1952 Williams Grove Pennsylvania Ernie Beckman - Indian - 2-Page Vintage Article

Description

1952 Williams Grove Pennsylvania Ernie Beckman - Indian - 2-Page Vintage Motorcycle Racing Article
Original, vintage magazine article
Page Size: Approx. 9" x 12" (23 cm x 30 cm) each page
Condition: Good
THE NATIONALS
___
__
Williams Grove
Ernie Beckman-Indian
8-Mile Championship
Half Mile Dirt Track
August 3
It must be that the Pennsylvania air
agrees with the genial jockey from
Battle Creek, Michigan, Ernie Beckman,
for he came back to this well-prepared
track outside of Harrisburg, Pa. to win
the 8-mile National for the second year
in a row. Proof that Ernie really “has
it” was shown by the fact that the
track was in much better shape this
year, and did not suffer from the narrow
“groove” of 1951’s classic. And proof
that Ernie’s Big Base Scout is as hot as
ever was evidenced by the fact that only
another such model could stay anywhere
near his draft, and there were some of
the hottest riders in the country present
to put an end to the domination that the
old Scouts seem to be making of the Na-
tional dirt track races for the past few
seasons.
As might be expected, new records
were made in almost all of the heats, as
well as Beckman’s new time for the
track: 7:57.17. Only one other man on
the course gave Ernie a bad time, and
he too was pushing a Springfield side-
valve, Earl Givens, of Akron, Ohio. Giv-
ens is a pretty hot number, as the boys
in upstate New York learned the prev-
ious week, when his white Scout led
them all through the dust-storms of a
poor horse track.
There were a flock of the new Harley
Model KT’s and most of them went
mighty fast. The crowd seemed pleased
to see their old hero, Billy Huber, riding
a “K,” but Billy didn’t come through to
justify their applause—at least not in
this race.
The imported jobs, mostly Triumphs,
found the track a bit too ‘heavy” for
their smaller horsepower and even Dick
Klamfoth had to eat the dust kicked
up by the side-valves in front all day.
8-mile National
Time, 7:57.17
1.
Ernie Beckman, Battle Creek, Mich......Indian
2.
Earl Givens, Akron, Ohio ________Indian
3.
Chet Dykgraaf, Grand Rapids, Mich..Har-Dav
4.
Jimmy Chann, Columbus, Ohio..........Har-Dav
5.
Everett Brashear, Lake Charles, La...Har-Dav
6.
Ray Goff, Flint, Mich._______—____Har-Dav
7.
Dick Klamfoth, Groveport. Ohio_______Norton
The holding of the 8-mile National
climaxed the 13th Annual Gypsy Tour
sponsored by the Middle Atlantic Deal-
ers Assn., Aug. 2 and 3, and the fans
appreciated the grand weekend show put
on by MAMDA who, incidentally, spon-
sor Langhorne, too. This was evidenced
by the over 5000 cyclists in attendance.
Ernie Beckman (55) champion, leads Earl Givens
(91) out of the corner.
—Mercer Photo
A hard downpour of rain early Sat-
urday morning, while it postponed the
holding of some of the field events for
a few hours and cancelled the Novice
race entirely, seemed not to dampen the
spirits of those who had gathered for
the activities.
Gypsy Tour events were held Satur-
day afternoon and evening, and Sunday
morning. Following the Amateur and
Expert Time Trials, B.S.A. bicycles,
donated by Rich Child, B.S.A. distribu-
tor in the Eastern States, were pre-
sented to Arlene Manning of Lancaster,
Pa., Harold Werner, Easton, Pa. and
An improvement at the Williams Grove track—the bridge over the back-stretch. — Mercer Photo
Hany Wike, Reinholds, Pa. for turning
in High Scores of the Tour.
The job of judging the best-dressed
club fell to Alf Child, Dick O’Mara,
Buco Manufacturing Co. representative,
and Roy Bradbury of the Rich Child
Cycle Co.
Five clubs entered, and were judged
for neatness and appearance, size of
club, safety effort and practibility, con-
duct and popularity.
First place was awarded to the
Philadelphia Col-sail's Motorcycle Club,
dressed in blue and gray uniforms. The
Baltimore Ramblers M.C. was second,
and the Pagoda M.C. of Reading, third.
Note: Not one foreign hack was en-
tered! It is this scribe’s modest opinion
that a dozen or so riders on imported
bikes could compete in this phase of a
Gypsy Tour weekend very easily, if
they would but agree on some quiet,...
Also on page:
Sturgis
Everett Brashear-Harley-Davidson
5-Mile Championship
Half Mile Dirt Track
August 10
THE distinction of putting the first
A.M.A. Championship crown on the
new model KR Harley-Davidson went to
Everett Brashear of Lake Charles, La.,
when he took the 5-mile National at
Sturgis, S.D.
A crowd estimated at 7500 witnessed
Brashaer’s win of the feature event
ahead of a solid group of top fight Har-
ley riders. Paul Albrecht, Tommy Byars,
Chet Dykgraaf, Kenny Eggers and
George Cooper finished in that order
behind the new Champ. Paul Albrecht
had previously broken the track record
of 28.05, set by Bill Tuman in 1951,
when he lapped the track in the time
of 27.285. Tuman, Dick Klamfoth, Albert
Gunter, Eugene Thiessen and Don Haw-
ley failed to qualify, and Eddie Kretz,
Jr., was injured in a pile-up during
practice on Saturday.
The running of the National Cham-
pionship was pushed ahead on the Sun-
day afternoon’s program, due to threat-
ening weather, which, however, held for
the entire program scheduled for the
1952 Black Hills Motor Classic.
5-Mile National
Time, 4:39.07
1.
Everet Brashaer, Lake Charles, La--Har-Dav
2.
Paul Albrecht, Sacramento, Calif___Har-Dav
3.
Tommy Byars, Beaumont, Texas-------Har-Dav
4.
Chet Dykgraaf, Grand Rapids, Mich--Har-Dav
5.
Kenny Eggers, San Jose, Calif------Har-Dav
6.
George Cooper, Vallejo, Calif-----Har-Dav
The Amateur Final was taken by
George Sepulveda, Redwood City, Calif.,
riding Harley-Davidson, followed by
Maurice Burton, Salt Lake City, Utah,
and Bob Smith, Castro Valley, Calif.,
both on Harleys.
This famous annual four-day Motor-
cycle Gypsy Tour and Racing Program
held in the scenic Black Hills country
attracts cyclists from all over the United
States, and this year nearly every state
in the Union was represented. Tours for
the benefit of the visitors were con-
ducted Thursday and Friday to spots of
interest in the area, and feeds and en-
tertainment were lavishly provided.
Suitable mementos of the occasion
were awarded to Nickie Hero, Motor
Maid from Pensacola, Fla., Charley
Clark, Bellerose, Long Island, N.Y., and
to Nita Metz, Springfield, Ohio, for
travelling the longest distances, to
Ellery Tremaine, Ogden, Utah, oldest
motorcycle rider present, and to Evelyn
Jasper, Centralia, Ill., and Vem Couch,
Sidney, Nebr., as the neatest riders. Dot
Robinson, President of the Motor Maids,
accepted for her group the trophy for
the best dressed club in attendance.
Betty Dimmitt of Bell Gardens, Calif.,
was chosen Queen of the Black Hills
Motor Classic.
—Courtesy Sturgis Tribune