FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Gary was the consummate racer. He was still concerned for his performance on the track and for the fans off the track well after his glory years. We went to Sandia to race my Triumph Triple for the first time and decided to look over the new track. I never went so fast in a rental car! Peeling the tires under the rims thru the corners with 5 people in the car. At night! Geez. Getting 2nd and 3rd an a new bike and a new track. On to Daytona and cutting the fastest lap times in practice. Getting 2nd to Springer on the Harley. Partying late into the night. Never breaking a sweat, telling stories and keeping us all in stitches laughing so hard. Memorizing a new track in a couple of practices and wanting one more tooth on the rear sprocket for a better drive out of turn 3. Mid Ohio was wet and slippery, some riders didn’t wanna go out for the next race. Gary said the fans came to see him and Springer race so he was going out anyway. I gave him rain suit and dropped the tire pressures. Bang! He stuffs Springer into Turn One sliding and spinning! Winning the AHRMA Championship at Barber while getting the rear wheel in the air under braking into Turn 5! Vintage Rob North Triple and vintage rider, didn’t matter. Did I mention he was 67 years old at the time? Yeah! He met my 15-year-old son Austin and told him the best way to go fast on a bike was to do one-arm push ups for strength under braking. A dare for my son. Gary showed him how and did them right on the spot. When my son tried, he cheated, Gary said it didn’t count, he said “your pecker and nose gotta touch the ground at the same time.” Laguna MotoGp two years ago we took the rental golf cart for a lap. Set a new record, 69.2 mph down thru the corkscrew. He talked to every fan and autographed everything imaginable. He loved it all and he loved his fellow racers. He was bad-ass on the track and had a personable rock star demeanor and persona in the pits. You just felt better meeting him and knowing him. He was like no other. Jerry Liggett Cameron Park, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: NATIONAL #9, GARY NIXON R.I.P. It was 1967 and I attended one of the first motorcycle road races of my life. It was an AMA National at Carlsbad Raceway in Southern California. As usual, I liked to get out and around to check out the entire racetrack. Back then there wasn’t a fence anywhere! So you could get right next to the track. Those were the days! On the Carlsbad road race course there was quite a steep hill that came down into the very tight gully and then there was a very tight hairpin right turn which sent the racers back down the drag strip front straightaway. It was near the end of the season and Nixon was in a points battle for the National Championship. Nixon was on a Triumph 500 against all of the Factory Harley KR-750s. But Nixon was still racing a Yamaha 250 on Saturday? The Yamaha 250 had better brakes than his 500 Triumph. Gary came down that hill on the Yamaha and used too much front brake and crashed. Gary was spinning on his head/helmet like a top on the pavement! Really! There were no cornerworkers around, so I ran down to Gary and checked to see if I could help. Gary had a broken wrist and the first words out of my mouth were, “Are you going to be able to race tomorrow?” Nixon said, “Hell Yes!” And on Sunday, Nixon Smoked all the other riders on 500s & 750s and went on to win the AMA Grand National Championship! Nixon, you were my first hero! You were very fast, very tough and one of the best! Rest In Peace Gary. Bob “Dr. Bob” Brownell Jefferson City, Missouri FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Heroes are usually older, much older. Gary Nixon was less than a year older than I, but none the less my hero. I was riding in local scrambles races as an Amateur when I first saw him race. Going to the Class C events as a spectator Nixon was the man to watch, admire and hope to copy. The first time I saw him ride was at a 5/8-mile National held in Middletown New York. He made me proud to ride the Triumph out in the parking lot. Over the years since the ’60s I had the privilege to meet Gary and my racing “claim to fame” story at Daytona Speedway involves him, something he did not remember many years later on the last occasion I had to talk with him. Leaving the Daytona story for the moment, and to relate the first time I met him. We were at the Keith Bryar Motorsports track in Loudon, New Hampshire I think. My friend and fellow Novice rider Bob Lathrope and I happened by #9’s pit. Bob stopped and introduced himself, saying, “Gary Nixon, National #9, Hi, I’m Bob Lathrope, National Number Nothing, and this is my friend, National Number, Next to Nothing. We’re pleased to meet you.” Our hero got a good laugh, and out loud to boot. He asked what we were riding, how ya doing and took a good-natured interest in the encounter. It made my day. Later on, in the next season, we were at Daytona. The AMA racing referee was a man from our district and up the ranks to National status from the Metropolitan sports Committee. Not my best friend and low on my hero list, Charlie Watson. Not to speak ill of the man, we just didn’t get along. As was said at an Old Timer’s testimonial dinner in his honor years later, “you either loved him or hated him.” Well, this story is about my racing claim to fame, not Charlie, may he also rest in peace. At the rider’s meeting, even the lowly Novice riders got to attend. Charlie went into his tirade about his rules and IF anyone didn’t like it, well, it only took 100 names on a petition to Columbus to oust him. No such rule existed but that is what he said. I stuck up my hand with first finger raised, loudly saying, “Here’s one, Charlie.” That got some laughs but a short silence ensued. As that uncomfortable moment got a little long, suddenly, my shoulder, with the still up raised digit, got bumped by another arm with an up raised hand showing two fingers. Gary Nixon said, “Here’s two, Charlie.” End of a 1970s story. But when I asked him, years later, if he remembered it, all he said was, “Oh, I wouldn’t have said that, would I?” We had a good laugh. I will always remember both moments. Several years ago, that last time I was fortunate enough to talk to him, we were again in Daytona for the Vintage races that were so sadly missed this year. I had on a 1995 Flat Track T-shirt from Williams Grove, with #92 on the Winchester H-D featured on it. Gary asked me if I had known Rodney, I did not. He launched into a long commentary on what an absolutely nice guy Rodney had been and what a severe loss to the racing community his passing had been. I say the same thing about Gary Nixon, what a loss to the whole motorcycle community, and the world in general, the passing of Gary Nixon represents. The end of an era. Godspeed and Rest in Peace #9! Ward Moss Novice #121A New Fairfield, Connecticut FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: This is a sad day in Maryland. Our hero Gary Nixon, #9, World Champion in 1976 but robbed of the title because of politics and they were scared of him, is gone. A one-of-a-kind in a pair-o-nines. Gary was the toughest and coolest racer I ever met. “How many one arm push-ups can you do?” was one of Gary’s favorite lines. He knew what he was talking about. When he walked out to the starting line, he would look around and ask,”Which one of you s.o.b. is going to finish second?” Gary lived in Cockeysville,MD. That says a lot. His buddy Barry Sheene always wore Gary’s t-shirt for good luck! The late Rodney Farris #92 was Gary’s protégé from Maryland and everyone was shook when we lost Rodney. Rodney wore Gary’s trademark Blue diamond on his helmet. It was great to see Nixon pair up with Jay Springsteen and legendary tuner Bill Werner, and go endurance roadracing on a Kawasaki with the name Pair-O-Nines! So many stories, so many good times. This checkered flag is for Gary Nixon, #9, THE MAN ! Rest in Peace, Brother. Roger Lyle Motorcycle Xcitement Hagerstown, Maryland FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Gary was my hero as a kid growing up in the ’60s. My dad was a Triumph, Honda, and Kawasaki dealer from ’59 ’77, and all I ever wanted was to be able to race like Gary. I even raced as a professional for a couple years (albeit not successfully), and my novice pro road racing number in 1977-78 was #9″¦ In 1971 (I think”¦), I was at Laconia and Nixon was in his final year on the factory Triumph triple. I was 12 years old, and my dad was racing in the Junior class, so we were in the pits. I hung out almost constantly by the BSA-Triumph team truck. Nixon crashed (? maybe broke?) during the race, and I made sure I was standing next to the truck with a cup of Coca Cola and ice when he came in and pulled off his leathers. He took the coke, drank it, said “Thanks, kid,” and gave me a Gary Nixon Enterprises t-shirt. I kept it for 30 years”¦. R.I.P. John Sartorius Manassas, Virginia FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I met Gary,racing flat track back east in the 80s. I always got short of breath just being near him. He was basically the reason I started racing at all. I followed him the old school way, magazines. Lucky enough to run into him all over the east at Nationals. I never knew why he always remembered me, for I was a middle pack guy,at best. My number was his, when he was a rookie. Racers understand that. I was just bright enough to write and ask him for a photo last year. Santa Rosa Mile. Nuff said. He was so very much the definition of an individual, with all the good and bad that went with it. Just one of him. Godspeed, Gary Nixon. Steve Wilson Kutztown, Pennsylvania FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Gary was everyone’s favorite smartass. In the Sixties and Seventies, when the AMA Grand National Championship was a big deal, we saw a handful of guys at the top of their game. There was Nixon, Rayborn, Mann, Romero, Markel and Lawwill, and a gritty second echelon on their way up: Aladana, Rice, Brelsford and Morehead, plus the young guns like Roberts and Scott. But for attitude, Nixon had them all covered. Nobody got more laughs or commanded more respect. He was the banty rooster of bravado, and everyone knew he could back it up. I last saw him at Mid-Ohio in ’07, weaving through the pits on a mini bike and dropping a water bottle, which I retrieved and re-introduced myself, having covered those championship races for Cycle News. “Oh yeah,” Nixon said, “you’re one of those guys who made me famous.” No way, Gary. I think you were probably born famous, and died the same way. Not a bad run. Tod Rafferty MotorSports Media San Luis Obispo, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I had the unique opportunity to get to know Gary over the past 5 years through camping with him and my friend Jerry Liggett at the Laguna Seca MotoGP races. Gary was quite a character and very entertaining with a life full of racing experiences and stories. He knew everybody in the past and current racing world and it made my experience unlike anything I ever experienced in the past 25 years of attending motorcycle races. Gary was always a gentlemen and lots of fun to hang with. He’s a legend and will be missed. My deepest condolences to his Family. Mark Hansen Sacramento, CA San Luis Obispo, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: One of my fondest memories of the iconic Gary Nixon was at Daytona during the March bike race week. We were camping mid-week in the sparsely populated infield when a late night, improptu short track broke out. Gary was on a YZ80-ish bike racing around a few barrels against a Nissan sedan with 6 people aboard…Go, Gary, Go! Arthur Kowitz Daytona Beach, Florida FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I remember my many times spent with Gary with fond memories, one such memory was when we were both racing at Mallory Park in England in the late ’90’s Gary was on a 750 Triumph, me on a 500 Norton Manx, and it was pouring hard with rain. Immediately the flag dropped we were swapping positions several times a lap, slipping and sliding all over the place. Gary ultimately out dragged me to the finish line at the end, we joked afterwards about the fun we’d had. The second race was wet also, but this time when the flag dropped I had a hard time hanging on to Gary, he rode like a man possessed! I was glad when the race finished as the conditions were miserable. After the race Gary came running over to me to say “You SOB! I could hear you right behind me, so I pushed really hard and I could still hear you there, I nearly crashed a 100 times out there trying to keep you behind me, then after the checkered flag I looked behind me, and you weren’t even there!” I told Gary I never got close to him in the race, so I had no idea what he’d been hearing, but whatever it was, it’d made him race like a crazy man! We both laughed hard at that one. Godspeed Gary Nixon, I’ll really miss you, and the paddock will never be the same again without you. Pat Mooney Sorrento, Florida FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Time to share my favorite Gary Nixon story. At Sears Point at a Kawasaki Day.. I decide to take a Ninja 500 out and Gary is on a ZX-10. We are using the non-AMA T1. It’s lap 3 IIRC and I come in a bit wide to preserve a bit of speed for the uphill which follows I am almost at the apex and BAM!!!! I get hit HARD. I basically gave up hoping to save it and was prepared to fall. Some how I keep it up.. and I notice the Gary motoring away on the ZX-10 and he didn’t even look back. I pit in and the exhaust was bent, plastic broken, foot peg, and I am beyond pissed… We black flag Gary. I am cussing a blue streak at him when he comes in… saying “I could have been effen splattered al over the track..etc… Gary says “I’m sorry for hitting you Monte but I know 100% that you were ok, there was no red flag that lap and when I came back around no yellow either”. I just had to crack a big smile… because in his logic he was absolutely right. Classic Gary Nixon right there. Another time Bonnie and I and a couple of other folks were out at dinner in Marin and Gary was with us. This fellow in a booth next to use heard us talking and asked what we did. He mentioned how when he was a kid he watched On Any Sunday a hundred times. Well…how would ya like to meet Gary Nixon? Heck yes he said. I turn to Gary, who whips out a photo, asks the guys name and signs it for him. Totally cool. Gary, you were a great guy and Bonnie and I enjoyed knowing you and the time we spent in your company. Thank you and Godspeed. Monte Lutz Virgin, Utah FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Way back in the early 1960s and still in high school I bought an old BSA Goldstar X Daytona racer”¦.my plan was to be one of the few in the coal mining area of SE Ohio to not ride a Harley. A steady stream of Brit Bike magazines was my main source of encouragement then”¦..though successes in the tight/technical twisites on the Goldstar against the Harleys was fun and satisfying. Gary Nixon came into my life at that point with me being race fan”¦”¦.a road race fan and admirer because of his skill, determination and results in winning races on a 500cc twin against the larger capacity Harleys. Count me in on that in a big way”¦”¦.along with tens of thousands of others. After college I lived in New England and seldom missed the Loudon AMA National road races. Due to a fake press ploy hatched by a friend and me, we were able to attend all press sessions and go anywhere at the track. At one of the press sessions someone ask Gary Nixon what his recommendation was for those that wanted to pursue motorcycle road racing. His reply, “everyone that wants to road race motorcycles is here this week doing it!” Room goes quiet “¦as we all realized his short reply simply said it all. That quote has helped with me for the past 50 years in my life and often repeated a rephrased version to others for their situation. At Loudon Gary Nixon was amazing “¦”¦.and every race when he was close to the front we all waited for “his” move on the final lap to simply out brake the rider in first in the last turn and win by a few bike lengths”¦”¦”out brake” being the understatement for basically doing the impossible. Mid-life I moved to SE Pennsylvania”¦”¦.maybe an hour from Gary Nixon’s shop and would stop and see him every so often. I have to say it took some courage to do this as I was just a fan”¦”¦.but I always rehearsed the questions I wanted to know about”¦”¦mostly his views of other riders when he raced”¦.and this provided time with him that I will never forget. He never once showed any indication that all these visits from fans just like me each year were an inconvenience. I can still see him on the AMA National Dirt Tracks and of course the Loudon Road Races”¦”¦but I will also remember him forever for that quote and taking the time “¦each time”¦.I would stop by and talk to him at his shop. Gary Nixon”¦”¦..yes”¦”¦your place in motorcycle racing is secure for all time”¦.you will live on with me and many others forever and I thank you for this. Mike Barone Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: When I was a teenager in the 60’s I rode my Triumph to Loudon and watched Gary Nixon win. I still have the photo I took with Gary and his trophy in the old paddock. I have another photo of Gary and I going over the hill side by side on 250’s. The truth was that he was winning and I was 10th, getting lapped. I often mentioned Gary at our schools; he was a master of going fast on a bad-handling motorcycle. I believe that it was Gary who figured out how to get the bike stopped, then turn it hard, stand it back up and get on the gas. If you wanted to know what tire to use, you looked at Gary’s tires. It was a pleasure to really get to know him during the vintage motorcycle heydays. I was always proud to introduce him as the two time AMA Grand National Champion at Daytona. Grand National Champion meant that you had to excel at five types of motorcycle racing, often on dangerous tracks. Most of the tracks had the same safety system, a few hay bales where most of the crashes were. Gary never stopped wanting to win and even crashed a few of those Legends BMW’s. In the early days I remember watching him hobble on crutches through the grid at Loudon at an AMA National to get to his bike. There was a rumor that he asked the other riders “which one of you sorry SOB’s is coming in second?” True or not, that is how I will remember Gary Nixon, one tough guy that was a motorcycle racer right to the core. He was my hero. Jerry Wood Templeton, Massachusetts FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: You expected to run into Gary Nixon at MotoGP race at Laguna Seca…or at the International Motorcycle Show at San Mateo but bumping into him outside the gates of Mugello walking along the mile long traffic jam searching for a beer now that is the Gary Nixon I came to know and love… Larry Lovisone Antelope, California