Fans or Fanatics: Ron B's Fantastic Racing Poster Archive # 1
by Banjo Bolt
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Ron & Mary(1/10)
Longtime racing fan and former cub racer and FoS (Friend of Soup) Ron B allowed us access to his 40 year old poster collection a few weeks ago. Most of the posters are in mint condition.
Ron & Mary(2/10)
This vintage poster from the late 1970s or early 1980s is a true rarity by Levis. While the poster itself may not ring a bell, those unforgettable, eye-catching shirts? Painfully familiar, aren't they?
Ron & Mary(3/10)
Roberts and Yamaha won three world championships.
A D V E R T I S M E N T
Ron & Mary(4/10)
To truly grasp the climate in Milwaukee during the early 1980s and how Japanese motorcycles were perceived by employees of the "Motor Company," one had to have lived through those times. It's safe to say that finding yourself astride a Universal Japanese Motorcycle (UJM) at a red light near Juneau Ave during a shift change was an experience you'd want to avoid. Verbal assaults were the least of your worries.
At one point, there was an air of acceptance, where they seemed to embrace the Japanese influence--see poster. However, this attitude changed with the introduction of Government tariffs and petitions to the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), aimed at curbing Honda's dominance over Harley in dirt track racing.
Ron & Mary(5/10)
Benny Ha-ha Bostrom at Vance and Hines Ducati. He'd a been the champ, again, easily if the oil stayed in his bike at Ohio.
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Sure she was Eddie Lawson's girlfriend but she liked bikes and was reasonably fast (in a car). Crystal Bernard from the TV sitcom WINGS did a poster for Bob Starr at Yamaha.
A D V E R T I S M E N T
Ron & Mary(7/10)
The first of four: Eddie Lawson Yamaha poster from his first 500cc title. Yamaha is said to have gifted Eddie an RZV500 streetbike in this period. He rode it around for a while and then parked it. Why? Maybe because there's not a bike with more bad ideas between two axles than an RZ/RZV500.
Ron & Mary(8/10)
Trophies. Jail. Whipped cream. "Didn't feel like riding" at Loudon in qualifying. Failed drug test at Laguna WSBK. Anthony Gobert on the Vance and Hines Ducati.
Ron & Mary(9/10)
KR team poster from 1983.
A D V E R T I S M E N T
Ron & Mary(10/10)
It remains a wonder that Road America hasn't been transformed into yet another ghastly golf course.
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