Dave Aldana's Norton

I took those pictures last year at the Legend of the Motorcycles in Half Moon Bay and i just wanted to make a small tribute to this great Racer Davild Aldana

David Aldana (born November 26, 1949 in Santa Ana, California) is a former motorcycle racer who specialized in dirt track oval racing and road racing. In the 1970s, he was one of the more colorful racers in the AMA dirt track based Grand National Championship with his wild riding style and extravagant designs on his riding attire. Aldana competed in nearly every form of motorcycle racing, including motocross and speedway racing.



In 1970, Aldana became a rookie expert on the AMA Grand National circuit riding for BSA. Aldana made a serious challenge for the championship. A crash at the Sacramento Mile with just three races to go dashed his hopes for the title, but along the way he won three nationals and finished third in the series. He won over many fans with his all-or-nothing style. He also gained notoriety from wearing a set of racing leathers he designed that featured an almost entirely black leather suit with a contrasting human skeleton on the front. AMA race officials threatened to ban him at one point if he persisted in wearing the suit.



By the late 1970s, Aldana began concentrating on road racing. He became a factory rider for Suzuki, and later joined Kawasaki’s AMA Superbike team in 1980 with a young Eddie Lawson as his team-mate. He went on to be a Honda factory rider in the FIM Endurance World Championship where he raced in prestigious races such as the Bol d'Or. Aldana teamed with Mike Baldwin to win the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in 1981.



Aldana won 4 AMA Nationals during his career, as well as several important international races. In 1999, he was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.