June 2016 | 1 | CityBike.com

8:00 Practice Groups 1-59:15 Riders Meeting 9:45 Race 1: Legacy Light

Race 1: 250 SuperbikeSponsored by Catalyst Reaction

10:05 Race 2: 750 Superbike10:30 Race 3: 700 Production

Race 3: Lightweight TwinsRace 3: Formula Singles

10:50 Race 4: 600 Superbike11:15 Race 5: Open GP

Sponsored by Fast Line Cycles

Race 5: Super Dino11:40 Race 6: Formula I

Sponsored by Galfer Brakes

12:00 Lunch Break1:05 Race 7: Open Superbike

Sponsored by Pacific Track Time

1:30 Race 8: Formula IVRace 8: Legacy Middle

1:55 Race 9: Formula PacificSponsored by Dunlop Race Tire Service

Winner's Circle Presentation

2:40 Race 10: 450 SuperbikeRace 10: Legacy 250Race 10: 250 Production

3:00 Race 11: Open TwinsRace 11: Open ProductionSponsored by San Jose BMW

3:25 Race 12: 600 ProductionSponsored by Keigwins@theTrack

3:55 Race 13: 450 ProductionRace 13: 650 TwinsRace 13: Formula II

4:20 Race 14: 750 ProductionRace 14: Legacy Heavy

Huge thanks to the 2016 AFM club sponsors

Catalyst Reaction Suspension CT Racing Pirelli Serious RnDDunlop Race Tire Service Ocean Heat Sportbike UpgradesFastline Cycles Pacific Track Time Texas Tea OilFeel Like A Pro Project Serenity Massage Trackside MassageGalfer Race Pace Motorsports VnM MotorsportsGP Suspension Racer Gloves Zoom Zoom Trackdays

8:00 Riders Meeting8:25 Practice Groups 1-5 RD 19:30 Practice Groups 1-5 RD 210:50 Practice Groups 1-5 RD 3

12:00 Lunch Break1:00 Practice Groups 1-5 RD 42:10 Practice Groups 1-5 RD 5

NRS Practice Starts3:15 National Anthem /

Mark Grids3:30 Race 1: Formula 50

Race 1: Clubman HeavyRace 1: Clubman Middle

3:50 Race 2: Formula IIISponsored by Spears Racing

Race 2: Clubman LightRace 2: Vintage

4:20 Race 3: Formula 40 HeavySponsored by JPH Suspension

Race 3: Formula 40 MidSponsored by JPH Suspension

4:40 Race 4: AFemmeSponsored by MCTechnologies

Race 4: Formula 40 LightSponsored by JPH Suspension

Race 4: 350 ProductionSponsored by Feel Like A Pro

Pit Rules:Speed limit in the pits is a walking pace (5mph).

No intentional wheelies, stoppies, or other exibitions of speed.

Kids under the age of 16 may not ride or be a passenger on any pitbike.

Pets must be leashed at all times.

Please be aware of traffic in the pits at all times.

Riders are responsible for their pit crew and guests.

Alcohol abuse and drug use is prohibitied.

Only entered riders and race officials may enter the racing surface.

Paddock Vendors

AFM Round Four | June 25th - 26th | Thunderhill Raceway Park

June 2016 | 2 | CityBike.com

If you have ever wondered how the AFM came to be, wonder no more! Thanks to Paul Ritter, author of the book "Racing the Gods" (Available from Octane Press) we are going to get you all caught up on AFM history. The article below is an excerpt from his blog (paulritterblog.wordpress.com

Part Two: The Wes Cooley Era, 1960 through 1964.

The early 1960s were turbulent times for the AFM. The club was changing as existing chapters left and new chapters joined. Also the political relationship with the European-based FIM and other U.S. motorcycle racing organizations was constantly changing. Through the f lux and f low of this period the AFM was guided mainly through the efforts of one man, the late Wester “Wes” Shadric Cooley.

As a registered corporation under California law the AFM was required to have a board of directors and a chairman. The club organization included the “National Board” whose duties involved setting the rules, issuing licenses and coordinating the regional chapters. The chapters did the negotiation with race tracks and ran the races. Under the original charter the members of the Board of Directors were appointed by the chairman.

Wes Cooley became the Chairman of the Board in late 1959 and held that position until the end of the 1964 season. During this time the AFM became known as the “Wes Cooley Club,” as Cooley was not only the chairman but somehow became the secretary and treasurer as well. Since the chairman also appointed the members of the board of directors, Cooley exerted a LOT of control over the activities of the club. In Southern California the AFM was Wes Cooley. His style of rule made many people unhappy and eventually led to a show-down in 1964, but from the notes I was given it seems clear that the AFM may not have survived without him.

In the early 1960s the scope of the club narrowed. The Florida chapters left the AFM to join a new group called the United States Motorcycle Club. The USMC was based in Florida and was backed by some of the same people who had started NASCAR, including Bill France. Also the Chicago, New York City, and Biloxi MS chapters dropped out of the club. In their place came the San Francisco Chapter, chartered in 1960. The S.F. Chapter was informally known as the Mill Valley Chapter or the Point Reyes Café Racer’s Society – obvious references to the infamous Sunday Morning Ride. In 1961 a chapter in St. Louis, MO, was added and a charter was granted to a group in Portland OR. The Portland group never really got it together but the St. Louis chapter was very active and for a while was one of the more stable of the AFM Chapters. They were a bit of an oddity as they did not road race. They sanctioned road rallies and observed trials events. With the loss of the Florida,

Chicago, New York and Mississippi chapters the club became very California centered. The St. Louis chapter was the only exception

In early 1963 the Sacramento area members of the S.F. Chapter formed their own group and became the AFM’s 5th California chapter. The original four SoCal chapters had become two: Los Angeles and San Diego. Later that year the S.F. Chapter had its charter pulled, then re-issued after a special election. The reasons for this move aren’t clear from the old material, but they hint of a personality clash between Wes Cooley and S.F. Chapter President Pete Adams. Whatever

it was, after the special election Adams was no longer S.F. Chapter President and the charter was renewed

During this rather turbulent period the Club was very active in California, and racing events were held at an amazing number of locations. During the 1960-1962 time span Willow Springs was

not on the California event lists, but races were held at Santa Maria Airport, Pomona, Santa Barbara Airport, Vacaville, Hanford, Riverside, Cotati, Oakland, Stockton, San Luis Obispo, and Stead Air Force Base in Reno, NV.. All of these events were combined bike-car race weekends, a common practice at the time. The cycle racing was limited to a short practice and heat races on Saturday, then another short practice and a couple of Main events on Sunday. There were only Grand Prix style classes, usually 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, 500cc and Open. There were no Production classes as we know them today. It was a convenient partnership since the bike races gave the spectators something to watch while the car guys took a break and the bikers didn’t have to worry about organizing a track worker crew.

Frequent road race winners during this period included Buddy Parriott, Don Vesco and John McLaughlin (the father of the successful 1970s and 80s racer Steve McLaughlin), with names like Ron Grant and Tony Murphy appearing in 1962. The big classes were dominated by British bikes with G50 Matchless and Norton Manx fighting for the lead in the 500cc class and British twins from Triumph and BSA in the open class. In the smaller classes most race bikes were Italian origin with Ducati, Parilla and Aermacchi.

The Honda CB72 (250cc) and CB77 (305cc) were introduced in the early 1960s and race bikes built using those engines started appearing more and more often in the finisher lists, especially in the 350cc class. Previously the class was the domain of the expensive and hard to find British AJS 7R. Bikes based on the 305cc Honda, usually with 350cc big-bore kits fitted, started filling the fields in that class.

In 1961 Don Vesco acquired a Honda RC161, a four cylinder, twin overhead cam, 16 valve 250cc bike that totally dominated the 250cc class and in the combined races

gave the 500cc bikes a hard time as well. Politically things were confusing and changing. The AMA wasn’t interested in European-style racing and there was hope that the AFM would develop into the FIM representative for the U.S. The FIM instead selected the USMC, and the AFM became a USMC affiliate (whatever that meant). The USMC put on some FIM-sanctioned races in Daytona which drew some top European riders, but they couldn’t draw enough spectators and the USMC folded in 1963. A new group called MICUS (Motorcycle International Committee of the U.S., I think) was formed to replace it.,

It isn’t clear exactly what happened with MICUS and the FIM but I remember Gordon Jennings writing about Mike Hailwood racing at Willow Springs. It must have been in the very early 1960s so it was probably an FIM-sanctioned race through AFM as a USMC adfilliate. Jennings wrote that he and the other local racers who were very familiar with the Willow Springs track felt they would have an advantage over the first-time-visiting European racers. But after about 5 laps of practice on his Norton Manx, Jennings wrote, Hailwood was cutting lap times that made him go weak in the knees. He and the other Willow Springs fast guys suddenly realized how much better they needed to be. Eventually the AMA became the U.S. representative of the FIM, but that was several years down the road.

Around 1963 the relationships with the sporty car guys began to sour. Both car and bike racing was growing and the car folks wanted the time the bikes were using, and the bikers wanted more track time for their growing entry fields. The new Sacramento chapter began running bike-only events at Vacaville while in SoCal Willow Springs started having bike-only racing. By 1964 the AFM had mostly bike-only events. Bikes would sometimes still appear at car events but as demonstration only. The 1964 AFM season schedule had eight points-paying events, four in Northern California at Vacaville and Cotati and four in SoCal at Willow Springs. The S.F. Chapter began a new trend by running the first AFM Production bike race, a 100 mile race at Cotati on the 4th of July in 1964. The rules were pretty box-stock and the event was quite a success. Production races have been part of the AFM ever since.

Cooley quit the club at the end of the 1964 season and AFM National promptly vanished. It was very nearly the end of the club, but there were some people who stepped in to fill the void left by Cooley’s abrupt departure, and the AFM survived.

Seat timemakes youFASTER!!!

July11 Mon Thunderhill East12 Tues Thunderhill East

August15 Mon Sonoma27 Sat Thunderhill East28 Sun Thunderhill East29 Mon Thunderhill Full30 Tues Thunderhill East

September19 Mon Thunderhill East20 Tues Thunderhill East

October5 Wed 2 Day Intermediate6 Thurs Thunderhill East7 Fri Thunderhill West8 Sat Thunderhill East9 Sun Thunderhill East22 Sat Thunderhill West23 Sun Thunderhill West

November1 Tues Laguna-Seca2 Wed Laguna-Seca14 Mon Sonoma29 Mon Laguna-Seca30 Tues Laguna-Seca

July16 Buttonwillow17 Buttonwillow23 Thunderhill East24 Thunderhill East

August13 Thunderhill West14 Thunderhill West15 Thunderhill East

September3 Thunderhill West4 Thunderhill West24 Buttonwillow25 Buttonwillow

October15 Thunderhill West16 Thunderhill West

November

5 Thunderhill East

6 Thunderhill East

AFM Round Four | June 25th - 26th | Thunderhill Raceway Park