Cycle News Archives
COLUMN
Mike Kidd’s first-ever AMA Grand National win came at the 1974 Charity Newsies Half Mile.
By Kent Taylor
Motorcyclists are good people who do good things for other people. The Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride (raising money for prostate-cancer research) and the Honda Ride for Kids (benefitting the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation) are two current examples of riders saddling up to help out. Turn back the hands of time a few years (52, for this story), and you will find that some riders also liked to engage in a little bar-banging racing for a worthy cause. It’s 1974, so put Steely Dan’s “Pretzel Logic” on the TEAC, pop open an Olympia beer and then head to the Ohio State Fairgrounds to witness one of dirt track racing’s most major dudes score his first-ever AMA Grand National win.
The Charity Newsies is an organization that is still active today, nearing 100 years of helping disadvantaged kids in Central Ohio. The story goes that, in 1907, a young, scantily-clad lad was standing on the street corner in bitter cold weather, hawking some primitive form of communication called newspapers. He was relieved of his duties by some good Samaritans, who took over his sales post and urged folks to dig deeply and give a little extra for these cumbersome ink and paper contraptions. The youngster went home with a handsome booty, and folks in the region have been giving a little extra ever since, helping to keep warm clothes on several generations of kids who need a little help.
The famous Charity Newsies Half Mile dirt track race was a regular stop on the AMA’s circuit, and the list of winners includes heavy-hitters like Mert Lawwill, Bart Markel, Gary Nixon and Don Castro. When the 1974 Camel Pro Series came to town, rivals Gary Scott and Kenny Roberts were engaged in a fierce struggle for the championship. These same two riders had fought the same battle in 1973, with Roberts prevailing. Scott rode with the Triumph squad that year but had made the switch to Harley-Davidson for the ’74 season. Despite being hopelessly disadvantaged on the road-race courses, Scott and the XR 750 were able to make up the gap on Roberts in the dirt.
During this 1974 season, both men would win three consecutive AMA Grand Nationals. It was a two-man race for the title, so the gambling odds would point to one of them being victorious at the Charity Newsies event on June 23. But as any circa ’70s dirt track fan knows, this discipline brought too many variables to the table, including gearing, tire selection and even the dirt itself, which could be schizophrenically wet, dry, tacky and slick all in the same evening. Racers told tales of both riding the cushion and diving inside to a hard-packed groove in the same race. Too many factors to pick a winner. Better odds could be found at the roulette wheel.
When the green flag waved, it was Kenny Roberts with the lead off the line, followed by Lawwill, John Hateley, Corky Keener and Chuck Palmgren. Roberts fought off the challenges from Lawwill and began to slowly stretch out a small lead. With Gary Scott deep in the pack, this story would seem to have been written, were it not for Triumph rider Mike Kidd. A diminutive Texan with one leg shorter than the other, Kidd was a tough competitor, but he had never won a National. Kidd began to catch Mert, and on lap 10, he slipped past the former champ and slowly began to reel in the current champ. On lap 17, Kidd’s Triumph and Roberts’ Yamaha were side by side. Heading for the white flag, he took the lead, holding it to the end.
“Kidd exited turn four,” Cycle News wrote, “and headed for the checkered flag with his left hand balled into a fist and shaking at the sky. The margin of victory was the blink of an eye, and young Mike Kidd took his first National victory checkered flag while a nearly hysterical Mrs. Kidd hugged everyone in sight.”
Kidd’s Charity Newsies win was the last Half Mile victory for Triumph in the heyday of the AMA Grand National series. What else did he do? Mike Kidd would go on to win his own Grand National Championship in 1981, securing the title at the final race, with Gary Scott just five points back in second place. He picked up a unique sponsorship package from the U.S. Army, and when Team Honda went dirt tracking, he was their first racer to sign on. After hanging up his race leathers, he played a significant role in the early days of Arenacross racing and later was inducted as a member of the AMA Hall of Fame. A career that was kickstarted at the Charity Newsies Benefit Half Mile, Mike Kidd was one of motorcycle racing’s greatest. Any major dude will tell you! CN
Click here to read the Archives Column in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
Subscribe to six decades of Cycle News Archive issues
VIDEO | Cycle News News Show Issue 3
