Wayne Hosaka 1948-2011 IN MEMORY
Reprinted from the April 1995 issue
sign-up booth waiting for District 38 Referee Arky Gunn or one of the members of the High Boots Motorcycle Club to begin registration. I was in line talking with some of my friends when the word got to us: “John Rice is here!” John Rice was from Los Angeles and was one of the best racers in Southern California. He was easily recognized by his red and white striped sweatshirt and the almost knee-high lineman boots worn outside his Levi’s. He rode for Long Beach Honda. They had built him a super- fast CL77 305 Scrambler that was winning the Open class consistently at Perris and Prado Park in the Los Angeles area. Though he was considered one of the best
motorcycle racers in California, he did not ride in Class C (professional) events. If he had chosen to, I’m sure he would have been successful.
Wayne Hosaka’s professional flattrack career was cut short in 1971 when he was paralyzed in a motorcycle racing accident. Wayne passed away in January of this year at the age of 62. As a tribute to him we are reprinting articles over the coming months that he shared with us when he wrote “Old Dirt” in the 1990’s.
I
am sure there are many readers who have fond memories of the little TT track out on the Sycuan Indian reservation in Dehesa Valley. The High Boots Motorcycle Club had carved a fairly short, dusty track alongside a grove of live oak trees and were having events every other Sunday. When I first started going out there in the early sixties, there were about 50 racers competing in three major divisions: 80cc, 250cc and Open class. Since there were usually only ten or less 80cc entries, they all ran together, while the other classes were split into novice, amateur and expert
classes. By the end of the sixties, with the introduction of Japanese and European built racing motorcycles, entries had increased to over 200.
In the early days, Travis Petton was
the coolest racer at Dehesa. He was, to me, Elvis Presley on a motorcycle. Every race for many years, Travis and his crew would pit under the biggest, shadiest oak tree at the track and kick back in their lounge chairs sipping on cold ice teas as they waited for the next Open Expert race to begin. Travis was a regular at the monthly Saturday night TT steeplechase races at Ascot Park in Gardena. It was a rare treat to have someone of Travis’ caliber attend a local sportsman race such as Dehesa. Travis wore all white leathers and his Triumph was immaculate, leather solo seat with pea pad over rear fender, dual chrome TT exhaust pipes, polished aluminum oil tank and, if anything was a sure thing on any Sunday, it was that Travis would win the Open Expert class. One Sunday in the middle of summer,
It was going to be a great race matching the powerful British twin ridden by the stylish, cool Travis Petton and the smaller high tech Japanese newcomer ridden by the wild, brash John Rice. Off the starting line, Petton used his Triumph’s better low-end torque to get a holeshot and he held the lead around the sweeper and over the jump. Rice had trouble getting off the line and was running in the middle of the pack as they entered the sweeper. The Honda was so highly tuned it had to be turning eight or nine thousand revs before it made good horsepower.
. . . if anything was a sure thing on any Sunday, it was that Travis would win the Open Expert class.
everything seemed normal. By nine o’clock the temperature had already risen above 80 degrees on its way to a normal 95 to 105. Most of the racers had already unloaded and were standing in line at the
It was Rice’s style to keep the rear wheel of the Honda spinning, allowing the motor to maintain its revs. Instead of staying in the groove where the dirt was packed hard, he would look for the loose dirt and throw the bike into controlled slides to keep his momentum up. Travis Petton’s style was to keep his weight over the rear wheel as much as possible and wrestle with the Triumph to keep it straight. Dehesa was a very short track and the straightaway was only about 200 yards long which prevented the Triumph from utilizing all its power and allowed the Honda to keep up.
As they crossed the finish line to complete the first lap, Petton had a slight lead over Rice with the rest of the riders far behind. Travis would gain a slight lead coming down the straightaway but by the time they had reached the switchback, John Rice would be right back on his tail looking for a way to pass. I was amazed that the Honda with an engine nearly half the size of the
Triumph’s could stay close. Lap after lap, Travis would motor around the track maintaining his three to five bike length lead over Rice, never bobbling or giving Rice a chance to pass. Lap after lap the two riders dueled evenly.
As the race progressed the amount of lead Travis would gain on the straightaway began to diminish and Rice was increasing the pressure. The track was drying out, making it harder for Travis to stay low on the sweeper and John Rice was learning the track. He was
In the early days, Travis Petton was the coolest racer at Dehesa. He was, to me, Elvis Presley on a motorcycle.
looking for that spot where he could make a bid for the lead. Rice knew he would have to get a few bike length’s lead before they hit the straightaway or Travis would repass him before they reached the finish line. We all figured he would try to bonzai the jump on the last lap and hope he could build up enough of a lead to hold off Travis and as they entered the sweeper for the last time Rice was in the perfect position on the outside. Travis knew what Rice was going to attempt. Instead of keeping to his low line through the sweeper, Travis let the Triumph slide high in order to block Rice’s Honda. Rice was forced to the outside edge of the sweeper where all the loose dirt from dozens of races had created a deep trap. But, just as Rice was about to get trapped on the outside, he threw the Honda on the ground and grabbed a handful of throttle, squared off the corner, and pulled to the inside of the Triumph. They went over the jump side by side but when they landed, Travis had to back off since the Triumph weighed about 75 pounds more than the Honda and could not be stopped as quickly.
From that point, John Rice rode like a wild man. He had that Honda all over the track and pulled out to a five or six bike length lead which was just enough to hold off Travis at the finish line. We could not believe it. To me, it was sad to see Travis lose to a puny Honda, especially on his home track. Still, though, Travis was the “King.”
www.SS-OffRoadMagazine.com - MAY 2011 - S&S OFF ROAD MAGAZINE 33
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