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prayers for his family, godspeed Thomas

praying for Thomas and his family in this difficult time, may he find peace

I do remember the name, cant place the bike he rode, but i do remember several good suzuki riders from belpre just not the names, i remember Joe Barker, blond hair rode suzukis and a guy named Denny maybe  Shultz who rode kawasaki, also Jeff Corra who rode with rod Bush, I went to illinois once to buy a guy named John Franklin's Maico but it was just too much i think. My cousin Randy Hersman who rode out of charleston Kaw shop went to honda hills and  won the 200 class supposedly against the penton boys, was a long time ago, we started out with 175 Kaw enduros stripped down, then the real MX bikes came out. I remeber a young guy charlie godby from around charleston in mini class then went  to 125s kawasaki way after I was finished he got killed in race at clarksburg. also some postlwait boys from pburg.

I remember that big jump at badlands too, I remember lots of jumps down that big straight too. It was a good track to watch races and to ride. does anyone remember when there were teams,  I think we just did it one year, charleston was the mountaineeers, dont know what Pburg was, I had fried my jackpiner and got a KX 125, and I let the Piner sit and sold it. what an idiot I was. Id love to have it again. I remember the owner hyped the track and riders good it was alot of fun. does anyone remember racing at rocky fork and tuppers creek near charleston WV. good racing there, sad to see houses there now. does anyone remember these racers, Ronnie Stone, Husky, Steve Childers,Maico, Scott Runyan Honda, Randy Hersman Kawaski, Toby Lathey Kawasaki,Rusty Johnson, Penton, or any others I forgot,I think I remember doing a Hare Scramble with Jack Penton near Deerwalk WV, it was cold snowy, we died doing about 8 laps around  on a kawasaki,I think he did 19 or 20. we knew he had something we didn't have  and it wasn't just a Penton...john

The name of the track was New England Raceway just south of  Parkersurg on rt 2. I Remember Joe Barker being therre i think he was on a suzuki and rode several classes. I remeber it being the Bike Shop too. I raced some at Bad Lands Raceway too. I remeber a young kid who was 15 named Rusty Johnson who went there and beat all the pros on a new Penton 250 in about 1974-75.

I Remember Rod Bush riding a honda SL 100 in motocross at a track near Parkersburg WV and lapping the field. Shortly after i think his dad opened a small Penton shop in his garage.I think they also sold monarks for a time. I raced  motocross near Charleston WV and had to buy my bike in charleston but always got my parts from the Bushes. I remember I thought that old honda sounded funny until I heard that first Penton. My jackpiner was the best  bike I ever owned. I loved for it to rain, it usually meant I could lap the field.

John Hersman  #31 Ripley WV

Looking for 175 jackpiner, owned and raced by me in 72-73, sold in jackson county WV seeking whereabouts in any condition or other pentons for sale. Purchased at Chas WV honda shop new.