seeking info on "Mettco Penton"

[OhioTed]

Thanks, guys.  I've been in touch with several of you concerning this info.  Carl Crank even e-mailed me with what he knows of Mettco.  Still need to find something of the owner/backer of the Mettco effort.
I'll see what Bruce can tell us.  TED

[OUCWBOY]

Fred Hayes was the owner and builder/designer of the Mettco bikes. I don't know if he is around anymore. I know someone had told me that they had spoken with his daughter.
Not much help, but Bruce or Danny will know.

Donny Smith

[OhioTed]

Thanks, Donny.

[firstturn]

Ted,
  I'm not having any luck on the articles that I know I have(somewhere).  I am running across articles (Penton) on Lopez and Laport so I am keeping these as I run across them so hopefully it will help you better understand how powerful this Mettco operation was in the R & D of racing Pentons.


Ron Carbaugh

[OhioTed]

Ron,  First, congrats on reaching 800 posts.  It was fun to see some of our compradres gettin' on you about it.  Also, in your post I presume you are referring to Danny LaPorte, but who is the other name you mentioned - Lopez?  TED

[OUCWBOY]

Ted,
Ray Lopez won the first 125cc National Championship Race. This was not a title, just the pre cursor to the 125cc class becoming an AMA event. The Event was held at Glen Helen Park in Southern CA. The next year, Marty Smith stated dominating.

Donny Smith

[firstturn]

Ted.
  I was not tuned in when I wrote the name of the great RIDER AND NICE GUY Danny LaPorte.  My error and a big one for a guy who Honda let go for a DUMB/DUMBER reason(no problems with Danny just a Dumb Move-I was there when it happened).
  I was really proud of Danny for JUST taking it is stride and going on to Yamaha and winning a World MX Title.  "Ho Hum, just another day at the races I guess I'll ride the Yellow one and win the World Championship".  Of course I'm putting words in Danny's mouth, but he is and was a great champion and that is not bad for a boy that raced Penton's.

Ron Carbaugh

[OhioTed]

Sheriff R.C., do I understand you were able to locate some info on Mettco?  Sure would appreciate anything you may have turned up.  TED

[OhioTed]

Sure was nice to meet with you in person as well, Bob.  It's great to get to put a face with the POG site-name.  Thanks for the additional info.  Most of this is all new to me, as I first began to read the national motorcycle publications around 1974, and by that time Uncle Donny seemed to be concentrating on TM Suzukis and 125 Elsinores.  Possibly he had shifted his attention away from Pentons by then?  You also have confirmed that Mr. Hayes is deceased.  However, is there any information avaialable in general concerning his business(es) and racing program(s)?  TED

[OhioTed]

Donny, the significance of this information you have provided did not occur to me at first.  However, looking again now at what you reported, do I understand that Ray Lopez won this first 125 N.C. race - on a Mettco Penton?  That would be a very important fact to note in the Mettco story!  TED    

quote:Originally posted by OUCWBOY

Ted,
Ray Lopez won the first 125cc National Championship Race. This was not a title, just the pre cursor to the 125cc class becoming an AMA event. The Event was held at Glen Helen Park in Southern CA. The next year, Marty Smith stated dominating.

Donny Smith

[atk114]

Ted,

Keith here. Did you receive the photo's of the "Mettco" replica I e-mail to you last week? Also, if your looking for some more information, the very 1st issue of Motocross Action had an article  that featured the non-AMA 125 National Championship race won by Ray Lopez, I think Marty Smith finished 2nd on his Monark. Ray also raced at the 125 World Cup in St. Charles that summer. He got the holeshot in the 1st moto and lead for a while, but I can't remember how he finished. Anyway, good luck finding that issue, I hear it's worth some money.

Keith R. Larson

[rob w]

Keith, Donny, Ted, & all,

At Americas first big 125 championship race, billed as the 125 National Championship at Arroyo. (San Berdardino, CA.)
There is no mention that Ray Lopez (winner) was riding for Mettco, just that he was on a Penton. The Mettco riders were Chuck Bower and Bruce McDougal.
I don't know much about making good copies but I will look into it. Just that the article is white print on black pages, and some of the photographs are black and red.
I bought this first issue MXA at the local newsstand, I remember the day, I was 16 yrs. old and so happy there was a publication directed stickly towards motocross.
No one else was ever touched this mag, like all my mag's I looked at them a couple times and they went directly into my organized plastic containers,this magazine has traveled/moved across the country with me several times. More than once when I would move into a new house with someone, they would say "what are all those magazines for?", and I would say back, "those are my magazines, they always go where I go".
I guess I lived a sheltered life in the woods of northern Michigan, and those magazines were my link to the outside world. They offered me hope and dreams. I knew the minute I graduated from high-school I was leaving for California to play with the big boys. Unfortunately when I got there I was the only one left racing a Penton, but I think I represented the brand pretty well, at least I made them remember the Penton a little bit longer.


Bob

[OhioTed]

Wow, thanks for the info, guys.  This is really starting to get interesting.  It's great that you remembered about the article in MXA #1, Keith.  I didn't have a clue.  Thanks also to Bob for picking up on the info and offering to supply copies.  That would really be great.  Like Bob, my contact with the "motorcycle world" was through the monthly publications.  I've still got all mine, too, and continuously use them for reference material.  Speaking of which, Bob, that article I mentioned to you at the meeting - about Danny Turner - turns out it was about Jim Felt, who was Jimmy Weinert's Kawasaki mechanic at the time.  Still is a great piece, though.  These bits of information really help, guys.  Please keep 'em coming.  It is by piecing them all together that we will hopefully assemble enough information to present a comprehensive story on Mettco.  Sounds like Bob has a really interesting story to tell, as well . . . (hint hint)

[atk114]

I guess I was wrong about Ray Lopez riding for "Mettco". I just though he was on the team with Bruce McDougal. When I was 15, I went to the 125 World Cup at St. Charles, and I seem to remember that Bruce McDougal & Ray Lopez pitted together, which may only mean they rode out together. Now that I think of it, maybe it was Chuck Bower at the World Cup with Bruce. Wow, this age thing is beginning to get to me. Sorry for the wrong info guy's.

Speaking of the 125 World Cup, there was a Penton rider, (his last name was Pennington or Harrington, I think) and was the top placing Penton (4th overall). I wonder what ever happened to him?

Keith R. Larson

[firstturn]

Rob W & atk114,
  On the subject of Mettco and Ray Lopez I think some of the confussion came/comes from the way the articles were written when it talked about the success of the Penton riders.  An example is the following write up in Keeping Track; "The race of the day was between two of the best 125 moto-crossers, Ray Lopez on his 125 Penton and Mettco mentor, Chuck Bower on his green machine."  As one might just read this and take it that they were both on Mettco Pentons.  Just a little news/views form the past.

Ron Carbaugh