Dave Rhodes found some of the old proofs I sent out nearly 30 years ago and he scanned them and asked if I still had the photos. Luckily I did and was able to get them to him. These photos show Rhodes racing a sweet-looking Suzuki RG500 (always one of my favorite GP bikes thanks to being a Barry Sheene nut) at Grattan Raceway in September of 1986. (Notice the color shade difference with different types of film.)

He sent me back a nice note to bring me up to date with what he’s been up to since those racing days. He’s one of many of that era, who have come back to racing later in life. If you raced in the ‘80s what Dave says here will bring back a lot of memories. Here’s what Dave said:

Wow, thanks Larry brings back some great memories…  I’m going to post on Facebook and sell up the fact that you still have an archive full of history.

That was me on my Suzuki RG500. I think it was a MKII, if I remember right. I bought it off a guy in Indy sometime in the mid-80s, Mike Elmore? But I can’t remember for sure. I also had a TZ250G. I started racing in 1983 with the MCRA in St Louis. I raced the RG and TZ in WERA events in the Midwest. I was young doing my own wrenching and paying my own way. I finished most of the time in the top 10, but never won a huge amount of races. I did take 3rd place expert in the WERA GNF 1986 F2 on the TZ. A kid by the name John Kocinski took 1st. I think he lapped me at RA. I tried to stay up with Bonnie Knott on the RG, but couldn’t he was just a great rider. Miss him a lot. Back in those days we were on the track with Kevin, Polen, Jamie, Ed Key, Kathleen, Fenwick so many more greats.

Sometime in the late 80’s I got a good paying job and starting travelling with the company. My heart was broken because I knew I wasn’t good enough to run with the fast guys. Sold off the TZ and RG. The RG went to Eugene Brown out on the west coast. He raced it in the 88? Laguna Seca GP race. There’s a You Tube video out there of the race. If you get time watch it. He has the same paint job and is out on the grid with the big boys. Kick myself in the butt for selling it and missing riding in a GP race. I think he crashed on lap 2, but hey he raced a GP.

I moved to JAX FL and raced an FZR400 in the SE. Have other shots that I found you took of me on that. My wife and I hooked up in Jax and before long I needed money for house things and kids. 1991 ended racing.

Fast forward to 2013, bought a 1991 TZ250B from John “DOC” Meyer. It had 3 races on it Kathleen rode it one time and Andy Fenwick twice. John kept it in a spare bedroom all those following years. Started doing track days to get back into it. 2014 went back to racing with CCS/USGPRU. Won the ASRA Thunderbike AM national title. Did OK in USGPRU, but those guys have a lot of track time over me. Felt bad about racing AM division but they would not give me EX cause I had been out to long. 2015 bump to EX, will do CCS and back to MCRA so I can get back up to EX speed to take on Ray Hoffmann in ASRA Thunderbike 2016.

Hope our paths cross in 2015 my friend, still remember you sitting in the grass or standing in a turn as we came around the track. Fearless you were.

Thanks Dave for the great story and all the best in your second life in racing.

Dave Rhodes on his Suzuki RG500 during a WERA sprint race at Grattan Raceway in Sept. of ’86. (Click on photo for larger view)