North Carolina Newspapers

    Page Ten — THE GRYPHON — Thursday, May 13, 1976
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KEITH HARRIS CROSSES UP IN THE TURN — Keith Harris shows the skill he’s got as he
leads the competition through the turn.
Keith Harris Eyes Racing
As Prospective Profession
What does it take to race
down a dirt track at speeds over
70 mph on a motorcycle knowing
that a fall could bring serious
injury or worse? Well, what
ever it is. Keith Harris has it!
The quiet junior has been racing
since the age of ten on the local
circuits and its currently moving
to the national level.
For Keith, racing is just a
"hereditary hobby.” Perhaps
Keith started on the road to
motorcycle racing at the age of
eight when his motorcycle-
racing uncle. William Taylor,
brought home a mini-bike for
Keith and his cousin, Mike
Taylor. The two boys enjoyed it
so much that they started
getting bigger and bigger bikes
until they began racing. It was
also at this time that Keith’s
brother, Kenny Harris, was
racing, but with the passage of
time, girls and college forced
Kenny to “retire.”
Since his debut in racing,
there have been numerous
experiences which Keith would
like to forget. In his second year
of racing, for instance, he was
running third in a national
championship race when he was
knocked down to the ground and
into the sour grapes of defeat.
Unfortunately for Keith, pain
has not evaded him either, as a
broken collar bone and a broken
ankle will testify.
To the average spectator, a
"night at the track” means a
bunch of guys racing around the
track to see who can take the
checkered flag first. Most likely
Keith wishes it were that easy.
There are such things as
predicting your speed in the
turn, etc., to worry about. At the
start of the race, Keith feels that
concentration on the competi
tion and "blocking out” the fear
of wrecking are the two most
important mental factors.
For Keith racing is more than
just a “Saturday night affair.”
For example, a typical week’s
schedule will find Keith racing
in Richmond, Va., on Wed
nesday, in Portsmouth, Va., on
Friday, at Brewers Speedway on
Saturday, and Lupers Speedway
in Elm City on Sunday. During
the rest of the week Keith will
spend at least seven hours
repairing, cleaning, and pre
paring the bikes. This does not
include his actual racing time.
What’s in the future for Keith
Harris? Well, probably a
‘‘professional hobby” with
appearances in places such as
Daytona, Fla., Louisville, Ky.
and Syracuse, N.Y. For now,
though, Keith, in the words of
one of this foremost competi
tors, will continue to be “one of
the calmest drivers in the
business.”
RAPER
DRUGS
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and Tractors
I Pollard
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CAROLINA
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1615 N. Church St.
Wilson, Greenville
Overcome Gryphs
On Tuesday, Apr. 13 the Rocky Mount Netters took on
Wilson Fike. Wilson was able to overpower the Gryphs for an
8-1 victory. This was Rocky Mount’s second loss. The scoring
went as following;
Singles
(W) B. Young Defeated (RM) D. Eatman
(W) R. Edmonson Defeated (RM) J. Joyner
(W) B. Rose Defeated (RM)T. English
(RM) D. Wheeless Defeated (W) G. Clayton
(W) S. Boone Defeated (RM) J. Thorp
(W) V. Simmons Defeated (RM) P. Mayberry
Doubles
(W) Young Defeated (RM) Eatman
Edmonson English
(W) Rose Defeated (RM) Joyner
Clayton Wheeless
(W) Scott Defeated (RM) Barnes
Ross Williams
Greenville Rose was next on the list for the Gryphs as
Rocky Mount lost its second match in a row and third over all.
The final score was Greenville 7, Rocky Mount 2. This is how
the scoring went.
Singles
6-2.
6-0
6-1,
6-1
6-1.
6-0
6-4,
6-3
6-3,
6-2
6-1,
6-0
8-1
8-6
8-2
(RM)
D. Eatman Defeated (G) D. Kendrick
3-6,6-3, 7-5
(G)
G. Dempsey Defeated (RM) J. Joyner
6-4, 2-6, 7-6
(G)
M. Murad Defeated (RM)T. English
6-1, 6-1
(RM)
D. Wheeless Defeated (G) D. Daniels
16-3, 7-6
(G)
D. Tucker Defeated (RM) J. Thorp Forfeit
(G)
J. Barber Defeated (RM) 0. Wilson
6-4, 6-2
Doubies
(G)
Kendrick Defeated (RM) Eatman
8-2
Murad English
(G)
Dempsey Defeated (RM) Joyner
8-5
Daniel Wheeless
(G)
Lautares Defeated (RM) Mayberry
8-6
HInsley Warren
Rocky Mount got back on the winning track with a 7-2 win
against Roanoke Rapids on Tuesday, Apr. 26. This gave
Rocky Mount 8 wins to 3 losses. The scoreboard looked like
this after the match.
Singles
(RM) D. Eatman Defeated (RR)J. Merritt 6-1, 2-6, 6-3
(RM) J. Joyner Defeated (RR) G. Jones 6-3, 6-2
(RR) W. Brown Defeated (RM) T. English 6-3,6-4
(RM) D. Wheeless Defeated (RR) B. Goodall 7-5,6-3
(RM) J. Thorp Defeated (RR) D. Frazier 1-6, 7-5, 6-1
(RM) O. Wilson Defeated (RR) C. Taylor 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Doubies
(RR) Merritt Defeated (RM) Eatman 8-5
Brown English
(RM) Joyner Defeated (RR) Jones 8-2
Wheeless B. Goodall
(RM) Mayberry Defeated (RR) Short 8-5
Williams C. Goodall
dn^a 1&2
ENGLEWOOD SQUARE • US 64 EAST
Featuring:
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Cinema I
Nashville Girl
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