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Chuck Weber attended his first Santa Fe Speedway motorcycle race in
1965 at the age of five. He was introduced to the sport of dirt track
racing by his father, an ex-racer himself. Together they attended many
races each season, and Chuck dreamed of one day competing at Santa Fe
Speedway. He witnessed many of the ever-changing events, stars, and
machines that made Santa Fe Speedway one of the most exciting racing
venues in the nation.
Chuck was an eyewitness to some of the track's greatest racing
competition. He recalls the mid-1960s races between Fred Nix, Neil
Keen, George Roeder, Bart Markel, and other stars of the era. The early
1970s brought on a new generation of two-stroke machines and riders,
such as Robert E. Lee and Mike Gerald. The 1970 season was
unforgettable with its visits from World Speedway Champion Barry Briggs
and his unique style. The arrival of Terry Poovey in 1975 brought him
the track championship as a rookie junior-ranked rider. The late '70s
and '80s brought a new generation of riders, such as champions Steve
Eklund, Randy Goss, Scott Parker, and Jay Springsteen. Many of these
stars competed at Santa Fe Speedway up to the track's final Short Track
National event in 1988.
Chuck himself raced professionally at Santa Fe Speedway as a novice in
1980, moving to the junior ranks in 1981 and retiring as an expert in
1985. One of his proudest racing moments was making the junior- expert
main event and having his father push his bike to the starting line.
Though Chuck's collection of photos, he hopes to bring back the sights,
sounds, and smells of this historic "track of clay". He hopes these
photos will bring back memories of those special Wednesday night
programs and Grand National events as well.
Chuck would like to here
about your memories of Santa Fe Speedway.
Please email him, click here |
