Former racers attend reunion

For many teens back in the 1970s, racing motorcycles was a way of life.
Many of those former racers brought their vintage bikes and their memories Saturday to the Freddy Van’s Cycle Land reunion in Lincoln Park.
“If you’re talking about who were the fastest guys in the Midwest, they’re right here,” said B.J. Oertle, who organized the reunion.
Fred VanBecelaere opened his motocross park with a race on March 18, 1972. According to an article in “Midwest Motorcycling,” the one-mile dirt track had six jumps three banked turns, and was bordered by water-filled strip pits in several places. It was three miles east of Frontenac, or four miles east of Fourth and Broadway, the three miles north.
There were 98 riders in that first race, and Tom Rogers was one of them.
“I won the first heat of the first race,” he said, displaying his collection of newspaper clippings. “I never throw anything away. I even have my old helmet and chest protector.”
In those days, Oertle operated B.J.’s Suzuki on East Fourth. His shop was a popular hangout for cycle-loving young men, and he sponsored many of the racers.
“B.J. kept us out of trouble,” said Rob Lessen, Arma. “None of us drank or got involved with drugs. It was one of the things that kept me in school, because my father told me if I didn’t go to school, I couldn’t ride my bike.”
He also spent a lot of time at the race track.
“We’d spend five or six hours in the middle of the week at the race track,” Lessen said. “We’d have riders from Florida and California.”
“One year we had the mini-bike nationals, and we had riders in from everywhere,” added Rusty VanBecelaere, son of Fred VanBecelaere.
“It was a big part of our lives,” said Greg Boone, Kansas City. “We were only 13 when we started racing, and B.J. just about adopted us. On the weekends we’d live at his house.”
“I moved from Fort Scott to Pittsburg so I could race,” said Joe Burke, now of Wichita. “I was 12 when Freddy Van’s opened. All of us learned to ride around the strip pits.”
In addition to racing at Freddy Van’s, Burke raced Wednesdays in Springfield, Mo., and Fridays in Kansas City.
“Then I’d drive stock cars Saturdays in Nevada, Mo.,” he said. “I was making about $1,000 a week. Now the kids are making $200,000 a year.”
Burke continued racing for 27 years, and has nothing but fond memories of the old days.
“Those were some of the best years of our lives,” he said.
Vintage bikes were also featured at the reunion.
“Chris Crossland from Rogers, Ark., brought some collectible motorcycles,” Rusty VanBecelaere said.
One of the rarest ones there was a 1967 Suzuki.
“There were only 300 made, and only 50 of them in the United States,” VanBecelaere said.
Fred VanBecelaere said he was pleased with the reunion, though the riders regretted that Danny “Magoo” Chandler, a former world champion, was hospitalized and unable to attend.
“I guess if they want to, we could have another reunion,” VanBecelaere said.