Jack O'Brien

JACK O'BRIEN

National Number 24

NOT ONLY DID Jack O'Brien wind up as 1962 high point expert flattrack rider at Ascot Park in Los Angeles, he finished second to 'Dick Dorresteyn in California T.T. competition as well, proof of his exceptional talent and versatility.

Jack began riding scrambles during 1956, first attacking the Gardena Stadium quarter-mile oval in 1958. Serving notice of his intentions early, he finished the season as top ranking novice in the nation. Besides being practically unbeatable at Gardena, he also swept the card on numerous occasions at tracks in San Diego, San Bernardino and Belmont, California.

In 1959 when he moved up to amateur, weekly flattrack action switched from Gardena to the half-mile at Ascot and a host of top experts ran against the amateùrs. Making the transition gracefully, Jack gained valuable experience and toward the end of the season nabbed his first expert main event, finishing the season as second place amateur behind Troy Lee. During 1960 (his first expert year) and 1961 he was always in the thick of things, picking up those all-important laps and constantly improving his style, learning from the best riders in the business.

Then in 1962 he came into his own. Wheeling the Gary Bray-tuned BSA with precision and zest, O'Brien roared to halfa-dozen main event victories and garnered the lion's share of trophy dashes, too. He also won five T.T. features and, though preferring flattrack to all other forms of racing, he feels that T.T.'s are "more fun."

Twenty-four years old, married to a lovely girl named Charlene and father of three children, Cathy, 4, Kelly Ann, IV2, and baby John Michael, 5 months, Jack has no intention of forsaking the racing game at present and recently bought a new home with some of his winnings. Though his future ambitions may include a whirl at the cars, he is now completely devoted to motorcycles and rides a bike every day to his place of employment, the automotive transport division of Southern Pacific.

The high point in Jack's career to date was winning the huge Ascot season championship trophy but he also gets a particular boot every time he beats his favorite rider and number one nemesis, AI Gunter, who serves with him on the Board of Directors of Motorcycle Racers, Inc., a group of AMA competition riders. Employing his philosophy that win, lose or draw, a rider must keep learning, O'Brien hopes in 1963 to enjoy many more evenings of learning how to keep Gunter in second place. •