Does anyone remember or know anything about WSA? I was there in the 70's

I know everything!!!

...well...I know everything about WSA...other than that, I don't think I know anything.



I've got pictures and stories. Choose your poison...

I am Dennis Dain (Red Baron)

Who are you and who did you race against?


...oh yea, welcome aboard. You are about to waste a whole lot of time online...

I live across the street from the old track. It was gone by the time I moved to California. I wish I could see exactly where it was on the property, maybe a straight or berm is left. On the spot is some self storage buildings. But again I never saw the track so I dont know exactly where it was on the property.

I only rode WSA once, May 1975.

I have a pic some where here of me eating a load of dirt at WSA. I think it was 78?

Mike

The track was right behind the batting cages Erik, if you are able to tell where those were.


Give us some of those stories Red Baron. (Red Baron was the KING of Western Sports Arama!)

Hey Kevin, thanks for those kind words.

A quick (personal) story for Kevin, before the WSA stories. Two weeks ago there was a couple of get togethers here in SoCal. I had only been at the Bellflower gathering for a few minutes before someone walked up to me and said, "hello Kevin." I appologized for not being Kevin Harlow, he laughed and said "you two are some of the only guys who wear shorts that show your knees."

The next evening at Mike Franze's bike shop gathering in Fullerton, I had just finished telling that story to Stu when someone walks up to me and says, "hi Kevin." I swear, twice in one weekend!!!

Here you go Kevin, an add for DG with the picture from the 1st turn at WSA.

The batting cages are gone. I see trees and the huge Western Sports Arama sign in the pictures. Were those back up against the river or close to Lincoln? Along the street is the self storage units and next to them on one side apartments and on the other side a self storage car wash. Behind is kind where the old city dump was and they just filled that in and built homes on top.

Is that an R&R your racing there Dennis? I had one in 81 I bought used. I hated it lol.
I can tell you guys apart. If your fast on a 20 its Dennis if your fast on a cruiser its Kevin.

That's classic!

Hey Erick, I just did a Google Maps search to get an overhead view. I have not been by there lately but from what I remember and from what I can make out on the map I am sure there is nothing left of the track. I 'think' the track was located east of N. Berkeley st on the north side of the street. (where the storage place is)

The only building on the premises were near the street with the batting cages behind that and the track behind those. On the other side of the track was a gravel pit. (at that time) From what I see on the map the storage facility looks like it goes all the way back to where the gravel pit was.

You can see the gravel pit in the background of this next picture.

That was THE place to race in orange county. I remember they outlawed two pedal starts because they considered it cheating. I remember Dennis used to race in cut off Levis and it was ok.they never said a word. I also remember getting smoked by a girl for the first month or so. That girl was Kim Johnson who later was my teamate on SE for a while. Good times.

Rod, you were just a little whipper-snapper back then. It sure was a simpler time.

Hey Rod, did you hear that Kim showed up at Franze's bike shop gathering last month? She looked great! It was neat to see another WSA youngster re-surface. I'm sure you know all these characters.

Virgil Howard...

...enough said.

Apparently so, the thread died. I killed the thread....

Ya gotta love it when someone new shows up, asks a question, then disappears.

Oh well...

It was not you Rick.

Red a guy comes into my job alot. I know he has his two old DGs. Wont part with them Anyway he raced a couple times at WSA and said he remembered you. That you lived down the street from his boyhood home. He didnt race much his name is Russ. He said he knew you raced some MX like he did and then moved to Mexico he thought.

He did hook me up with an old Escape Country sticker

I do not remember anyone named Russ from my old neighborhood.

I'm not sure if I am reading that right but I never moved to Mexico...

...anyway, the world is a funny place. I have run into BMX people everywhere...just wear some kind of BMX related shirt. Never fails.

With that big-o UPS truck of yours I would imagine so....

His last name is Klatt I think he clearly seemed to remember you.
Today I spent an hour talking to a guy who came to my job. Turns out his family ran Power Strokers team and shop. He said his dad ran the gate at WSA alot and his mom did alot of scoring.
All three of the kids including him raced. His name is Scott Ryan.

He said his dad used to customize bikes and he still has his Suzuki he ran with an eliptical sprocket and some all aluminum solid disk mags and tons of his old stuff. His dad just moved to Ohio and took alot of their old stuff back though.
He said his dad also helped run Saddleback. He didnt remember WSA ever doing a newsletter but he said Saddleback did he thought and may even have one as he saved some newspapers from BITD.

He lives around the corner from me so I gave him my number.

Cant edit the post his name may have been Rob Ryan. I forget for sure. I cant edit my post above so sorry for the double post. Next time I see him ill try to better remember his name lol.

Yea, his name is Bob Ryan. I remember him. I will look tomorrow through my old papers for more specific stuff relating to him. For now I already had this in my stash.



I still don't remember a Russ Klatt though.

Cool picture, I think he said he still had the bike. That everything was custom made by his dad. That he had mad a custom tensioner for the chain and he still has it.
Just fate seems to have kept his dad from becoming as famous as Cooks or GT etc. His dad also invented the addicks sprocket, but gave the rights to it after a sponsorship deal went bad. He told me the whole story, very cool stuff, we talked forever.

This shot of Bottema and Dennis is really cool. early bikes and throwing it around (verse NS racing). Thumbs up.



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i love that pic! now i miss my zf-1 too.

I remember that bike but I think the sprocket on that bike is one of Roger Durham's (Bullseye) elliptical sprocket.