Arena: King of the Flat Tracks

By Tyler A. Tayrien

Sam Arena was, without a doubt, the top Northern California half-mile racer of the 1940s. He became a motorcycle racing legend from his undefeated seasons and by setting numerous flat rack records in the 1930s and 1940s, and later earned six National Hill Climb Championships throughout the 1940s and 1950s. After a career of racing throughout the Western United States, Florida, New Zealand, and England, Sam retired from flat track racing in 1947 to focus on motorcycle hill climbs. From where Sam left off, local riders such as Al Rudy, Larry Headrick, and Joe Leonard (collectively known as the San Jose Bunch), began dominating in their sport under the watchful eye of Tom Sifton. In 1953, after working for famed innovator Sifton for 20 years, Sam became owner of the San Jose Harley Davidson dealership which was the center of Northern California racing throughout the 1950s during the golden age of motorcycle racing. Set against the excitement of motorcycle racing, "ARENA: King of the Flat Tracks" takes you on a thrill ride through 25 years in the life of the great Sam Arena, and these modern day pony express riders who risked life and limb on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons to cross the finish line first.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1502359693
• ISBN13: 9781502359698
• Release Date: November 2014
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"