By his account, legendary rider Eddie Mulder had a “pretty good year” in 1966. Pretty modest words for the only man in AMA Pro Racing history to win all three Grand National TT events in the same year.
“I had some great equipment and put my head down and took care of business,” Mulder said.
Mulder, who was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, will take care of business May 14-16 as Infineon Raceway hosts Eddie Mulder’s West Coast Dirt Track Series. This marks the 15th year of the series for Mulder, but it’s his first visit to Infineon Raceway. It will be part of the West Coast Moto Jam weekend, which also includes AMA Pro Road Racing, Supermoto USA and Motocross.
Competition for Flat Track will be held on a short-track that has been built behind the Turn 9 Terraces. Mulder expects good things.
“It’s a ram-bam fast short-track race for those who have never seen this,” Mulder said. “There’s lots of physical contact and plenty of sideways racing. It’s very fast; it’s the oldest form of motorcycle racing in the country.”
There will be racing in 15 different classes, highlighted by the Pro Digger Helm division, with a substantial points fund, thanks to Maxxis Tires. Jared Mees, who is expected to compete, won the division in 2007 and 2008 and is the defending AMA Grand National champion. Sammy Halbert won the division in 2009 and won the first AMA event of the year in Daytona in March.
One of the most popular classes, according to Mulder, is the Youth division. It’s built for young riders on bikes that are 50cc, 60cc and 80cc. There’s also 250cc, Open Am and Super Seniors, among others. Mulder expects more than 300 competitors.
Mulder, who has also ventured into Hollywood as a stunt-man for Clint Eastwood in the movie, “Magnum Force,” among others, has an eight-race schedule this year and looks forward to Sonoma.
“We think it’s going to be a great weekend,” he said.
