1963. I’m 5 years old. My dad and I have just arrived at Ascot Park for the half mile National event. I’ve been going to the races by this point for about a year and a half and I’m a huge fan of every rider out there but my hero is #3 Al Gunter. We get to our seats in the grandstand. My dad has this giant pair of binoculars which he hands over. To me it’s like trying to hold a cannon up to my face but I’m scanning the pits looking for that big ol #3. At National events it’s all white plates in the pits. On a regular weekly event the pits are loaded with Novice, Amateur (they were called Amateur’s before they changed the name to Junior’s. I never liked Junior’s because it sounded like someone’s younger brother) and Experts but at the National events it’s all Experts except for the Amateur invitational race.
Anyway, I’m scanning the pits looking for Al Gunter but I can’t find him. My dad says: “Don’t worry son, he’s out there someplace maybe he’s behind the pit building”. But I know he’s not there because he’s not pitted right in front like always.
They’re just getting ready to play the National Anthem when in pulls a last minute rider, it’s Al Gunter! Cool, now it’s going to be a good night!
Al direct transfer’s out of his Heat race to the Main Event. I can relax.
Later in the night it’s Main Event time. All the bikes are lined up for the race. It’s good to be alive! The flag waves and off they go towards turn one.
The start of the Main Event to me was always the scariest part of racing because you had all those riders starting from a dead start half way down the main straight which means everyone is hitting turn one at the same time in a huge pack. Lots of times something bad happens.
On this night the start goes off without a hitch. Flint Michigan’s great: #4 Bart Markel has the lead but #3 Al Gunter is right behind him. The first half of the event runs like that Bart leading with Al right behind him and to me (as a 5 year old) it seems that Al is being unusually patient. Ascot was a different track from what most of those riders were used to. It had a heavy, usually wet clay surface and a lot of those guys were used to running on dry, pea gravel. So regulars, like what they called The BSA Wrecking Crew (Gunter, Neil Keen, Jack O’Brien and Stu Morely) Sammy Tanner, Blackie Bruce etc…etc… had an advantage over the other riders. So it was really interesting to watch Gunter putting a ton or pressure on Bart Markel. At about half distance Bart suddenly washes out and goes down in turn 2 (I believe). Handing the lead to Al. Bart restarts but at the back of the field. From then on Al leads every lap and wins the National event.
Man, that was a cool night! I was excited for like, a week.
After the races my dad took me down into the pits to walk around and look at the riders and their bikes. I remember we walked over to Gunter’s pits and I walked up to Al’s bike and I touched the #3 side plate with my hands. I felt like I’d just touched Superman’s cape.
That’s a great memory for me.
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