The Jones Boys
THE JONES BOYS
One of America's Winning est Motocross Combinations
D. RANDY RIGGS
IF YOU FOLLOW motorcycle racing to any degree at all, no doubt you’ve stumbled across the names of Gary and DeWayne Jones on several occasions. Generally you see them listed in the winner’s column of a motocross or long distance-type race such as Baja, and you may have even read about them in a Yamaha advertisement.
DeWayne, 20, and Gary, 19, are factory motocross riders for Yamaha and comprise hard-to-beat competition for others when they climb aboard their prototype “YZ” Yamahas and begin circulating a motocross course. They are equally formidable foes when it is necessary for them to traverse great distances over rough ground at high speeds. Long distance events such as the Baja races seem to be right up their alley and offer them no particular difficulties.
Their racing prowess is, of course, “natural” and is a spark that few riders
have, but a great big part of their success is due to the knowledge and help/guidance of their father, Don, without a doubt the “master link” in the “Jones Chain.”
Texas born, Don Jones exhibits all the qualities that characterize a Texan. He seems much like the methodical oil man of Texas, kind of a “bumpkin” deep down inside, but wise to the city slicker’s way of doing things. The only difference is that his “oil” is winning races, and his drilling rigs are the YZ Yamahas. The “crew” manning the rigs are, of course, his two sons, DeWayne and Gary. If that sounds as though he stands over the guys with a whip and a win-or-else threat, you’re getting the wrong idea.
His first concern is for his boys— everything else follows in the racing game. He does know, however, that “boys will be boys” and on a few
occasions will try and slough off on their physical conditioning or may take a shortcut when preparing the machines. This is where his “tight ship” policy comes into effect and makes for a winning team. Don says the guys know that “there will be hell to pay” if things aren’t done the way they should be. As a result, the Yamahas are flawlessly prepared and the boys stay in real fine shape, but like the old man says, “they got a long way to go before they’re in the same shape as the Europeans.”
Many people wonder just how “The Jones Boys” got started in their racing careers. We’ve seen them for a number of years now winning TTs, desert events, motocross—you name it, they’ve probably done it.
Well, here again, it probably had a lot to do with you-guessed-it, their dad. He’s an old-timer when it comes to > motorcycle racing, having started active competition in 1944, just after he got out of the service. But, he too had a healthy motorcycle background with both his dad and granddad being active riders. In fact, his dad still rides today, and he’s into his 70s. On top of that, his father-in-law also was involved with motorcycles. Is it any wonder that Don wound up owning his own motorcycle shops?
By this time, of course, he was uprooted from his Texas home and was already settled in California, long since the place to be if you dug bikes. It was in the San Gabriel Valley that he started his businesses, which grew to be the largest in California. In fact, the two shops combined had more of a variety of brands than any other dealer in the entire state. You could buy a Matchless, Norton, Royal Enfield, Yamaha, Tohatsu, BSA, Ducati, Zundapp, Bultaco, Puch and others, which is quite a selection to say the least.
It was during this time that the boys were starting to get to the point where they were ready to ride. After all, what boy doesn’t want to try and do what his dad does? Darn few, that’s for sure. At any rate, they got to riding bikes pretty quick, and in no time at all they were power sliding their 50cc three-speed Tohatsus around the local tracks, gaining that all important experience at a very young age.
DeWayne, being the oldest, always got the better equipment to ride back in those days. Gary got the hand-medowns. The situation today, though, is just the opposite. DeWayne says since he married his wife, Tricia, Gary gets the best stuff.
After the three-speed Tohatsu came the four-speed, and it was the hot setup in the 50 class back in those days. The boys won a lot of races on those machines. Gradually they worked up to the larger bikes, and time spent racing in every class undoubtably made more versatile riders out of both Gary and DeWayne.
Finally, in 1965, Don decided to sell the business and spend some time with the boys and manufacture accessory motorcycle parts. By this stage of the game, Gary was riding DeWayne’s old Bultaco 125 and DeWayne was on his BSA Goldstar.
When the DT-1 boom hit, the Jones’ were in there, too, and eventually their continuous success in racing paid off with a factory ride from the Yamaha people. The road was a long, hard one, though, and as Don says, “We paid our dues.”
They began experimenting with the DT-ls to try and improve them for motocross-type races. They worked on the engines to where they had more than enough horsepower, but then they couldn’t stay on the machine. This led to cutting and chopping the frame to change things such as center of gravity, fork rake, etc. Soon they had a machine that not only went like the dickens, but handled, also.
At this point Yamaha requested the bike back and sent it over to Japan, never to be seen again. Apparently it was studied by the Japanese engineers, and more than probably many of the ideas on the Jones’ machine were incorporated into the new YZ, a machine which the Jones boys soon had.
Without a doubt, the YZ prototypes get the job done in competition. Gary won the big Boise Motocross put on by Evel Knievel last year, and brought home a new Toyota automobile. Both brothers did well all year in the many weekend events held in California and surrounding states. Gary placed sixth in the U.S. Grand Prix held at Carlsbad, Calif., which amounted to the second highest placing American.
What is it that makes the YZs tick? It’s mainly a combination of light weight (188 lb. ready to go), strength (lots of titanium used), power (basically a DT-1 engine) and a frame that makes the machine handle like it should. It’s a package that is nothing short of fantastic.
Unbelievable efforts have gone into producing a light, light bike. One example is the rear shocks, having nearly 4.5-in. of travel, yet both together weigh only as much as one Girling. Yamaha must be serious about eventually producing machines capable of winning the world’s championship in motocross or such a serious effort like this would have never been started.
Both Gary and DeWayne take their racing very seriously and want something in return for their efforts. For this reason they take a strong dislike to the fast buck promoter who makes a small fortune and hands out only a bunch of cheap trophies. They speak highly of the sincere effort Evel Knievel is making toward giving racers their fair share and then some. Conversely, they have some gripes about one organization in particular, the CMC, which they say is about the most “Mickey Mouse” club anywhere. Needless to say, they don’t ride any of its events.
When the brothers aren’t racing, motorcycles still occupy most of their time. They manufacture fiberglass tanks and seats under the name of Jones Products. All of their machines carry the boys’ handiwork and the list of users grows bigger every day. The tanks they produce are really beautiful.
Riding to their job on bicycles (about 10 miles) is one way they stay in shape for the strain of motocross. They live next door to one another in Hacienda Heights, Calif., so it’s easy for their father to keep an eye on them both, even though DeWayne is now married.
Their grandfather (who lives in Texas) is probably relieved that he doesn’t get to see the fellows every day. The last time they were in his state they dropped by for a visit. Old granddad offered them a chance to carve out a racetrack on his farm property, so while they were there they could practice. Gary took his tractor out on the back forty and proceeded to carve out a full-scale motocross course—right across his carefully terraced fields, down through the little river—he really made a mess without meaning to. Old granddad was furious—all he thought they were going to make was a little circle track!
On top of that, the boys left some of their tools there, and it seems as though they caused grandpa some grief, too. He thought they were regular tools, but they were metric. With not the best eyesight at his age, he never saw the difference and went ahead and used them on his tractor. Needless to say, he wound up with some skinned knuckles and stripped bolt heads and called to tell them not to leave any of those “overseas” tools there again! Some days you just can’t win, even when you’re not racing.
Their father’s major gripe seems to be their dietary habits. They both have a penchant for Hostess Twinkies, especially Gary, and Dad is forever raging an unrelenting battle to curb the habit. I just don’t think he’ll ever win because you know how the Jones boys will be the Jones boys.... [Ö]
