GARY THE FLYING FONG

Hi there. I was there with Manny's Mudsuckers. We had custom-built frames that had the rakes shortened, and the sprocket box raised so we could use longer crankshafts (more torque). I was "Flying Fong" #52. I was in the Junior Expert division. There was a sandbox between the main building and the starting line, I think there was a swingset inside the sandbox? Anyway, the kids would dump sand all around the track, and we'd all try to do the speedway thing throwing out our rear wheels. For the race, you'd line up on a crack where the concrete met the asphalt. There'd be maybe 10 of us in a moto. There was no gate or rope, there was just Ron's flashlight. If there was a false start, he'd call it and we'd have to return back. One of the funniest things now, looking back, was how some of the kids wore Jofas (rock guards for your mouth, looked like a dog muzzle). To win the race, you had to be the first into the first turn. It was impossible to pass. There'd be maybe 30 yards and then the first turn would be a sharp right (lots of wipeouts there). We would then zig zag between two large trees and they had teeny tiny berms on them. It was a very thin part of track, impossible to pass. Then there would be a medium length downhill flat, where you could get a little bit of speed for the biggest jump, which was a dirt-packed mound that went over a wall. We'd do a round left, and then huff it up a hill (that was the only place to pass). There was one right turn, and then we're back to the starting line stretch, which was the finish line. Ron always wore this big military jacket. I remember his intense look at our front wheels to make sure nobody was false starting, then he'd dash the flashlight right and left across the line and yell out something. Something like "let it rip" or something like that (anybody remember?). Ron was a very good friend of ours. Of course we were like 14, and he was whatever age he was, but I remember fondly one time he loaded us all up in his van and drove us to Indian Wells to ride. Do you guys remember Indian Wells? The radio in his van broke, and he sang songs the whole time. We were all going, Ron you suck at singing, but he really was good. At the end of the season, I got this little 4x6" plaque that said, "Palms Park, Junior Expert". It was just something you got - there weren't trophies for winning. Not each night. I remember the smell of the trees, the lighting of the sandbox area (and the complete darkness where the S curve went around the two big trees). It was like yesterday, and it was 40 years ago.

OH MY GOD I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THIS I thought it was gone forever. I kept a copy of it and my dad's van got flooded. Do you have full sized scans? This is so wild because years later I became an inventor, and this was the first thing I doodled with. Thank you SO MUCH.

OK found the part where I mention Ron Mackler and BMX in my book. If you go to Amazon, Borders or Barnes and Noble (retail bookstores) you'll find the book. Here's the part about BMX and Manny's Mudsuckers: click HERE

Rich Lee - that's another name from the past! Isn't he the dad who had the first powder puffer - ? (was it Brenda?)

Is that the Cycles West van in the background?

Hey Rip - on the picture with me in it, I'm sideways, going down the last Palms jump. I look funny because they took scissors and cut around my picture, and my nose looked like a hawk.

OK traveling right now. Yes I remember Perry Kramer. As soon as I get to a scanner I'll do the map - also, I'm so curious now that since I live in L.A. during the winters, I'll go over and walk the track. That will be fun. I'll try to scan the "Mudsuckers" chapter from the book too. Manny Jardine owned Manny's Cyclery, it was on Westchester on Sepulveda (right now it's a "Hairvisions" salon). The mudsuckers were hardtails, and Manny welded custom frames with the sprocket box really high so he could put long derailler crank arms for more torque, and a slightly smaller front sprocket so we could get fast off the line. On long tracks, we'd have a standard sprocket but we could still get off the line. Do any of you remember that South Bay BMX park where we would do Grand-Prix style starts? I think it was Redondo. We would have to "run" to our bikes for the start. It was a long track compared to Palms, I think 1/4 mile.

YES! This is it! It was 1973 I believe. I was a Jr. Expert and I think when you turned 14 you were in the Expert class? Gosh I'm so bummed Ron died. Do you know I wrote about him in my book? My book is in the bookstore near you (borders, barnes and noble) here's the amazon link. I wrote fondly about Ron. He did such a great job about teaching about SPORTSMANSHIP. Do you remember how he would have a sportsmanship trophy? What a wonderful, caring man he was. http://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Millionaire-Succeed-Without-Really/dp/1933771917 So glad to have found this site. What ever happened to the photographer, scott something, from BMX news? They did an article on me because I did a thing showing how I welded my frame from a schwinn stingray to a straight-bar thing. I'd love to get that article! Gary

I remember one time we all piled into Ron's van and he sang songs (he didn't have a radio) as he drove us to Indian Dunes. Gosh what a nice man. Here's what I remember from Palms: (I was Gary "The Flying" Fong - one of Manny's Mudsuckers, Plate #52) We'd be on the concrete line before the asphalt by the sandbox. We'd all line up, and Ron had a flashlight. He'd yell, "Peel out!" and he'd wave that flashlight back and forth real fast, and we'd jam into the first turn, a steep right onto some worn out grass. There would be a small left berm wrapping around a tree (180 degrees) then a fast right similar berm, up a small hill, then it went downhill. It was completely dark at this point, and there was this 3' jump over a landscaping wall onto a flat area. We'd then have a hill climb (we'd be winded by then) onto the concrete area, and then a right hand turn back onto the flat concrete area back to the finish line. I should draw a diagram. That would be cool! We were called Manny's mudsuckers because our frames were painted in terra-cotta primer. My teammates were Jim Rios, Richard Cantrell, and someone else, or two. Gary Fong, #52