- BO -Sundaz. May 30; ‘1982 North Skate News

By BRIAN POUND

THE FIRST § time
Rhys Howard tried
motorcycle racing, he
ran off the track twice
and finished dead last.
That was 1978 in a
novice club race at
Westwood Circuit, the
snake-like course near
his North Vancouver
home.

He’s never seen that many
backsides in front of him
since.

Howard, who tured 21
May 19, just might be one of
the most promising racers in
Canada. And if he has his
druthers, hell be the best
year's end.

That’s Howard's tall order
to himself for 1982: wrestle
the Canadian Road Racing
crown away from Quebec's
Alan Labrosse in that
gruelling four-race  senes
that starts in Nova Scotia
and ends in Edmonton in
August.

Labrosse and Howard are
no strangers. In two races
this season, at Long Beach
and Riverside, Howard
qualified faster than the
national champ. And that, to

the good-looking, 5’ 9”
Howard, is somewhat
startling.

“I'm surpnised to do so well
so soon,” he says. “I just
hope the momentum keeps
up.

That momentum really

began back when Howard
was 16 and his dad Ian, a
Vancouver marketing
consultant, took him to his
first motorcycle race at
Westwood.

“That was it,” says
Howard. “I was hooked ”

Howard's first bike was a
Honda 125 Grand Prix and 1
was with this in hand that he
made his less than auspicious
debut by seeing more of the
infield than the track

Revenge was his, though,
when two weeks later he
returmed to the same track,
with the same machine, and
won his initial race

He's been winniny a lot of
races since

His record for 1981, has
last as an amateur. read
impressively 18 firsts over
lo weekends (35 races) And
iwtowas in 1981 that Howard
won what he considers has
Iggest victory to date. the
overall tithe at’ Scars Potnt
four hour endurance race

Other wins by Howard in

1981 were recorded al
Portland Westwood
Scattle and Edmonton with
other in the top three

finishes at Wallow Springs

HOWARD, Number 14, leads the pack as usual.

and recognized, as a
Canadian im the States
means a lot to me.

has fascmated Howard ever
since he began racing 10-
speed bicycles in novice

“And then, of course, races around B.C. six years
there’s always the thrill of :
going fast.” “I did reasonably well at

Speed is something that it,” said Howard, “but then

@

SERVICE INCLUDES:

1. ENGINE TONE-GP Includes the
foliowing; Replace Spark
Piugs, P.C.V. Valve, Fuel
Filter, ‘Scope’ Test Ignition,
Test Charging System and
Service Emission Control
System.

All Steering and Suspension

condition.

an® Adjust Tire Pr

2. CHECK FRONT WHEEL ALIGNMENT Inspect
Components. Road Test Vehicle
3. INSPECT ALL FOUR BRAKES and report

4. ‘PRESSURE TEST COOLING SYSTEM Check all
Hoses, Fan Belts and Water Pump.

5. ee ENGINE OlL & ae Kf ft

°—APPOINTM

came the day my dad
showed me my firs:
motorcycle race, and tha

was it.”

Speed, too, is something
that Howard had in mince
when he turned pro this year

SS SOS GOGO SS OSS OOS e:

LIONS GATE CHRYSLE?
SPRING SERVICE

and looked to the kind of
machinery he needed to
compete. He settled on a
new Yamaha 250-3 and a

Team Green Kawasaki kZ
1000 S.

It was on the 250 at
Daytona this March that

Howard got his baptism into
‘ye scrape and crunch club.
After qualifying fastest of
them sil, he crashed on the
second lap of 4 final, an
accident really caused by a
slippery track

But Howard .urugs it off
just anothe: . sson in the
arming expenence. Almost
aucnalantly be .ays: “I lost
lot of skin in that one and
leather suit split in six

.ces. But 1 finished the
rhaps) part of that
’ 1s Howard's fit. He

miles or more each
id owith the travel

ii. SWOSSSSSS

schedule he’s set out for
himself this year, he’d have
to be fit just to survive that.

Between February and
December this year, he'll
travel more than 40,000

miles for 33 race weekend
dates.

A testimony to Howard's
capabilities can best be
pointed out by the words of a
reporter following a recent

race at Riverside...“Rhys
Howard had a superb day,

winning all three classes he

entered, two of them under a

considerable deficit.

Howard is a_ reporter's

nightmare as he does
nothing but mde fast, and

smooth, and win...”

Ride fast, and smooth, and
win.

Rhys Howard hopes to
parlay those ingredients into
a Canadian = Natian2l
Championship in 1982.

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