The really old days.

The old days.

R450: Hey, we give them free ads; they don’t have it in the budget. They won’t let us put up a sign at the races though, never heard a thank you either. The feedback we get when we call…Whatever.
Mark: We got yelled at and protested for using water out of the wrong water hose at Glen Helen. How are people from Ohio suppose to bring water to California? Doug Morris is all there is though; he’s got 14 other things to besides racing.

R450: Wow, do you have anything else on your mind?
Mark: Well do you have any more questions?

R450: Man we could set and talk about this stuff all night.
Mark: (Laughs)

R450: What day do you have to be at a race? Friday?
Mark: You do if you want to practice.

R450: We hear at the bike races they won’t even let the pro teams in until Saturday.
Mark: They have parking to, when those trucks get there they know exactly where they will be parked. They pull in and it’s like boom, boom, boom. Why can’t we do that? I’m either going to drive a big black truck or a black truck and Tim’s white truck. They know what I’m coming in.

R450: Ok, explain this to me?
Mark: Oh no, your going to get me really going now. (laughs)

R450: What does Pro-Am mean to you? In dirt bikes, that’s the 125 class.
Mark: That class was introduced to allow A class riders to make the transition to pro.

R450: Why don’t they have a set time to race just like the pros? To me it makes no since. The Pro-Am gets treated just like the C rider.
Mark: Good point, I never thought of it like that.

R450: In the bikes James Stewart doesn’t get his class flipped around. There aren’t 10 Pro-Am classes and they sure aren’t all the same engine size. How about a stock class?
Mark: In 81 and 82 I raced a 250R in the stock class. All we did was change the tires.

R450: 81’, air cooled?
Mark: Yep. (Laughs)

R450: Is there anything else you want to get out?
Mark: (in deep thought) there is still room for riders to have a bright future in this sport. Go out to the track and take notes, watch the pros and don’t ride over your head.

/ Thanks Mark, it’s been a great conversation. Good luck to you and all your riders this season it. We will be by the shop sometime in the near future to check it out. /

The following interview was recorded in Ontario, CA earlier this year. Photos were taken recently at Mark’s shop in Ohio.