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View Full Version : Came across some racing history.



hang&rattle
07-25-2010, 02:07 PM
This is not much and may be a bit lengthy, but if ya don't like it don't read it huh? I got an e-mail from the fella that sold me my 85' Tecate. I shot him an e-mail with some pictures of the trike I promised to do justice when I bought (he thanked me for doin' it right and was impressed), and asking him of the spare motor he gave me with the trike (the motor is good :w00t:). His name is Jon Rogers. He raced Tecate's in CA from 1985-1988. I can't remember where, but there is a picture of Jon on one of these sites of him racing in San Jose with orange handlebars I believe in 85' (in a pack of trikes, anyone have this picture?), when I went to pick up this Tecate I asked him, because of the orange paint I seen he started on (hence my paint scheme), and he said he painted his handle bars and other stuff orange because no one else did, to be different. I asked him if he raced in San Jose (I seen the picture)? Jon said in his first year in 1985. I told him there is a picture of him on the internet racing. I asked him in the e-mail where to get a tecate motor built (think I wrecked one of mine:rolleyes:), Jon said his racing motors were built by Harry Badokian and Sanders Motorcycles in Visalia CA, which is Eddie Sanders Racing (ESR). They were still there 7 or 8 years ago, but Jon said he heard they no longer work on 2-strokes. I'm not a talker or an interviewer, but I kept pluggin' questions because I was somewhat excited. Jon liked the Tecates and said everyone raced the much faster Tecate's. Said mostly TT and flat track, spoke of the fat front tire being ideal for it and handled so much better (I don't know what TT is). Said they did o.k. at MX. This is somewhat true from my inclination as I thought it was a sea of red, but looking at old you-tube clips there was alot of Tecate's in CA in the 80's (thanks to airfoolers). I only got one picture out of him that will load, but is kinda cool. I'll keep on pumping him for more history and pictures. Any old school racers rumbling through some old times with any of this? Did I get some decent info for some cool memories any of you can share? Can you add to any of this because it's really interesting to trike owners, fun to learn history from the past. Chime in folks because I want to learn and hear more now on this little slice I fell upon.

dcreel
07-25-2010, 02:31 PM
Try photobucket with the pictures.. so I can see them. :-) ESR is still working on 2 strokes, mainly 250R stuff.

brapp
07-25-2010, 03:48 PM
thats cool my 86 tecate i got had soem racing histry to it too it was one fo the pros bikes back in 86-87ish.

hang&rattle
07-25-2010, 04:10 PM
Cmon' brapp, gimme a little more than that, bud, I want to learn a little more about the privateers and smaller-time racers. And it's neat to know your trike did what it was spose' to. A racing race bike is cool.

brapp
07-25-2010, 08:48 PM
the racers name who owned mine was donnie luce back in the day. i belive it was nukmber 54 back in 1986

Shorty
07-25-2010, 09:01 PM
Hey Sanders motor sports is still around! I go there all the time to get parts! And I know harry sanders pretty well.

Curtis-Tecate3
07-25-2010, 11:19 PM
I tracked down Donnie Luce years ago and at the time he worked for White Brothers who is now out of business I believe.
He told me way back that he sold his bike to a guy named Stan Swanson.

NOS_350X
07-26-2010, 12:43 PM
Just to let ya know,

Harry Badokian wont build engines any more. He dose a micro sprint for a freind of his but wont touch anyone elces.

Sanders motorsports is still there, And it is seperate from ESR. ESR is still around but moved from Visalia To Pismo beach (ESR250.com) You would have to call and talk to eddie to see if he would even touch a tecate. They still do a TON of 250r things and just recently went back to hand porting bikes. Sanders motorsptos is a dealership, A honda/suzuki dealiership and really have no ties to ESR other than the owner is Eddies father i belive.

Harry badokian never had any part in ESR just help design a few things for Eddie in the begning. He was a mechanic at Sanders motorsports and shure knew how to make trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro go fast.

hang&rattle
07-26-2010, 02:21 PM
Thanx, NOS_350X. Jon was talkin' about 25 or so years ago, could've used more than 1 place or I mixed information, but cool that they are still around, even if it does enthusiests no good. CA is the motosport capital of the world, some one down there must still build 2-stroke Tecates.