PHOTO TIM’S EARLY DAYS | I WAS A KID ENTHRALLED WITH MOTORSPORTS…

–

Early Days — image by Photo Tim
–

–

“I was a kid that was enthralled with motorsports. When I was 11 yrs old or so, a friend from schools parents took me to Ascot Park. I started sneaking into the pits to be closer to the racers by going around the back where they had a 20m pile of gravel to shield it from the passing cars on the freeway.”

“One issue with sneaking in to the pits is you don’t have anything to do, so I would stand around and talk to one of the guys taking photographs, Dan Mahoney. One night he handed me a camera and placed a little white pebble on the track. He said, ‘when the bikes get there push this button.’ I did and the result is the photo below. I was 12 yrs old at the time. The next week Dan said I had a natural talent and would I like a job shooting the races. I was a part of racing!!! Ok, not on the track, but still…”

–Photo Tim

–

Early Days — image by Photo Tim

–

Early Days — image by Photo Tim
–

–

Early Days — image by Photo Tim
–

–

Early Days — image by Photo Tim

–

Early Days — image by Photo Tim
–

–

Early Days — image by Photo Tim
–

–

Early Days (love the Harley XR-750) — image by Photo Tim
–

–

“Early Days” gallery by Photo Tim

–

8 thoughts on “PHOTO TIM’S EARLY DAYS | I WAS A KID ENTHRALLED WITH MOTORSPORTS…”

Great pics!!! I remember going with my grandpa to watch flat tracking. Then as i got older I had a buddy who gave it a try, was pretty good at it. Was a great time in my youth.

Great pics. They remind me of going to Eastville in Bristol, England when I was a kid. There was a craze amongst bikers to try and make your fuel smell like racing fuel – did people do that in the U.S. in the early 70s?

Awesome photos Tim, these are very iconic.

Dirt track racing. I was lucky to have a Dad take me to these races. Short track, TT, Miles,1/2 miles… I saw Eddie Lawson,Kenny Roberts, Wayne Rainey, Jay Springsteen,Ricky Graham the list goes on. Smell the exhaust,dirt,pot, beer, hamburgers,hay bales. sweet perfume for sure.

I was 16 and worked in a motorcycle shop . The Shop sold Huskys, Bulltacos Triumphs , Kawasakies and Hondas. I belonged to the local MC dirt riding club that was called MCMA and we leased a patch of real-estate to ride on. We ( the club ) held scrambles and even one of the first international MotoCross events in the US back in the late 60’s.
There were cars and trucks parked lining the road for miles it seemed like. The smell of
“Blens-all” and bean oil filled the air. I was in heaven! The bike shops are all gone now
and the place we affectionately called “ChinaCamp” the clubs riding area; turned in to a wild mouse and bird habitat kind of a state park. All the great ones came to the races at ChinaCamp. There was this guy named Dick Mann who was some king of god I tell you. And another guy named Mert Lawwell. Boy,those were the guys out in front of everybody back in those days. Those guys could Ride!
I’m old-ass now, and all I got left of those days is the dirt in my old tool box .
Bent gear shifts, broken clutch levers, busted chains… Those were the days of my riding at ChinaCamp. .Geeze I miss it. Thank God “Bucks Landing” is still kicking
where you can still get a hot dog just down the road from what use to be the best dirt bike riding place a kid with an old Honda 160 set up for dirt; couldn’t ever have had a better time in his life. And a big “Thank You” to Sandy Greenblat; the best boss a kid could ever have had. I was sixteen, I had an old 55 ford truck , a motorcycle in the back and a job at the local Honda shop. It don’t get any better than that. Thank god a still got a few Kodac moments in the trunk to remind me.