07/13/2024
A TRIBUTE FOR MY FRIEND
I worked at the local Yamaha shop in the late 1970's and early 80's part time. We got a newspaper every week that was the most current news that you could get in the world of motorcycling.
Every single motorcycle shop that I knew about or was ever in carried Cycle News. You could see stuff in Cycle News that you wouldn't see in Cycle magazines for 3 months.
You could see the race results for motocross, trials riding events, road racing, and flat track racing.
In flat track racing, three men really stood out. Jay Springsteen, Skip Askton, and Kenny Roberts. These guys were factory riders and we're very hard to beat.
That's why, at the San Jose mile, one of the biggest flat track motorcycle races in the world, everyone in the motorcycle world was surprised when a private rider, with no factory support won the San Jose Mile on anon-factory sponsored motorcycle.
The man's name was Martin Sullins. For a month or more, everyone talked about it. Cycle News tried to do an interview but found out that they had loaded the bikes into a van so that they could get to the next race and empty the van so they could sleep in it!
Many years later, while talking with Carol and Marty, I realized that the man that I was talking to wasn't just Marty Sullins, he was the same Martin Sullins that I had read about. The one privateer that year that one more than two nationals.
I asked Marty for his autograph. He laughed and said it had been almost 40 years since anyone but a bill collector had asked for his autograph.
It was my pleasure to open this Facebook account for him, to write his website for him and the Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other sites to try to help his new business have an online presence.
I was glad to have known Marty and Carol and I will forever call them my friend.
I don't know how Carol is doing. We keep her in our prayers. Marty, be well my friend. I will see you on the other side.
