Readings from Dane

[rob w]

I just happened across this searching the web about the Hiro engine.
Dane writing to Maurizio on Rugginose, March 2012.

Maurizio,

 One day in May of 1969, when I came home from school (11th
grade) my Uncle, John Penton, Kalman Cseh, and Mr. Trunkenpolz were
having lunch at my home with my parents. I was introduced to Kalman and
Mr. T and spoke to them for a few minutes. Then my mother or father
asked me if I would like to spend some time in Austria this summer. I
thought about it for a few minutes and then said yes, I would like to do
that.

About two weeks into June, I left for Austria and arrived in Salzburg
two days later. Kalman's wife Renate came to the train station, picked
me up and took me to the Trunkenpolz home, where I met Erika and the
children.

I lived there for the next two months and worked at the factory in
the R&D department every day. I was fortunate to get to go to a number
of Austrian Championship motocrosses and had a motorcycle that I could
ride on the motocross track just south of Mattighofen. I also had a
125cc street bike that allowed me to get around town as well.

It was one of the most precious summers in my life and I fell in love
with Austria while I was there. I never did actually get to speak the
language very well, but I could speak well enough that I was able to
communicate on a simple basis.

My second most favorite European country (Italy), is yours. I've been there a
number of times, the first one was in 1969. Kalman Cseh has relatives in
Bolzano, and during the summer that I was there, I went down there with him
to visit his relatives.

My second time to visit Italy, was the 1974 ISDT in Camerino. Our team
flew in to Rome and drove up to Camerino. I was on the US Trophy Team and
had a little bad luck. I don't remember exactly what day, but the shifter
mechanism came loose on my Sachs 100cc engine, and I had to stop and fix it
on the trail. Fortunately, I knew exactly how to get it put back together,
but I still only ended up earning a bronze medal that year.

After the event, I met the gentleman who built the Hiro engines, Andy
Mosconi. In the next spring, Uncle John and I traveled back to Italy to
visit the Hiro factory, and later that year, we bought about 25 Hiro
engines, and built some 125 Penton motorcycles, with the Hiro engines in
them.

The next time was in 1979. I was visiting the Sachs factory in Germany
to learn about the Sachs shock absorbers, and that week end, was when
Italian round of the World Enduro Championship was held in San Pelligrino.
The gentleman who was managing my trip to Sachs, drove me down to the event.

I think the next time I visited Italy, was in the early '90s. I don't
remember exactly why we went over there, but we went to visit another good
friend, Franco Acerbis.

In 1997, I went back to Italy to the ISDE in Lumezzani. I was not a
competitor, but I was a chase rider. That event did not have a good ending
for me. On day 5, I was hit by an auto and broke my leg. I was in the
hospital in the University of Brescia for I think 5 days, and then Franco
took me out of the hospital and I spent another week in Albino.

Three years later, I was visiting KTM's new factory in Mattighofen with
the American KTM dealers for their 2001 new model introductions. We went up
to Germany to visit the PVL company that we work with and also went down to
Albino to visit Franco again.

That is about all the times I've been to Italy, but the next time I
visit Europe again, I'll certainly spend some time in your country.

I hope you have a nice week end.

Sincerely,

Dane Leimbach

[firstturn]

Rob,
  Not sure either other than to respond to Maurizio about possible visiting to attend one of their Vintage Events?  Just about everything discussed in they letter Dane had told me about over the years.  Thanks for posting it.

Ron Carbaugh

[rob w]

Ron, This is the sort of stuff I love to read. I get so absorbed, it feels like Dane is right here speaking to me. Sure miss him.

[chicagojerry]

hi rob. do you know when was this actually written? Dane passed in 2011. (gone too soon)

[[email protected]]

What a great letter!So very neat to read Dane's thoughts.
Franco Acerbis holds the Penton and Leimbach families in the absolute highest regards to this day.

[firstturn]

I know Rob.  He has never left and I think of him often when working in the Race Shop.  Very intelligent and had a Great Sense of Humor.  Missed but not forgotten.

Ron Carbaugh

[Carl Hill]

He was one of my heroes when I was starting out (still is) riding a Berkshire in the late 70s. I lived in Lorain co. back then and bought a well used Berkshire from Avon Sport-cycle. The mechanic there, a nice guy who raced a Penton himself told me it was owned originally by "one of the Penton guys". I always wondered if it may have been one of Danes bikes. I found the frame the other day, supposed to be a 74 but the frame was modified to mount the shocks at 45 degrees. Had 35mms forks, and the seat had extra foam added. I recall the pipe being different too. The back half looked stock but front was not. Perhaps someone in the group may be able to shed some light on this.

[PJM]

Bob,

Thank you for the post.  I prompted me to do a Hiro search and I easily found the post on Rugginose (http://rugginose.forumfree.it/?t=60812700) where Dane's message was reposted there by Maurizio. It is very interesting and a bit spooky that it was you who found and shared this posting because subsequent to Maurizio's initial repost he replied and included a picture of Dane riding a 125 at the 1976 ISDT in Austria,and when I attempted to copy the picture the link is from  one of your photobucket.com pictures!  Coincidental or what!?  (I have included the link below)

Fellow POG Friends,

Maurizio reposted this 4 year old correspondence on Rugginose when he just learned of Dane's passing.  The Google translation of the beginning of the post indicates that the email correspondence from Dane started as a result of Maurizio posting pictures of a KTM 50 on POG.  

The start of Maurizio's reposting on Rugginose Google translates to:

It's been four years since Dane Leimbach (pilot and grandson of John Penton Penton) sent me the email translated very interesting that I posted on forums. Unfortunately I found out now that died last November only sixty years.

By a strange coincidence the page on the Internet where I learned
the news is my Penton (the penton with fenders blacks is my
just arrived in Italy in 2003).

http://motocrossactionmag.com/Main/News/GO...12011-8429.aspx

I tried the thread that was posting my correspondence with Dane, but I could not find it, then the place again (the third mail Dane is very attractive).

The first email Dane, I wrote because I had posted photos of ktm 50 of the Farioli forum POG (Penton Owners Group):

http://motocrossactionmag.com/Main/News/GO...12011-8429.aspx

I tried the thread that was posting my correspondence with Dane, but I could not find it,then the place again (the third mail Dane is very attractive).

The first email Dane, I wrote because I had posted photos of ktm 50 of the Farioli forum POG (Penton Owners Group)


In the reposting Dane's first email said:

I know Arnaldo very well. I first met him in the summer of 1969 when I was working at KTM and living at Mr. Trunkenpolz' house. I also have
pictures of the Penton prototypes that Arnaldo has as well.

Dane


Muarizio's subsequent posting Google translates to:

Thanks Philip.

Here is a nice picture of Dane Leimbach in action at the 1976 International Six Days in Austria riding a Penton 125 (motorcycle that I had and that I was always driven at full throttle):

The picture he posted can be found here thanks to Bob:

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/BobWardlow/POG%20pictorial/danepic.jpg


Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to my dear POG friends,
Pat Mickevicius