Superbike: An Illustrated Early History
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TEXT BY KEVIN CAMERON
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN OWENS
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“Superbike: An Illustrated Early History,” written by Kevin Cameron with photography by John Owens, grew in part from a black-and-white photo essay published 35 years ago in American Motorcycle Magazine Cycle.
Author Kevin Cameron
Kevin Cameron is a former tuner specializing in racing two-strokes and is widely recognized for his ability to reduce deeply technical subjects to their elemental form. Kevin has written for numerous publications, including Cycle and Cycle World magazines. He also has authored several books on engineering and performance.
Photographer John Owens
John Owens has photographed automotive and motorcycle competitions since 1975. A former amateur motorcycle racer, John has covered a range of events in the U.S., Europe, and Japan, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500, and Daytona 500, as well as the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races.
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No matter what the musical genre, an ensemble is only as good as the sum of its parts. There are many great guitarists. If they are paired with an equally outstanding vocalist, that is what sets them above and apart from others.
John Owens and Kevin Cameron are rock stars. The two have been bumping into each other in the paddock for fifty years. Cameron is simply a know it all. In a good way. It is hard to ask the Harvard grad a question that he doesn't know the answer to. And it's the right answer. He has a degree in physics and is a legendary motorcycle tuner who was the go to authority on two stroke motorcycles in the 1970s in Boston and beyond.
Also from the area, Belmont-born John Owens has been a photographer since the 1970s. Growing up in the film era, Owens learned his trade when you had to think about what you wanted from a composition much more than in today's delectable digital age. His attention to the details in the evolving technology of the early Superbikes gives Cameron the perfect stage to harmonize about the interesting aspect of the image we are looking at.
Even readers with a modicum of technical knowledge can look at one of the book's many beautiful black & white photos, then read Cameron's description of exactly why the shot is significant and think, oh yeah, I see it now. The photos and the text compliment each other expertly.
Most of the images were taken at Bryar Motorsports Park in Loudon, NH, which became Hew Hampshire International Speedway and now is known as New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It was the closest place for the two Massachusetts residents to be a part of the burgeoning motorcycle road racing scene of the 70s and 80s.
As a like-minded enthusiast, we were present at many of the races where the images were taken. We witnessed the evolution from two strokes to production-based four stroke racers. To see it brought to life once more through the lens of Owens and the mind of Cameron in a retrospective overview is both memorable and enlightening.
This book is easily absorbed in one sitting. Each image leads to the other and the anticipation of what is next is exciting and enjoyable. Since we didn't want it to end, a forced "close the book" edict was imposed. We broke that rule a number of times. Finally, with about twenty pages left, we were able to put the book down to savor more memories later.
Our favorite photo? Mike Baldwin on the grid on Reno Leoni's Moto Guzzi. Mostly because we remember how that day ended. In what would portend his future success on the world stage, Baldwin utterly obliterated the competition, accelerating over the hill into the bowl when everyone else was braking.
We're grateful to have witnessed how grassroots racing changed and grew with factory participation. It not only presented the opportunity for upstart underdogs to rise up, lessons learned on the track led to better motorcycles available to all. The fact that we now have Superbike: An Illustrated Early History, which documents that progression, available to us is beyond a blessing. - Greg Sarni
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