Trail Rider Magazine

TrailRiderFeb2018

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there were so many men in a endance who were such a major part of crea ng off-road mo- torcycling history was somewhat overwhelming. As with many of you, I grew up reading Super Hunky's always entertaining tales. Having the opportunity 40-plus years later to actually meet the man was pre y cool. He's a lot of fun with endless stories to tell. When Professor Gary Bai- ley took the podium, he had the en re room's eyes and ears. Bailey, being the first American to beat the Europeans at their own game certainly could be considered a "been there, done that" kind of guy. The fact that he's so approachable and easy to talk to was pre y damn cool. The evening was capped off with Mr John Penton on the stage. No ques on, Penton's stories are legendary in their own right. Being in the presence of the man who had the foresight to work with a small, li le known, Austrian company (KTM) and design championship winning off- road motorcycles is something that I'll never forget. There's no ques on in my mind KTM would not be the huge force they've become without John Penton. The highlight of the night was a story Penton shared of the 1964 ISDT held in East Germany. It was close to the end of the event, during the morning hours. John was busy prepping his BMW when a friend approched him and asked if he would be interested in mee ng the actor, Steve McQueen. John said he didn't even know who McQueen was. Being a motorcyclist, building and preparing bikes had occupied all his me but he did make his way over to shake McQueen's hand. Inters ngly enough, the two men found themselves on the same star ng line. Later that day, Penton had gained a signifi- cant lead only to tumble off on a dirt road sec on. As John layed in a heap with his bike, Steve McQueen actually stopped and offered to help him get his bike unstuck. John graciously waved McQueen on and dug himself out of the mess only to find later that evening that the me lost had cost him his gold medal by one point! Got to love life's strange twists and turns. We're very fortunate to s ll have so many of these great men who created motorcycling history s ll with us today. What I find most impressive is how genuine and approachable these living legends are. The sad reality is these gentlemen won't be here forever. If and when you get the opportunity to meet some of these founders of the sport we enjoy so much, by all means do it! -Kurt Super Hunky, Paul Clipper, Jack Penton, Drew Smith Professor of MX Gary Bailey

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