who is this ISDT rider?

[OhioTed]

I never saw this photo before.  Who is this?  Dane, maybe?

[Paul Danik]

Ted,

  That is an interesting and possibly misleading photo, let me explain.

    It is Dane, but the shortness of the riders name on the gas tank, located under PENTON and SIX-DAY on the gas tank, and the riding number, could lead to a different conclusion. The riding number, 122, seemed to be a bit late  for a 100cc machine, and Dane is a 100cc rider, or is he ?

  In the 1971 ISDT held at the Isle of Man, Dane was an alternate for Jeff Penton who was injured shortly before the event. I found a picture of Dane sitting on that bike in the Jerry West collection of photos, in the photo it looks like Jeff's name is on the bike and it does say Six-Day, not Berkshire.

  I haven't found a list of results for that event yet to see if indeed Dane was on a 125cc machine, but everything for now looks for that to be the case.

   Hopefully Dane will chime in, and possibly I am 100 percent wrong, but it sure is fun to try to figure this out.

Thanks for posting the picture, and if anyone has any other info please feel free to correct my assumptions.

Paul

[JP Morgen]

Ted,
   I have the Cycle World magazine with that photo in it, and the caption says Dane, on a 100. Fourth palce Trophy Team, but it was 1972, not '71. If anyone is interested, I have all of the Cycle Worlds that covered the six days in that period, I can make copies if you would like. The '72 coverage I have signed by Malcolm Smith on the page where there is a photo of him crashing in the roadrace. he thought it was cool, because he hardly ever crashed!

[JP Morgen]

I stand corrected on the year, it is '71, I just looked at the year of the magazine, not the month as well!, duh. JP

[firstturn]

And Dane was the Top American RIder.....

Ron Carbaugh

[Paul Danik]

Dane always rode 100cc machines, and I would pretty much bet the farm that he is on a 100 in that picture. On the cover of the November of 1971 issue of AMA magazine is a shot of Tom Penton at the Isle of Man ISDT with riding number 78 on his 125cc Penton.  Dane is also pictured and identified in that magazine article riding number 122, the bike in Ted's photo.

What I hope someone might remember is this, did the top end get changed by the factory when it became apparent that Jeff wasn't going to ride, or at the event before the start?  Also, it is interesting to note that Dane would have started and ridden within a larger displacement class, something that is not usually done as far as I know, but as a late date alternate the rider numbers had already been assigned.

This is why I stated in my original post that the picture is interesting and possibly misleading.

Paul

[rob w]

[OhioTed]

Wow!  That chart is an amazing archive, Bob.  Where did you get it?  Evidently, it features each and every one of the American riders.  

Truly a tremendous performance on Dane's part to place top American, especially against this caliber of competitors.  During a video interview with him, I tried to determine how Dane did it.  Was his Berkshire supercharged?  Did he sneak nitro into the tank?  Whatever the case, Dane had to have the little 100 seriously on the boil through the entire six days.  In keeping with his typically modest persona, Dane described "riding only as fast as he felt comfortable".  However, he is quite adament that the Berkshire was a totally legal 100, and was in fact virtually stock.  

And, in addition to Dane's tremendous ride, how about some of the other American riders that year, such as Leroy Winters?  Competing in, and finishing any Six-Day is a tremendous accomplishment, but imagine doing so on an SL125 Honda!  Leroy must have had that little tortoise-chaser pinned throughout the entire event.

Hats off to all these guys.  They all put forth a tremendous amount of time, money, and effort to represent the U.S.A. in these prestigious events.