Amador Valley High School student Tony Davila is an athlete of a different sort. Besides being a varsity wrestler, he is a practitioner of the sport of Flat Track motorcycle racing. At 15 years old, Tony has been racing since the age of 6.
Invented in the United States in the early 1900s, Flat Track racing is the first form of motorcycle racing organized in the U.S. Once a hugely popular sport, with spectators numbering in the tens of thousands, it has declined somewhat in recent years. Professional and amateur racing venues once dotted the entire country. At fairgrounds in large cities and small farming communities alike, racing took place on short oval tracks inside of large barns (known as barn burners), to 1-mile horse racing tracks where speeds over 130 miles an hour were common.
To negotiate the corners, riders wear a steel shoe on their left boot known as a ‘hot shoe.’ The riders pitch the bikes sideways with the left foot sliding on the ground through the corners. Anyone that has ever seen a ‘mile’ race will tell you that it is one of the most exciting spectacles they have ever witnessed, and that these riders are true athletes in every sense of the word.
Until the early 1980s, winning the American Motorcycle Association’s Grand National Championship meant earning points in four racing disciplines, including Road Racing, Miles, Half Miles, and TT races. (A TT is an oval track modified to include left and right hand turns, and one or two jumps thrown in for good measure).
Because of the evolution of Road Racing technology and introduction of Motocross from Europe, the AMA separated the disciplines. Many feel that with the separation of the various disciplines, the promotion of the sport was grossly lopsided, causing a decline in the popularity of Flat Tract racing. Tony and many other racers across the country are determined to keep alive this All American sport.
In June 2007, Tony will travel once again to Du Quoin, Ill. to compete at the Amateur Grand National Championships. In seasons 2002 and 2003, Tony earned national title Nos. 5 and 3 respectively. Tony opted for summer school in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, after winning one class and placing second in another at the regional championships in Arizona, Tony’s march to Du Quoin was halted by an injury. For this summer, he has his sights on a particular goal. The Horizon Award is bestowed on the top amateur rider at the closing ceremonies of the Amateur Grand Championships and takes into consideration not only points, but also the athlete’s attitude and sportsmanship. Winning the Horizon Award also means getting the attention of the sponsors necessary for launching a professional career.
Be sure to stop by Tony’s display at the June First Wednesday street party in downtown Pleasanton. Anyone interested in sponsoring Tony’s reach for the Horizon can contact him at tony192h@comcast.net or call his father Gary at 766-2647.
Gary Davila is Tony’s father and submitted this article as a guest writer to the Weekly.
