Bench Racing

This is not a very good picture; it’s old, but had something to do with motorcycle drag racing. George Sr. (S&S Cycle) and is wife came out to California on business, they stayed at our house in West Covina , CA for a few days. One afternoon I invited Carl (Carl’s Speed Shop) and family and Gordon (part of my racing team at the time) and family to our house for a barbecue. After we had a good steak and a few drinks the four of us, me, Carl, George and Gordon went out to my shop for a little bench racing. It went on till one in the morning; wow I wish I had a tape recorder on those few hours. We kicked around everything there was to kick around. We talked a lot about Top Fuel because S&S Cycle was there. You could get George talking about motors, carburetors and fuel and learn a sh—pot of stuff. It got down to the last hour or so and I made a comment to George, (beer talking) that he didn’t pay enough to the winners using his product. He got pretty hot and raised his voice, “I sponsor you every S&S thing you have”. I know, but I don’t win all those other classes and paying some of those fellows a piffling $25.00, $50.00 is not enough, what the heck can they buy with that amount, it usually goes back to you toward some part they order. Carl didn’t get in the conversation but Gordon backed me up some, George and I augured for quite a while on the subject, but we had a good bench race talk anyway. Gordon told me later that I probably lost a good friend that night. No way, George wasn’t that kind of guy, I spent time on his farm/S&S Cycle, and he even put me to work adjusting floats in the float bowls for new carburetors. The only thing I wouldn’t do was go help with the haying; I guess that’s how you say it. He had about fifty or so Black Angus cattle on the back range as he called it. The money did start to go up for the other classes, so maybe that little bench race talk did help.