Glen:
nice articles. Thanks for the info.
Russ Mack
glen barrett wrote:
> Joe Leonard - AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame MemberJim
> This should help a little, I am sending 2 articles on Joe Leonard.I went =
> to www.google.com and typed in the name and these came up.
> Glen
> ----- Original Message -----=20
> From: glen barrett=20
> To: Glen A Barrett=20
> Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2002 11:55 AM
> Subject: Joe Leonard - AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Member
>
> =20
> [ama home] [join ama] [contact us]=20
> [museum home] [hall of fame home]
> =20
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> -------
>
> =20
> Year Inducted
> 1998
>
> Achievements
> 1954, '56, '57 AMA Grand National Champion
>
> two-time Daytona 200 winner
> Joe Leonard
>
> Joe Leonard was the first champion of the AMA Grand National =
> Series which was initiated in 1954. For many years the national =
> championship was decided on the basis of a single race, the Springfield =
> (Ill.) Mile. Beginning in 1954, riders had to compete in a variety of =
> racing disciplines at race tracks around the country. Leonard, then a =
> second year expert, won eight of the 18 Grand National races on his Tom =
> Sifton-tuned Harley-Davidson, dominating the inaugural championship =
> series. Leonard would go on to win two more AMA national titles before =
> moving to a successful automobile racing career in the mid-1960s.
>
> =20
> Leonard in action at the 1961 100-Mile National Championship =
> Road Race in Laconia, NH.=20
> Leonard was born on Aug. 4, 1932 in San Diego, Calif. Leonard's =
> childhood neighborhood bordered an open valley where motorcycle field =
> meets were put on by the Aztec Motorcycle Club. As a youngster, Leonard =
> and his buddies would ride their bicycles down to the valley to watch =
> the racing. Southern California racer Don Nicolaides became an early =
> hero of young Leonard. While still a teenager, Leonard began hanging =
> around a local San Diego motorcycle shop owned by Guy Urquhart and =
> before long was hired to do odd jobs around the shop. One of his jobs =
> included the hair-raising task of teaching sailors from the nearby naval =
> base to ride motorcycles for the very first time as a passenger! It was =
> in San Diego that Leonard began racing as a novice.
>
> At 19, Leonard moved to San Francisco to pursue his racing career. =
> He raced Triumph's and earned the reputation as a hard-charging and =
> somewhat wild rider. Legendary race engine builder Tom Sifton recognized =
> Leonard's raw talent and soon hired him to race for his Harley-Davidson =
> dealership based in San Jose. Leonard moved to San Jose and has been =
> there ever since.
>
> Leonard turned expert in 1953, but nearly missed that season after =
> suffering a serious street crash which kept him bed-ridden in the =
> hospital for a month. Once out of the hospital, Leonard made an =
> excellent recovery and went on to win four AMA nationals in his rookie =
> expert season, more victories than any other rider that year.
>
> =20
> Another shot from the 1961 season.=20
>
> The 1954 season was even more impressive. Leonard burned up tracks =
> across the country on his Sifton-tuned Harley and won eight nationals, =
> including the Laconia (N.H.) road race, the Springfield (Ill.) Mile and =
> both races at the Peoria (Ill.) TT Steeplechase. Eight Grand National =
> victories in one season would be a record not broken until 1986. At one =
> point in the season Leonard tallied a four-race Grand National winning =
> streak, a record that would not be broken until 1993 when Ricky Graham =
> won six in a row. Leonard was the recipient of the AMA Most Popular =
> Rider Award for 1954.
>
> =20
> Leonard leads the pack across the finish line in the 1957 =
> Vallejo, CA 1/2 mile race.=20
> Leonard finished third in the Grand National Series standings in =
> 1955, but came back to win the title again in 1956 and 1957. In all, =
> Leonard amassed 27 national wins split between the disciplines of TT, =
> miles, half-miles and road racing. Leonard won the Daytona 200 twice, =
> the Laconia Classic three times and the Peoria TT a remarkable seven =
> times.
>
> By the early 1960s Leonard was starting to compete in automobile =
> racing events even though he was still regularly winning motorcycle =
> races. By the middle 1960s Leonard made the transition to car racing. He =
> eventually became a top-level Indy racer, nearly winning the =
> Indianapolis 500 in 1968. While leading the famous race that year, a =
> fuel injector on his turbine-engine car failed and, with only nine laps =
> to go, it came to a stop. Leonard went on to win two United States Auto =
> Club championships in the early 1970s.=20
>
> Joe Leonard was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.
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