Guess Who's Testing The Shocks !

[Admin]

Can you guess who's testing the shocks?

http://www.pentonusa.org/index.html

We'll leave it up to all the "POGers" to answer this amongst themselves.

A special thanks to Kip Kern for providing this month's homepage image.

If you have any good photos for the home page, please email them to [email protected]. If we don't use them on the homepage, we will use them on other future website pages.

[firstturn]

Well we know he talks like a Swede and those goat skin Torson Hallman paints may be a tip.  But I'll leave it to the experts.

Ron Carbaugh

[Bill Smith]

Good boy Ron.

[rob w]

That's a great picture!

That shows us some early useage of a down pipe, I would be curious to get the date of that photo.(and a shot from the other side) Thank you Bill & Karen.

PS. do you have any more "Reunion" photos

[Paul Danik]

Rob,
   That photo was taken at the second Inter-Am of the 1969 series. The location was the Marion County International Raceway, located near LaRue, Ohio. I was standing behind that jump, watching the riders go past me and then they took the jump.   All of the big bore bikes took that jump, most of the 125s went to the right, as can be seen in the picture, but several of the 125 hotdogs took the jump.  I was taken to that race by my buddie Bob "Augie" Augustine. We stopped at a burger joint on the way that had a special of 6 burgers for a buck, he ordered $5.00 worth and told me they had to last both of us for the day!! I remember seeing a Ford van that belonged to one of the Penton's at the event and it contained a new bike, a new white Penton sweatshirt in the window, and all kinds of cool Penton stuff inside.  I'll bet my nose print is still on the glass of that van in some junkyard somewhere.[8D] Those were the good ole days.
Paul

[imported_n/a]

This was early enough on for the Europeans coming over here, was this Lars Larsen?

Glenn

[dirtbike]

A swede riding a Penton?? Who could that have been. And back in 1969 too. Torsten Hallman where around then but he rode Husqvarna. Hard to see it could be him.

Larsen is danish. He shouldn't speek swedish I suppose.
The guy is pretty blonde. Hallman was that and Torleif Hansen too. Could he have been ridden that before the Kawa days over there?

[firstturn]

dirtbike,
You know your riders.  I haven't thought of Torlief for a while.  Is he still on the scene?  Great input.

Ron Carbaugh

[Doug Wilford]

The picture is Lars Larsen riding the Penton at the La Rue event.  Lars and Gunnar were both what you might say in the employ of Penton in the early days.   Some time for a good "yoke" as they would say, they would ride the Pentons.   I am pretty sure Lassie had a home in Sweden.   Another of the early Swedish arrivals was Carl Bergren who worked for Edisons  Viking Motors in Chicago later moving the business to NC.  I recruited Don Rosene for Carl to be the South East District sales manager for Penton Imports.   Lars as you all may know was inducted into the AMA Heritage Hall of Fame a couple of years ago.

[dirtbike]

Torleif Hansen is very much on the scene as commentator in national television here. He comment Trail, enduro and motocross and does so very well. He has a nice way and add some knowledge to that.

I will never forget when he, as a retire decided to compete in the swedish GP back in 1983 with the texture "Too Old" on the back of his pants just for fun. He won both motos in a big way and took a 10'th overall in the championship racing only one out of (16 I think) events. I mean, the dude gave a free lesson, right?

[dirtbike]

I get it!
Were talking about Lars Larsson Carl Berggren. I was really tricked by the spelling. Larsen is very much a different name over here and certanly a danish one. Gee, never knew they rode Pentons.
Great !!

[firstturn]

dirtbike,
  I am very Happy to hear of Torlief's success.  He was/is a great one on two wheels and now as a very knowledgable announcer.    
  Thanks for the update and the Great Story.  I heard that story from another great rider who just couldn't believe of Torlief's performance.  Not to drop names, but it was told by Roger DeCoster, and he was shaking his head and smiling as he reported the story.  
  Any more great stories please start a new post and bring us up to date on things OVER THERE.  And no Yoking (joking) around.
Thanks again,

Ron Carbaugh

[Doug Wilford]

Dirtbike, If you ever get a chance ask Torlief about riding across the US in the Cycleliner a converted mail bus that we used for the Trans/ Inter AM series, I always had to yell at him to keep it under 80 MPH  He liked to go fast all the time.

[dirtbike]

Yeah, Doug. I will remind him of it if I have a chance. I think so because I do have contacts that is pretty close. I can imagine the look he will put on his face.

That Torleif story (which is 100% true) is a great one. Jobé, LaPorte, Van Der Veen and those just got humiliated.

I have a better story (also true). I don't remeber the exact location and neither some details but anyway. This is Hakan Carlqvist that once fired from the sad Yamaha open class team trying to wrest a vintage bike around in GP's a couple of years bought himself a brand new water cooled Kawasaki KX 500. He went out on the GP scene and (as always) mixed mechanical failure, severe injuries with outstanding performance winning races like there where no competition. One race he stopped in the beginning of the last straight to the checkers flag. Had himself a beer, talked to the audience, pointed backwards towards the rest of the field with his thumb, shook his head a little, smiled and went on to win the race.

He was the man!

[KTM495CH]

Ha, this is (one of) the unforgetable story about Carla: It was on the famous track of NAMUR (Belgium) in August 1988.
How the times are changeing: Today the Pros are drinking RED BULL.....[xx(]