Carl Cranke Remembered
Stories From His Friends
CARL CRANKE VERSATILITY PERSONIFIED
Every once in awhile someone really outstanding comes along and proves the old philosophy, “That nothing is impossible once you set your mind to it.” California rider, Carl Cranke must use this metaphysics as a guideline for his racing. For rarely do we have the opportunity to spectate a rider that exhibits such a grandstand performance in so many different types of motorcycle competition.
Cranke, sparing few words with his peers or colleagues, displays a riding finesse that he readily and flawlessly adapts to each type of motorcycle event with the same determined skill that made him the champion he is. At the age of 24, he had been riding for about eight years and has racked up quite a list of accomplishments. To name a few he was overall winner of the Hopetown Grand Prix and 2nd overall at the SNORE 250 mile desert race in 1971. He placed 2nd overall at the Trask Mountain 2-day trials and won a gold medal at Trask Mountain, and the Central Ohio 2-day trials. He was overall winner at the Reno 100 mile Hare Scrambles, and was high point novice short tracker in 1968. He was chosen by the AMA to be a Trophy Team member for the 1972 ISDT. In this event he won a gold medal and placed 12th in the world standings in the highly competitive 125cc class.
We are really pleased, and we hope all of our West Coast Penton riders are too, that Carl will be joining the Penton West family as the Manager of the Service Department. This will be a definite advantage for everyone, because in addition to being a superb rider, he also has a knowledge of the mechanics for the Penton cycles and will be able to solve any problem you might encounter with your Penton.
Since he has returned from the Six-Days he has been competing in two or three classes in some of the California Moto-Crosses and Scrambles.
This article was published in the “Keeping Track” newspaper no. 2 January 1973
Carl Cranke changed my life for the better. Carl had many best friends and I was happy to be included as one of those. He mentored me in my business, my motorcycle racing and my family life, all that he excelled in.
I first Met Carl when he was a service manager for Penton in Sacramento in 1974 and then we really became close friends at the 1975 Isle of Mann Six Days. We were staying at the same hotel and frequently had meals together. After his terrible crash, on the first day, which completely closed one eye, everyone thought he was done. But Carl quickly learned how to ride with his dominant eye swollen shut and of course finished the difficult rainy week with a gold, while I was happy with a bronze. That alone should prove that Carl was a talented motorcycle rider. Not only was Carl one of the best motorcycle racers of his time he was also an unbelievable mechanic, engineer and inventor. Later in life Carl married Sue and they raised two incredibly talented sons who have fine careers. He often said his family was his most important job. Carl was raising his family in Washington, and we would continue to race together at the Trask two day trial every year till it ended. He even consented to join my “Team Slip It”, which meant you had to ride an 80cc bike for two days of the Trask 2 Day ISDT qualifier. One rainy Trask year, Carl won overall, one of the cross country special tests on an 80. The organizers didn’t believe it so they added one minute to his score and still he was second. Carl was unusually smart in so many ways. He once deciding the 125 Penton needed to be water cooled to win the Baja 1000, he fabricated it and won. He was immediately flown to the KTM factory to show the engineers. For years he ran the CNC programming at Dependable Patterns in Portland.
Carl and I continued to fly together to all the ISDT reunion rides, where, if you were lucky enough to be there, heard some fantastic six day stories that only he could tell and what a memory he had. Last year I arranged a trip for Carl and I to ride the Zink National Enduro in Oklahoma, his last race. He did not have any reason to believe that he had cancer and had a fantastic ride, as well as seeing some old friends. Jeff Debell arranged for us to stay in a house close to the Zink ranch and we have some happy memories that we will never forget. He had a fabulous time seeing some old friends and telling more stories. It’s just how I want to remember him.
May God bless and God speed Carl in his final race and I hope to see you again.
Dr. Fred Cameron
If you took the entire human population, removed all the folks that did not have superior mechanical aptitude, from that group, remove all that had the benefit of higher education. Now, take out the egomaniacs and assholes, the piles starting to slim down. If you then looked for the one guy with world-caliber motorcycle riding ability, a trademark smile and wonderful disposition, his name would be Carl Cranke. RIP Carl.
Steve Simons,
Inventor of the Upside-Down fork
Growing up in the gold country of Northern California and in the shadow of the famous Hangtown Plymouth motocross track, we only had a couple of local motorcycle heroes…Danny “Magoo” Chandler and Carl Cranke. As a kid we could only read and look at pictures about Carl and it wouldn’t be until almost 40 years later I got to meet the actual man when I interviewed him for the Penton movie. And I could have listened to him for hours.
I didn’t have hours though, and spent the time fascinated with Carl’s own story, racing, working for the Penton’s, etc. He felt like an old friend, excited as I was to tell these long lost stories about a special time in his life. The interview ended and I felt like I had known Carl all my life. And when I sat down to start editing the film, I keep coming back to “Carl’s Bin” (a folder on the computer where all of each person’s clips are kept) to see what he had to say about a particular subject. He was such an interesting storyteller.
I only saw Carl a couple times since then but each time it was like old friends seeing each other. The last time was at the 2019 Tralblazer’s Banquet when I was honored to sit at the same table with Carl, John, Tom, Jeff and Jack Penton, Larry Maiers, and Dave Duarte, it was such a special night looking back with the heartbreaking news that came in the summer of 2020.
Some of us sadly knew what was coming and I knew I had something ready when the time come. We were happy to recently release the “A guy named Carl” segment from our deleted scenes movie shown at the Penton 50th anniversary event. (Video link:) https://youtu.be/uiZKxEUsXVo
We hope everybody gets a chance to watch it.
Todd Huffman,
Producer/Director of "PENTON: THE John Penton Story”
Carl Cranke, just the name implies speed.
I first saw Carl ripping around a place we called Madison Hills in Orangevale California near Carl’s home, I thought, “I need to meet that guy.” I ended up meeting Carl some time later at a shop in Loomis called Gene’s. They sold Husqvarna, Penton and Suzuki motorcycles and they were sponsoring me. Carl and I talked about bikes, racing and became friends. Carl took me under his wing and helped me become a better rider and a much better mechanic. Carl became a mentor to me.
I remember the first Virginia Grand Prix, Carl was riding a 125 Sachs and I was riding a 250 Husky. I came up on Carl stopped on a tight trail section. I stopped to make sure he was ok. He let me know that it was nothing to worry about and that he would be on the trail right away. On my last lap I crashed and slid down this icy road. I was in the middle of picking up my bike just in time for Carl to ride by, he yelled Billllyyyyy! I’m sure he was laughing his head off. Carl went on to take first overall that day and I got up to secure second. Carl beat everyone that day, me included on a 125 Sachs. He was unbelievable.
Another memorable time I was riding for Penton West and Fred Moxley the general manager told Carl who was the service manager, “I want you to take these boys out to Idaho for the first Evil Knievel race”. So Carl loaded up the van and away we went. In the 1st moto I got 3rd so they were happy. Second moto I broke my frame and ended up placing around 6th. I thought I was done for the day, but “Carl said hell no pull your tank and seat off and we will flip it over and weld it”. Kind of like McGiver, Carl would never give up and would always figure out a way to keep going.
One of my fondest memories was when Carl ran Cycle Speed; a shop in Sacramento Ca. Brad Lackey, Ron Stockman and other fast Northern California guys rode and hung out there. One day I was in the neighborhood and stopped by to say hi. Carl said “hey Billy, grab that bike over there and come with me, I need to test this bike out”. We took off and end up in this brand new, empty warehouse with beautiful slick pavement. We had a great time on this little indoor short track until the contractor showed up, whom as you can imagine wasn’t too happy with us. We ripped out the back door and laughed our butts off all the way back to the shop. That’s the kind of memories I’ll cherish forever…getting into just enough trouble to have a lot of fun.
In 1970, when I was 17, Carl asked me to go to Mammouth with him. My parents just loved Carl, so when I asked them if I could go, they were happy to let me. We towed a trailer with his VW bus, If anyone reading this ever rode in that bus with Carl you know the kind of adventure I’m talking about… doing 90 downhill and 40 uphill. During practice I stripped all the teeth off my primary gear on my 125 Penton. After searching all through the pits there wasn’t one to be had, I thought my weekend was over. Carl said to me switch your entry to the open class and ride Brads 360 CZ, which we had picked up at a shop on the way to the races. Well, first the bike was beat. Brad had just finished the Trans Am series on it and it was tired. Second, I had never ridden a CZ in my life; I was a Penton, Husky guy. Third, I hadn’t ever ridden an open class bike. Somehow, I got the hole shot and held on for third. But I was so beat-up, there was no way I could make the second moto, I had blisters in places I never knew existed. Carl said “I will ride the second moto and we can split the money”. He was just an incredible guy.
One year Carl took me to Hopetown where all the big shot Southern California guys we’re supposed to be racing. Riders from desert, cross country, and moto cross were there, but they didn’t stand a chance because Carl won that event. Carl was in a league of his own.
Carl was a great teacher; he taught me so much about tuning suspension, carburetors and just overall bike set up. He could get the slide cut always and air cushions just perfect on those Bing carburetors. The skills he taught me came in handy while I was racing and again later when I was tuning for Danny Chandler. I will always be indebted to him for the knowledge he passed on to me. I definitely wasn’t the only kid who looked up to Carl that I know. He had the raw talent to ride any kind of motorcycle fast.
What set Carl apart was his generous nature and drive to perfection. He never gave up. It was an adventure riding and racing with Carl where motorcycles were life. I will always miss you.
I love you brother.
Bill DaPrato,
Mechanic for Danny “Magoo” Chandler
Carl Cranke, R.I.P my friend, I’ll miss you!
It is always sad when someone leaves us and maybe even more when it is one of our own, one of our fellow motorcyclists. A 6-days rider, a Motocrosser, a speedway rider, a mechanic genius, etc! As I write this I like to share a few stories that are close to my heart when thinking about you!
#1, the DOG:
Hej Lars, it’s Carl
Hej Carl, whats up?
Well I am riding the Baja 1000.
Alright, good for you
Well ya, but not so good for the dog.
Why’s that.
They wont let him into Mexico.
I can see that’s not good for him
So I thought I drop him off at your place while I going down there?
Sure, you know the doors are always open for you.
Alright, see you Wednesday afternoon, that way you guys can get to know each other.
What Carl did not tell me was the dog was the size of a darn horse. I believe they call them Grand Danieu or something. Forgot the name of the damn thing but it did not take long after Carl introduce the dog to me. We connected big time as he was the same kind of person as Carl, easy going but with respect of what was said. Long story short, I told the dog, look buddy this sofa of mine I had shipped from Sweden and the material is hush plus so you do not get up on it! Besides that, the house is yours while your master is gone riding. The dog was just like a human so he just nodded, no problem Sir.
Later on, I was walking down the hallway heading for the living room. As I turn the corner to the living room I found the dog standing in the middle of the room minding his own business. I looked over at the couch and of course I could see dog hair on my hush plush sofa! So my eyes turn to the dog and I swear, he looked at me saying “why you looking at me for”.
#2, the SLOW HUSKY
Hej Lars, it’s Carl
Hej Carl, whats up?
Well I understand that the 250 Husky this year does not hardly pull it self.
You got that right.
Let me tell you Lars, I know why!
Ok, whats that got to do with me? You wanna bring the dog again?
The thing is this, you are the salesman and I am the “fixer” so I thought if you can get an engine from Husky, send it to me and I fix it, then you negotiate that we get get paid.. If they don’t like it, we get nothing!
Are we going to tell them what you did to it ?
Sure, after we got he money.
Long story short, we got the money!
#3 the Universe / cosmos (or whatever you call it, I never got it !).
Hej Carl, it’s Lars
Hej Lars, whats up ?
Well we are going to Mexico City and on to Valle de Bravo (and don’t think about bringing the dog)!
Allright, why and when ?
Well remember the bunch of Mexicans we met down at San Felippe ? It turned out that they are the guys in charge of enduro’s down there and they want us to come down and ride an event with them, talk about the 6-days etc etc
When do we leave ?
So here we are in a hotel room down in Mexico ready to go to sleep when Carl lit’s a “cigarette”. As the rooms starts to fill up with smoke unfamiliar to me, Carl starts talking! First it was the stars, how they came about, how the galaxies was formed, the universe, the cosmos and on and on. I still have no clue what the hell he was talking about!
In loving memory
Lars Larson
CARL CRANKE…..THE HUMAN BEING
A lot of people know Carl Cranke the motorcycle racer. His accomplishments are well documented. As good as he was, and while the reputation he earned and deserved are without dispute, one of my favorite things about Carl is that he was also very mortal, and from time to time he managed to prove it. I thought it might be interesting for some to hear a couple of the stories we gathered while riding together.
Carl Cranke in the side pocket.
I was new to the Penton team in 1974, and was riding my first I.S.D.T. 2-day qualifier as a LOI (letter of intent) rider in the Trask, Oregon event. Carl and I happened to be on the same number, and as the day progressed, the other riders on our number either fell behind or retired. So Carl and I were essentially riding together. Yeah, we had fun. Being a Southern California boy, I had heard of Carl, but I didn’t know him, so you might say it was quite the learning experience. I have ridden with a lot of good riders, but not many of them seemed to have as much fun riding a motorcycle as Carl did, but to me it seemed as though he was pushing the limit a lot. He was getting away with it, so who was I to question his “technique”? When it was time for us to leave from one of the timed checkpoints, out of respect and reverence I deferred to Carl, and he took the lead. As a lot of you who have ridden in Oregon know, the trails can be snotty, greasy, rutted, eroded, and full of downed limbs and mossy tree trunks…..in other words, great riding trails. Not far into that next section, Carl performed the quickest, most abrupt right turn into the toolies I have witnessed, short of trying to catch a rabbit. I’m pretty sure he didn’t do it on purpose as I didn’t see any course arrows or ribbon pointing that way. I don’t think we were going any faster than 25 or 30 miles an hour, but hitting trees and careening into a ditch with a rocky creek at the bottom happens pretty fast, and believe me when I tell you his path wasn’t groomed. I stopped to see if he was OK or if he needed any help, and was relieved when he loudly proclaimed he was fine. I won’t repeat what he said when I asked if he could do it again for me, as I might have missed some details from the first time. To this day, neither one of us know what it was he hit…..I certainly didn’t see anything. Fortunately, he and his bike were fine, and we progressed to the next check, where he made me go first. Ever since then we have referred to the incident as “Carl in the side pocket”.
Oops…..this isn’t a joke.
When Carl and I were teammates in our mid-1970s Baja-effort phase, I had a heck of a time convincing him of the importance of pre-running the racecourse. A lot of people don’t know that Baja courses are not marked like our conventional races. The checkpoints are made available in advance of the race, and it’s totally up to you to know where to go. It’s not considered cheating in Baja to pre-run, as the courses were always set up so the course itself was the quickest way to get from check to check. It’s not possible to remember everything on a race that long while pre-running, but hopefully you’ll remember which way to go, and more importantly, where the really bad stuff is.
I finally managed to get him to come down for a pre-run a couple of weeks in advance of one of the Baja 500 races. We travelled to Ensenada together (where most of the courses started) and established a campsite slightly outside of town. The spot on which we decided to camp was on one side of a small hill. Maybe 1/8 of a mile away, on the other side of the hill, was Ensenada’s local landfill site, and the word landfill makes it sound nice. Now, if you think your local landfill is a treat (and it probably is), I can hands-down guarantee you it doesn’t compare to this gagging mess. The only excuse I can offer for having picked this spot to park is that the wind was blowing the other way when we drove up, and that small hill effectively hid the scene. Besides, Carl was driving, so I have an excuse. But that wasn’t the problem I’m getting ready to reveal here. The real problem is that where I come from, a dump isn’t considered a food source (seagulls excepted), but apparently in Ensenada, it is. Not for people, but for animals.
Still unaware of our next-door neighbors, Carl and I unloaded our scoots, gassed up, dressed, and prepared to head out. About this time, six or seven wild dogs in a pack showed up, maybe 50 yards away, and I wasn’t real comfortable with the look in their eyes. Don’t get me wrong, as I love my dogs, and I have always had one or more as companions, but I have also been where dogs get pretty aggressive when hanging around in multiples, much less on the outskirts of a Mexican dump. Also, don’t ask me what kind of dogs they were, but I’m certain they had a pretty basic family tree (no branches), and it looked like they were pining to augment their local cuisine. I told Carl to look at just about the same time they started to trot towards us, cautiously but purposefully. At this point I determined they weren’t looking for a nibbly treat and a lesson on how to shake hands, so I started my motorcycle, hoping the noise might scare them away (it didn’t), but more appropriately to be prepared to get the hell out of there. Carl kicked his bike too….. but it didn’t start. Now, out of all the times Carl has started his bike on a start line, how many times do you think his bike didn’t start on the first kick?
This is the time I need to tell you about an image I have in my mind of the typical cat getting ready to cross the road in front of your car, as you go down the street. First, the cat resists moving fast because, after all, you’re in it’s street, and you’re imposing on it’s territory and more importantly imposing on the cat’s style, and it’s just not cool to look like you’re out of sorts on someone else’s account. But then, the cat realizes your vehicle is bigger than he (or she) is, and it doesn’t look like you’re going to stop, so in survival mode, the cat puts it in 5th gear, gets what looks like 300 legs, and beats it across the street (next time you see that, you’ll think of me…..you’re welcome). Well, that visual approximates what Carl’s legs looked like about this time. His bike did start, and we beat it out of there literally just in time, with the pack biting at our tires and boots. I’m not exaggerating when I say the dogs got a lot bigger as they got up close and the scene got way too personal. I honestly don’t know what I could have done to fend them off at the time had Carl’s bike not started. Neither Carl nor I carried firearms, although it seems like Carl always carried some kind of a knife. A lot of good one knife against a pack of dump dogs would be. It was the first time I was really scared for my life, and that includes my participation in the Viet Nam draft lottery a few years earlier (I drew number 14!). Could have been the end of our story right there.
For some reason, I’m not sure why exactly, but I was never able to talk Carl into a pre-run again.
High as a kite. (It’s not what you think).
In 1975 the Six Days was on the Isle of Man. At the conclusion of the event, we had a couple of days to gather our wits and our muddy, waterlogged belongings, and get organized for the trip home (I let them keep their fog). We ended up with enough time to explore the downtown area of Douglas, the host city. Douglas is a resort city with plenty of hotels, discos, bars and shops to keep tourists properly entertained. My favorite, though, was the area where the old shops still do business. There are narrow cobblestone streets, moss on the north side of everything, and multi-story Tudor style buildings that have been there since the 1800s, or longer. Right out of a Charles Dickens novel, there were bakeries, candy shops (smells good, doesn’t it?), saloons (didn’t smell quite as good), clothiers, antiques…..and a TOY shop! Just because we were in our mid-twenties doesn’t mean we weren’t kids! Entering that store was a step back in time. The aisles were narrow, everything smelled like old wood, the floors creaked in protest, and it was packed beyond the seams with stuff we’ve never seen before. I have no idea how long we were in there, but it didn’t matter.
So here’s Carl, resplendent with his black eye (remember, he had a duel with what he called a bomb crater on the beach, and we’re still trying to figure out who won), and he’s got his sights set on this “bitchin” kite he wants to buy. I can’t blame him for being excited, as it was a pretty cool kite. Keep in mind, kites in those days were still made of tissue paper, balsa wood, and lots of other fragile stuff, and I reminded him that he was going to have to carry that thing through a combination of rental cars, airports, an overcrowded and overbooked charter flight, more airports, more planes, all the while juggling his luggage…..it’s chances for survival were about as good as that of a candy bar in Frank Gallo’s hand. I was just trying to be realistic and helpful, but he mumbled something to the effect that I was NOT his chaperon, he was a big boy, etc. and bought it anyway. Another point of entertainment was watching the cute young sales girl behind the counter keeping an eye on this pony-tailed man with a black eye and a weird accent get all goofy over a kite.
Well, Carl baby-sat that kite through all that, and so far it had survived. He brought it home from halfway around the world, and was pretty proud of it and couldn’t wait to fly it. He even confided to me that I was probably correct in trying to talk him out of the purchase, but I was a good boy, and didn’t rub his nose in it. We were on our final flight into his hometown of Sacramento when, probably out of boredom, he opened the instructions, and while reading them and looking at the pictures, he discovered that the kite was made in…..Sacramento. I reminded Carl of that story not too long ago, and he asked me how I could remember all that. My question to him was…..how could I forget?
What a man--- what a buddy---what a loss---way too soon. Just the tip of the iceberg.
Eric Jensen,
ISDT Gold medalist and 6 time class winner with Carl at Baja
I met Carl around 1968. I was just starting to race motocross and he was already into it after years of riding Flat Track. Even back then, he was the man to try and stay with on the track.
His riding style was always super smooth and very fluid. He loved to ride and, most weekends, would ride three classes at the local races here in Northern California. He loved to ride and excelled at all types of motorsports. He excelled in Cross-country, Speedway, Motocross and Flat Track. In later years, he also did very well in the six days and other Off-road events. I was fortunate to also move in that direction. I remember at the 1977 Six Days, in Czechoslovakia, Carl made a point to share the ins-and-outs of traveling in the Eastern Block country with us naive first-timers. He was so generous in sharing his knowledge and experience.
In addition to his incredible skills as a mechanic and tuner, he maintained his gift for riding. About 20 years ago, when the six days reunion rides started, to me, Carl looked just as smooth as he did during his last six days, in the 80s. We will sincerely miss this wonderful, generous, caring man.
Chris Carter,
Owner of Motion Pro
I had the opportunity to sit with Carl Cranke and bench race and ride with him on some familiar trails for practice in the Ohio mud. This was in 1972 when Carl spent a few months working for John Penton at Penton Imports in Lorain Ohio. During this time period, Carl was staying in the basement of Ted Penton's house in Amherst.
One special day, a few of us met at my Grandma Miller’s old quarry on the west side of her farm in Amherst, Ohio. It was rocky, sandy and muddy. There were a host of trails with awesome hills and a few hairy drop offs. We met on Quarry Road by the old railroad bridge and unloaded our bikes. Carl was always ready to share some tips. “Become the motorcycle, make it an extension of your body.” I used this tip and enjoyed the next few hours of challenging conditions. Carl was new to the area and handled the terrain with ease. This long haired California boy amazed all of us.
On another day, Jack Penton let me ride the new 1974 Mint 400. My heart was in my throat every time the power band kicked in. I thanked Jack for the opportunity, (to be scared out of my leathers) and got back on my 400 Husqvarna. Tom Penton, on a later date, offered the Carl Cranke tuned Mint 400, for me to ride. I took it down by the Steel Mill and was amazed with the improved power band and control. We were so fortunate to share the opportunities to ride these world class machines with the world class riders.
Rest in peace Carl Cranke. I hope there are motorcycles in Heaven.
Norm Miller,
NE Sales and Service rep for Husqvarna 1971-1973
Carl and Preston had a long working relationship, as in working to develop the No-Dive. But the truly big thing was working at Preston's at the plastics factory in an old mill building along the railroad tracks in Newburg, Oregon. (We from Ohio had an opportunity for a personal Preston tour when in the neighborhood for a mid '70's Trask 2 day.) Preston had spent big bucks buying a new-fangled computerized plastics molding machine, then found out he needed to spend more big money on a computer to program the new machinery. (I had the opportunity to talk with Preston at a Hodaka Days a few years ago, and he went into the finances on that ordeal with me ... what I remember is that he really was in over his head.)
So Preston needed someone to program all this wiz-bang stuff, and Carl was the man. I had the opportunity not long ago to visit Carl at his work place in Portland where he had been working for the many years after motorcycling. He did 3d CAD (Computer Aided Design) for a company. Actually, his duties included admin, if you will, as he had just been made General Manager.
But he still was able to spend lots of time in front of the computer monitor. That's what he truly loved. He showed the finished milled work of some parts he designed: for the Space Shuttle and F-35, for example.
He told about the beginnings of it all in Newburg. According to Carl, Preston had bought only the second of this type of computer in the whole country. There was scant documentation, Carl had to pretty much figure it out for himself. As the success of Petty Products proves, they did a great job of getting it right! Carl says that during the decades of his designing career, he took pride that he had peer relationships with many PhD types, from his humble high school beginnings.
My first Corduroy Enduro win was 1973 … I remember it well because it was the week before the Massachusetts ISDT, the first in the USA. Carl Cranke and I decided to compete in the event, whereas many others from our team didn’t want to “chance” it (injury) and/or needed the time for preparation for the ISDT. But Carl & I went for it and drove together in a van to Canada.
I stayed within range of him throughout the two days on a good running Penton 125, but he had me legitimately beat going into the final special test. Well, things were different back then vis-a-vis ISDT type events … there were a lot of trying different things. This year at the Corduroy they had for the first time in an American ISDT type event, an OBSERVED TRIALS final special test. I was able to plunk my trusty 125 Six Days up and down the 5mph course without dabbing. Carl brought his 250 Hare Scrambler (with his renowned cylinder work for that dazzling horsepower, geared up for those open corduroy & gravel roads) to the “starting line” with dread in his eyes: his worst fears realized! And indeed he met those fears in disastrous manner! The dabs came fast and furious, and his overall win went down with them.
Oh, it started out a cold ride from the Canadian woods to Massachusetts! “Not Fair! That isn’t our sport! Our machinery is so wrong for it! It is not what we’ve practiced doing!” But … but … Yes Carl, I agree … (well, some, mostly, maybe), I didn’t set up the course! As the miles rolled along, Carl warmed up, and I think he forgave me … maybe!
Tom Penton
Carl Cranke!
I can’t remember the first time I saw Carl. But for sure it was at a Flat Track, Speedway, Hare Scramble, Cross Country or MX race. There lies the problem with my memory. Carl could do it all and at the end of the day or night at those times he most likely was the victor.!
In the late 60’s Carl and I had a few duels at tracks like Marysville and Helvecia in Sacramento, as Carl was from the Sacramanto area and I was from the Bay Area. We were both riding 125’s at the time. Carl was already a Penton factory guy and I rode a Sachs out of Campus Suzuki in Berkeley. Carl was always very wily on the track and he was a few years older than me and had a lot more experience, so he would always spank the little 15 year old Lackey. But unlike the older racers, he would try and help the kids with racing tips like bike set up and how to have fun at the races. That was very important to the younger riders.!
In 1970 Carl was working and racing out of Cycle Speed in Sacramento making rocket fast CZ’s. Carl built my bikes and I rode with Cycle Speed colors. The 1970 Inter Am was coming up and I didn’t have a 360 CZ for some of those races so Carl let me borrow his bike for that series and I’m sure it did not come back to him in the condition that it left. Carl never said a bad word about those kinds of things.!
Carl had the whole 1970’s Hippie thing down pat. He drove his VW bus with peace signs on the windows, long hair and he pulled a trailer behind the VW with dirt bikes.
He was very low key but deadly when he threw a leg over any bike. I went on a road trip with Carl in that bus. It was to opening day at a new race track in Southern California called Indian Dunes. We arrived the night before, camped out, BBQ’d and awaited the opening of the great new place where we could race our bikes. When we woke up a lot more riders had arrived throughout the night and early morning. Just next to us was a guy with a beautiful Husky and his very hot girlfriend! It was the one and only Harvey Mushman. Carl showed him some good lines on the new track. What a great day!!
Some memories will never be lost. Thank you Carl for all you gave to so many like me! Your generosity will never be forgotten.
RIP
Brad Lackey,
"America's first World MotoCross Champion"
Joining the Penton race team in 1975, I only had the pleasure of knowing Carl for 3 short years. He welcomed me with open arms and never treated you as his competitor. I have always remembered him as the “Rock Star” of the team. The California kid that had a different style about himself, long hair, the clothing that he wore, and I have never forgotten his moccasins.
He was always there for you, to help you out in any way he could. Whether it was to wire up a Preston Petty headlight, or I would ask him what gearing to run. His skills at motor work was out of this world. He did some work on my 250 for my first ISDT 6-Days event. It was truly the fastest 250 I ever rode.
Carl was a very competitive guy on and off the track. I remember one evening at Penton R&D, we were timed on tire changing. I had a great time and Carl heard about it. He put his game face on and yes, he beat my time.
I hadn't seen Carl since 1978. We reunited at the Penton 50th Anniversary and I felt he had never changed. I was lucky enough to sit next to him at dinner and listen to his interesting stories.
If you ever had the opportunity to meet Carl, consider yourself one lucky person to have me a great human being.
God speed Carl!
Gary Younkins,
Penton ISDT Trophy Team member
The 1975 qualifying series for the Isle of Man was the first time I met Carl Cranke. He was a member of the famed Penton team, which I had only heard about at that time and I was riding an Ossa for Don Cutlers Yankee motor Co. team. At Six Days that year on the Isle of Man, in my mind, is where the legend of Carl Cranke began.
It’s a story we are all familiar with. Mid week on a fast section on the beach, Carl crashed really hard. Face planted himself in the sand along with other things. Most of us would have been done for the week, but Carl managed to finish the day.
The next morning Carl showed up nose bandaged, face all scraped up and eyes almost swollen shut. He not only rode, but finished on gold. I remember saying to myself… now there is one tough son of a bitch!
On day six, also a story we all know well… the final special test was a road race. Carl was clocked at over 100 mph in the speed trap, on a bike that just finished a grueling six days. I thought WOW how do you get a beat up dirt bike to go that fast?? A year or so later I would be one of the lucky ones to find out. After joining the Penton team in 1976 I got to know Carl and we became friends. He sometimes joked that we were the two outsiders, him being from California me from Rhode island, as most of the Penton team was from Ohio.
That year after the Trask mountain and Bad Rock 2 day qualifiers, Frank Gallo, most of the Penton team and I stopped by Preston Petty’s shop. Carl was there in his van with Thor, his great Dane. Carl invited Frank and I to come visit and stay at his house in Placerville, Ca.
After a great day and night, I think I remember waking up in Carl’s front yard with Thor and Frank. Before leaving the next day, I asked Carl what I had to do to have him port a cylinder for me. He said, “send me one'. I couldn’t get back east quick enough to send one out to him.
Carl knew and understood those motors better than anyone. When he got done, they had a ton of bottom end and were smooth right to the top and made great power, and lots of it. I don’t think Carl did cylinders for a lot of people a few close friends and the guys on the Penton team at that time, Jack and Tom, Dane and Teddy Leimbach, Gary Younkins, Frank Gallo, Rod Bush, Jeff Hill, and myself. I’m sure there were others, but not a lot.
I was having my 75 mint 400 restored by Kevin Donavan, I received a call from him when he was doing the motor. He said “what the hell is this radical port work?” I told him it was a Carl Cranke cylinder. He said “I’ve heard about them but have never seen one. Wow the time he must have put into this its amazing”
I still have one from a 390 in my garage on a shelf … like its in a trophy case.
After we stopped racing, Carl and I would touch base with a phone call every year or so to catch up. On a trip to the northwest in the early 90’s I went to visit Carl and Sue. He was building his house at that time they were living in it but it wasn’t 100% done. He showed me the whole house, every thing he had done and was going to do. The craftsman ship and detail was amazing… it was as if he was building a motor. He was so proud of it. He built a beautiful home for his family. He also hadn’t lost his competitive spirit as I got my ass handed to me playing racquet ball with him.
In 2000 Carl was being inducted into the AMA hall of fame and Penton was the feature marque at the AMA vintage motorcycle days event in Ohio. It was a great weekend for Carl being such a big part of the Penton legacy and being inducted into the hall of fame. Carl was with Sue and his two boys, Alex and Ryan, who I met for the first time. He was so happy for the boys to share and be part of this experience
In 2013 at the ISDT reunion ride / 40th anniversary of the 1973 Six Day’s, I was able to introduce my wife Reena to Carl. She had heard a lot of the stories and was glad to have finally met him and as she found out over lunch with Carl and Fred Cameron the next day, most of them were true.
The 50th Penton Anniversary in 2018 was a fantastic weekend. Lots of bench racing, memories, renewing many old and new friendships. For most of us, that was the last opportunity we would have to hang out with Carl, and what a great opportunity it was!
The last time I spoke with Carl he had just returned from a week long adventure. A dual sport ride with his son Ryan. He was so excited about what a great time they had and how much it meant to ride with his son.
With all Carl’s racing, design and engineering accomplishments I think he was most proud of his family… especially his sons… Alex and Ryan.
Rest in peace my Friend. A toast to a life well lived!
Kevin Lavoie,
Penton ISDT Trophy Team member
I first met Carl at the 1976 Trask Mountain 6 day Qualifier. The thing I remember most was he always found time to help and share his wisdom. That was the beginning of our friendship.
At the 1977 ISDT I hour-ed out and Carl broke his foot. He decided to continue riding so I took on the task of support rider for him. For two days I followed Carl and his broken foot. It was a real workout. But, we made it to the end and Carl amazingly finished and got a Silver Medal.
That fall Carl ported a 250 cylinder for me. It was amazing. I rode a lot of MotoCross and at every race I got the hole shot and I was riding the pro money class. If there was any doubt Carl was a great mechanic and tuner, that cylinder erased them.
I rode on the same minute as Carl at several two day ISDT qualifiers. What an honor. Looking back I remember that if Carl started behind me I still ended up riding with him. LOL. Carl was fast with the uncanny ability to pick the right lines. Anyone that rode with Carl was a better rider when the ride was over.
At an ISDT reunion ride in Tulsa, I got to ride one more time with my old friend. I rode all the way to the first check, so happy, that I had a tear in my eye. Then reality set in. I couldn't keep up. Just like the old days.
Through the years Carl and I stayed in touch. Our conversations were seldom about us or riding motorcycles. Instead we talked about our families. That was Carl’s first love.
I guess you could say we were free spirits. Did what we wanted to do when we wanted to do it.
I’ll miss you Carl. Rest in Peace.
Frank Gallo,
Penton ISDT Trophy Team member
When we lose a good friend, it makes us want to go back and share the memories that we’ve had together. Memories that I, and so many of his friends will never forget.
I think most everybody knows what an extraordinary person he was, and his incredible skills as a rider, and mechanic.
I was able to follow his racing career from about 1963 to when he stopped competing.
Carl was born September 24, 1948 in Lake Charles Louisiana. His father was in the military, and later moved to Southern California, and then to the Bay area in central California for a while. His family moved to Orangevale California when he was about 12 or 13 years old. When he was about 14 years old he started riding his bicycle to the original Orangevale motorcycle shop in Orangevale Ca. He swept floors and did whatever else he could to help. He became good friends with the mechanic there, Bob Taylor. He once told me he learned everything he knew about working on motorcycles from Bob. He said Bob was a genius.
Not long after, the shop built a 50cc Suzuki, and Carl would race that at Three Star Raceway in North Highlands Ca. (a suburb of Sacramento). The track was a small oval and the surface was almond hulls. Also you ran with no brakes.
Taylor would just tell Carl to hold it wide open around the track. He did and he started winning.
The next week he would change the sprocket and tell him to hold it wide open again without telling Carl what he did. Carl continued to win. And so the next week was the same thing, change the sprocket and tell him to hold it wide open.
He pretty much was unbeatable. His career in racing started seriously after that. Carl excelled in every venue he tried. Won many Baja events with Eric Jenson, another desert racer turned six day rider. In 1975 he even won the Cal City Two Day qualifier held in the desert in California City overall against the desert specialists.
Carl then proved his skills in the highly competitive international six day trials (ISDT) winning nine metals. Most all of them gold.
With all his accomplishments in motorcycling, he told me a few years ago that his greatest accomplishment was watching his two boys (Alex & Ryan) grow up to be great boys, and outstanding citizens. Before he passed he was able to see his first grandson born, ride his motorcycle one more time on his property, and see his son Ryan get married.
He is missed and remembered my his many, many friends.
Rest in peace my friend. Carl Cranke: 9/24/48-11/14/2020
Dave Duarte,
Manager of Penton West distribution center
Undoubtedly it would take a rather large book to contain all of the tuning specs and engine modifications that Carl developed in his lifetime, let alone his race wins and off-road accomplishments in countless forms of competition, and lest we forget the many magazine covers he graced over the years.
But for me personally, when thinking of Carl, what comes to mind first and foremost is a simple nine word exchange between Carl and John Penton, two of the fiercest two-wheeled competitors and greatest innovators of all time. As they were saying their goodbyes at a Penton Owners Group reunion a few years back, Carl stated matter of factly as he looked straight at Mr. Penton, “I love you, John.” To which John replied, “I love you too, Carl.”
Paul Danik
