Back in the '70s, I read a childrens' novel that told the story of a
young man who got into dirt bike racing and became a champion in spite
of the evil connivings of a small town big shot and his arrogant son
(who also raced). My memories are vague, but I think the bad guy was
named Mr. Devlin, and the story took place out west and entailed
desert racing. As I recall our hero enlisted the help of an old,
broken-down ex-champ from the motorcycle racing circuit, and they
eventually prevailed on the oval track (as well as in the desert
races). I think the book even named motorcycles like Triumph and
Indian. Any ideas what this book is (title/author), and where I could
get a copy?

Hello.

I believe that your book was "Dirt Bike Racer" (1979) by Matt
Christopher.
Here's the description from the Library of Congress:

"Twelve-year-old Ron Baker finds a minibike while scuba diving and,
with the help of a former motorcycle rider and racer, restores the
bike and enters competition."
source: Library of Congress
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+79000745&CNT=10+records+per+page

I skimmed through the book using Amazon.com's new "search inside"
feature, and it seems to be the right book.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0316140538/

The old, ex-champ was named Mr Perkins.  

The arrogant kid's last name was "Laverne" rather than "Devlin."

Used copies start at $0.75 on half.com:
http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=114343

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search strategy:
Google Groups: "dirt bike" book
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&threadm=3AA41588.251D8D84%40futuresmag.com&rnum=8&prev=/groups%3Fq%3D%2522dirt%2Bbike%2522%2Bbook%26ie%3DISO-8859-1%26hl%3Den%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch

I hope this is the right book. If not, let me know via the "request
clarification" feature. Thanks.

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Request for Answer Clarification by dr_evil-ga on 05 Nov 2003 05:50 PST

Juggler:
I'm afraid "Dirt Bike Racer" is not the book. The one I'm looking for
took place in a western setting; this one seems to be set in New York.
Also, the idea of scuba diving and finding a minibike at the bottom of
a lake does not ring a bell for me. I appreciate the try. Where do I
go from here? Will my question and account be restored?

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Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 05 Nov 2003 10:20 PST

I'm very sorry.

Okay, I've very sorry.

Well, back to the drawing board.

I've found a children's novel that involved desert racing:

Acuna Brutes (1973), by Margaret and George Ogan.
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+73003161&CNT=10+records+per+page

"A college senior determines to master the powerful Spanish Acuna
motorcycles and participate in the all-day motocross races through
Death Valley and Baja California."
 
-------------

Another possibility:

Motorcycle racer (1973) by John P. Covington
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+78121950&CNT=10+records+per+page

"After one trial run, Eddie is hooked on motorcycle racing, but can't
get the rest of his club to go along with him."

-------------------


Do either of these books sound familiar?

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Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 05 Nov 2003 12:29 PST

Sorry for that (repetitive) typo.  It should have simly been: "Okay,
I'm very sorry."

---------

I'm starting to think that Acuna Brutes (1973) is a very strong possibility.

I called one of the used book dealers that has the book, and I asked
him to skim through the book. From his description, it sounds like it
could be your book.  Most of action involves desert races, and various
motorcycles such as Triumph are mentioned. The main character does
become a champion at the end.

Used copies available from Alibris:
http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?qwork=111813&matches=8&qsort=p

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Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 05 Nov 2003 12:30 PST

I'm really having typo problems this morning:

"...simply been..."