The Author as Desert Racer, circa 1973

Me and my Penton 175 Jackpiner in the early 1970's, I believe at an AMA D-37 desert race called the Check Chase put on by a D-37 club called "The Checkers" somewhere in the Mojave Desert of California. The club members wore checkered vests so their pit crews could see them coming more easily, so my riding buddy Rick and I made up these ultra attractive polka-dot vests of our own so Rick's wife Audrey could see us coming...

Note the ever-present bottle of Gatorade (which only came in one flavor in those days), and the drum brakes. This bike was a 250-eater, and would sometimes spin the rear tire in 6th gear on a power-line road when it came on the pipe.