FRANKLY SPEAKING By FrankWood


I was ecstatic with my first expert class podium, and yet felt so bad for Moe that I went up to him post-race and apologized.


I


n my family, there is a Christmas tradition of allowing the kids to open one small gift on Christmas Eve – a little tease to help build the excitement of the following morning.


Going to the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame induction cere-


mony in November reminded me of that tradition because the ticket to the party was a gift – an early Christmas gift, if you will. The small gift was the ticket, and the big gift was the ceremony it- self. Before leaving for the event my wife, Anne, put me through an impromtu “Do you know these people?” session in regards to the list of inductees. My main interest was of course dirt track, but I noted to Anne


that at the first CMA scrambles that I ever raced, I was roosted big time by Jack Hunt on his G50 Matchless. The first event I ever at- tended as a spectator was a CMA trials competition won by John DeGruchy. Neither rider had much to do with flat track, but they were most certainly known to me, and they are now members of our Hall of Fame. Those inducted into the hall who did have dirt track involvement


included Larry Bastedo, who became a dirt track senior referee after his competition days were done; Toni Sharpless, one of the first from the gentler gender to strap on a steel shoe; and “Lightning” Len Dillon, who dominated speedway racing in his day. I must admit with obvious prejudice that the induction of my old team- mate, Moe Fraser, and Jon Cornwell, a rider I had watched compete


since his very first flat track race, captured most of my interest. Simply said, Moe was a great guy and a great racer. He never


hesitated to help up-and-coming riders, even to a point that threat- ened his finishing position. I well remember being torn emotionally the first time I was able to beat Moe; I was ecstatic with my first ex- pert class podium, and yet felt so bad for Moe that I went up to him post-race and apologized. Moe Fraser was an inspiration of many aspiring Canadian dirt


track racers, and the respect he earned can still to this day be seen in the faces of riders like Bucky Brown, Mike Flynn, Jim Gill and John Parker - all of whom were at the ceremony to see Moe’s wife Sandy accept his induction - and are a fine example of those who learned from Moe. I have in my scrapbook a picture of a shy and slim young boy,


his blonde bangs of hair partially blocking his vision. He seems al- most embarrassed, meekly holding his first place trophy from his first flat track race at Welland County Speedway. That boy, Jon Cornwell, would go on to win many more races in several facets of our sport, dominate dirt track and lay claim to the CMA number one plate a number of times through the early 1980s. Two of my lingering memories of “Corndog” as a flat tracker


were from the AMA Indy Mile. The first was at one of the Twin Mile races held in the 80s. Jon, riding the Deeley Harley-Davidson-spon- sored, Brian Olsen-prepped XR750, finished the Saturday night 25- lap Grand National final a close fifth place. Post-race, he walked out on track to acknowledge the bus load of Cana- dian fans who had cheered themselves hoarse in support. The following day those same fans were silenced, as Jon’s “A” bike expired early in qualifying, and then his “B” bike failed him as well. He still had the courtesy to acknowl- edge his fans once more. Class act. My second memory is a more recent


one, from the Indy Mile in 2009. Corn- dog qualified for the AMA GNC mile, where late in the race he was taken out by a lowsiding Nicole Cheza. Both rid- ers stood up uninjured; Jon walked over to Nicole and gave her a big “I for- give you” hug. Another class act – this time, captured on television. These memories were the gifts that


came pouring out of the box of my early Christmas present.


34 HOLIDAY BUYERS’ GUIDE 2011


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