With the big Road Atlanta Superbike race coming up this weekend, I thought it would be appropriate to dip back into the Bud Turner Collection to reminisce about some of the great races and racers who competed at the classic Southern road course in the past. This Turner photo gem is from the 1971 race and it shows Kawasaki ace Yvon Du Hamel taking to the dirt on his factory Kawasaki H1R, powered by a 500cc three-cylinder, air-cooled two-stroke triple. While fellow Kawasaki rider Ralph White (No. 47) and Dick Mann (No. 4) on his BSA Rocket 3 (the trio of riders all on three-cylinder bikes incidentally) go zipping past. The thing that strikes me about this shot is the fact that Du Hamel has such a calm look on his face. An experienced flat tracker, I suppose it was no big deal that he had the Kawi out in the gravel at 80 or 90 miles per hour. Kel Carruthers won the race on a Yamaha TZ350. Man was second and White third. Du Hamel did not finish the race.

Kawasaki ace Yvon Du Hamel takes to the dirt on his factory Kawasaki H1R, powered by a 500cc three-cylinder, air-cooled two-stroke triple at the 1971 AMA Road Race National at Road Atlanta. Fellow Kawasaki rider Ralph White (No. 47) and Dick Mann (No. 4) on his BSA Rocket 3 (the trio of riders all on three-cylinder bikes incidentally) go zipping past. (Bud Turner Collection)