the handlebars. When you lowside, you just hang on until the right time. You have to know how to tumble and roll. You know to look behind you, to see where everyone is at and who’s coming. And, of course, you hope you don’t high side instead.”
Dave added, “You never want to get target-fixated. Wherever a guy is, it isn’t where he’s going to be in a half of a second. And, when a bike goes down, it almost always is going to go towards the outside of the track. If you’re behind him, you’ve got to remember that.”
And, I had to know, was he really the “crazy kid” that he was portrayed as being, in the film?
Pause.
I laughed.
“Well,” he said, “I think… I had the long hair, the bellbottoms, and all… but it really wasn’t any different than what I see the young guys today doing, with all the tattoos, the piercings, and the flashy neon leathers. It’s just the way we express ourselves.
“But, you know,” he adds, “When I put on a helmet… no one knew who I was, inside. I wanted to stand out. I wanted people to know who I was. So, yeah, I did some crazy things to get attention… but nothing really bad, or illegal, or anything. Just… having fun.”
The infamous Superman and Skeleton leathers, combined with Dave’s jaw dropping maneuvers on the track, certainly aided in gaining that desired attention.
He described a different scenario, when he traveled to England with the BSA team, to compete in the Trans-Atlantic Match Races.
He says, “Traveling really broadens the horizons, and America is definitely the best place in the world to live. Some of the events I was competing in, overseas, I was the only American on the line, and I realized something. All these people were judging the US by me, when I was on the track.”
Dave was determined to represent us well, and he continued doing so, as he raced in the World Championship Endurance Series. In 1981, he teamed up with Mike Baldwin, to win the Suzuka Eight Hour Endurance Race.
When he wasn’t competing overseas, Dave was racing in the United States.
I asked him if there were any riders on today’s GNC circuit that really stand out in his eyes. He thought for a moment.
“Well, to be honest, I know there’s always a lot of controversy about #7, Sammy Halbert. Everyone talks about him, bumping tires and knocking people off the line. Love it or hate it, that’s pretty much how the racing WAS, in my day. Most of the tracks, you’d get a groove in them, and you couldn’t really pass well. You just tried to stay behind whoever was in front of you, and wait until they made a mistake. Either that, or you’d bump their tire. Usually, they’d look at you… that’d blow their focus just long enough to let you pass. That’s just how we used to do it.”
So, does Dave still keep in touch with all of those other legends he competed with?
“Not really,” he said. “I mean, yeah, we see each other at the reunions, like at the Ascot reunion, and we all have a good time swapping memories and reliving our battles. Of course, I see Gene (Romero) when we do the AHRMA races together. Every now and then, if we have a question or need some information, we might fire off an e-mail or something. But, as far as calling each other up and hanging out and stuff… no. We really don’t.”
I don’t know why, but that really surprised me.
I asked him what advice he’d give to a young person, who told him that they wanted to be a flat tracker. He didn’t hesitate.
“Well, actually, that happens a lot. Some kid, ten or twelve years old, will come over to get an autograph. They’ll tell me they have a motorcycle, and I’ll ask them what they ride. Then I tell them, make sure you wear a helmet!”
He went on to add, “What I’d really love to get across to them is, racing’s like anything else in life. You get out of it what you put into it. You’ve got to have passion. You’ve got to make a commitment. Then, you’ve got to make decisions and sacrifices that help that commitment. For example, I lived at home until I was 28. I raced, I went to college, but I spent a lot of time wrenching on my bikes or working out.”
He added that a rider’s body is as important a piece of equipment as the machine he’s riding.
“So, in my case, I was committed to being a professional racer. I made a decision to stay physically fit and to spend my money wisely… I was looking at it like any other professional sport, like football or baseball. I knew there would be a time when I needed to retire, so I was very careful about how I spent any money I earned.
“Because of these choices, there were sacrifices I had to make… things other people did, that I couldn’t do. The night before a race, I knew I couldn’t be going out to parties or drinking, because I had to be in the best physical shape I could be, for the race. I knew I had to watch my money, so I didn’t spend it on girls or cars. Instead, I stayed home and worked on my bike, or worked out.”
Did the sacrifices pay off?
“Definitely. You know, I wouldn’t say I’m cheap… I’m just…”
“Thrifty?” I asked.
“Yeah. That’s a good word for it. I mean, I owe the racing community a lot, and I’ll do anything I can to give back to it… but I’m not going to give up my money. I worked too hard to get where I am today.”
And give back, he does!
Not only does Dave continue to thrill the crowds on vintage tracks, he is doing his best to bring new fire to the AHRMA series and many other racing-related events and locations.
On Friday, October 12, he (and fellow legend/promoter, Gene Romero) will be the guests of honor at the 5th Annual Motorcycles by Moonlight dinner, to benefit the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Alabama. Details can be found at
http://www.barbervintagefestival.org/benefit-dinner.php
Best wishes, Dave, and thank you again!
