Taylor's season ends early

From Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada

GAS CITY, IN – The dirt-track racing effort of Don Taylor came to a premature end when he crashed his JPR Suzuki in the AMA Pro Grand National Championship short-track race in Gas City, IN on June 19.

Taylor was thrown from his bike when he made contact with the rider in front of him well past the halfway mark in the race. He sustained a broken collarbone and right arm, and will be out of action for the rest of the season.

“It was unbelievably tight racing,” lamented the Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada and Clare’s Harley-Davidson of Niagara-backed Canadian champ from his hospital bed back home in Welland, ON. “The guy in front just slowed up a bit, and I just barely touched him and away I went.

"It’s really too bad. I mean, I really feel bad for Deeley and for Randy and all the staff at Clare’s. I’d already won the opening race at home [Taylor was in line for his seventh consecutive number one plate in Canada], and I really like that plate, but I guess I’ll have to stop at six and start counting over next year.”

Up to the point of the mishap, Taylor had enjoyed a progressively successful day at the high-speed, banked mid-western oval, narrowly missing a direct transfer to the final by one position, and then putting in a gritty performance to put his lightweight bike into the final by winning his semi-final.

“Things kept getting better all evening,.” he confirmed. “The bike was awesome. I definitely had the horsepower to get the job done; man, what a bummer. It could have been a lot worse, and I realize that, so I’m thankful and I know it’s not career-ending. I’ll be back.”