Ups & Down
Ups & Down
UP: To J.B. Norris, longtime voice of AMA dirt-track, for lending a helping hand. This past July, Norris held an eBay auction for his oilon-canvas photo-reproduction of veteran racer Terry Poovey, who was seriously injured earlier this year in a multi-bike pileup at the Springfield Mile and, at presstime, remains in a coma. Proceeds from the auction, which raised $4000, went to Poovey’s family to help cover Terry’s medical expenses. According to Norris, the auction winner asked Norris to re-sell the artwork and to give that money to Poovey, as well. Additional Norris artwork can be found on his website, www.letsgoracing.org. A percentage of each sale goes to Aid to Injured Riders (www.airfund.com).
DOWN: To Norton Motorcycles, or what’s left of it, for cheapening its own name. In mid-April, the company shut down its Oregon headquarters, suspended operations and refunded deposits on the all-new 961 Commando, but claimed all was not lost and new investors were being sought. No news of any progress on that front, but the company website is offering “Mini-Norton” pocketbikes for sale, 49cc two-stroke buzzbombs, apparently made in China, with bodywork dipped in plastichrome and sadly wearing the famed Norton logo on their flanks. Proof that Kenny Dreer no longer has involvement in the day-to-day operations of the company he founded eight years ago.
