Trail Rider Magazine

December 2025 31 At the drop of the flag, Frank was second into the first turn, trailing only East German rider Paul Ro ler. How- ever, at one point in the course, there was an incredi- bly nasty mud hole, and Ro ler sure enough got stuck in it. In a move not at all unusual in nasty Ohio Hare Scrambles, Frank took dead aim on the East German's mired machine and slammed right into it, knocking Ro ler and his bike out of the way. Frank con nued, powering out of the hole, and from that point on, there was no one in front of him. Despite having to physically drag his bike through that mudhole in successive laps, Frank was in fact, the only rider in the Open Class to successfully complete four laps and won the race. Those who were there said that Frank's per- formance was nothing short of amazing and that even Bob Hannah could not have beaten him that day. Back in the U.S. pits, Frank and Jack Lehto were going over the results of the event, and by their calcula ons, Frank's win in the final Motocross was enough to provide him with the top score, Overall for the en re event! Now it was a ma er of wai ng for the official results to be released. An cipa on was understand- ably high, as this would have been the first me an American won the overall in ISDT compe on. How- ever, numerous complaints had already been filed by other compe tors about the condi ons in that final race, especially by the Czechs. In the end, unfortu- nately, the FIM gave in to pressure from team man- agers and others and actually threw out the final day en rely. This was devasta ng to Frank in par cular, as the absence of his win in the final MX against his compe tors' low finishes or even DNFs not only took away Frank's poten al Overall for the event but also dropped him to 5th in the Open Class and 11th over- all. Despite this tremendous disappointment, Frank was somewhat consoled by the fact that, following the final MX test, he was approached by both the Italian and the West German KTM importers, who each of- fered him sponsorship to compete in Europe. So, what happened? Well, as appealing as those offers were, in the end Frank opted to return to the U.S. By this me, Frank had been campaigning for years, and he felt the need to se le down a bit and get an ac- tual job. This and the desire to possibly get married, start a family, and likely help out with the Gallo family business. All this led Frank to decline the European opportunity, a decision he regrets in some respects to this day. Back home in Ohio, Frank did indeed take on full- me employment, got married, and started a family. He con nued racing, albeit part- me, from 1979 through 1981, then basically re red from the sport. Today, Frank is re red from his full- me job, although he con nues to operate the family business, an effort he had managed for some me alongside his full- me job. Motorcycle riding and racing are limited to road riding on his big Har- ley-Davidson with wife Vickie, as well as periodic excursions into off-road riding and compe on. In retrospect, Frank does indeed feel disappoint- ment in the outcome of the '78 ISDT, although his racing career has been, without a doubt, amazing- ly successful. Frank feels few other regrets, al- though this strong yet emo onal man speaks very sadly of the fact that his father, who always want- ed a grandchild, passed on just before Frank's son was born. And so, there's a glimpse into a very special mo- ment in me for Fast Frank Gallo, as well as for the off-road racing community, and an "almost" in the U.S. Interna onal Six-Day Trials compe on.

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