Club History
| The Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club is one of Seattle's oldest motorcycle clubs. The club once numbered 100 including a woman's division and a motorcycle stunt-and-drill team that rode white Harleys in the Seattle Seafair parade. On this page you will find an assortment of the club history including newspaper articles, pictures, notes and posters. Make sure you check Jolly Blog for more Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club history. |
Highlights
Ron Bennett flying over a jump at the famous
Jolly Rogers Motorcycle
Club race track, circa 1974.
Early
promotional poster (1990) for
DownTown Harley showing long time owner and long
time Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club member
Carmen Tom.
It was a popular conversion from DownTown Harley to give a Sportster the
appearance of a big twin
A couple old newspaper articles of the Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club, circa late '60s.
Long
time Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club member Ron Bennett, cleaned the out
house, worked on the track, flagged, and raced all in one race day.
Old Christmas card
(1997) from Bruce Bennett to dad Ron Bennett
long time Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club member, showing Bruce
at the Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club race track with the famous
hill
climb in the background.
Ride on Carmen!
85
year old Carmen Tom, a native of Britton, South Dakota: Long revered in
the motorcycle community, spent the majority of his life in its pursuit
(motorcycles AND the community). Likeable and friendly to most, he
frequently took time to chuckle it up with visitors to his shop.
More
Jolly Rogers Hold Class C National Climb
May 17, 1964
Members
of the Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club of Seattle, Washington have been
receiving much deserved accolades for their first venture in staging a
National Championship Class C Motorcycle Hill Clime event, Sunday, May
17, 1964. A jam packed house watched the Northwest's top riders attempt
to whip the 430-foot Jolly Rogers hill on Highway 99 between Tacoma and
Seattle. Deputy Sheriffs on King County finally had to stop the incoming
traffic when parking space became non-existent...
Read More
Jolly Rogers MX track 1992
These 2 pictures are of Benny's (Ron
Bennett - long time Jollies member) son Bruce at the Jolly Rogers
Motorcycle Club MX racetrack. The track originally was designed
for
scrambles (right and left hand turns and some mild jumps) but later
converted to motocross. You can see the Jollies hill climb
in the background of the second photo.
Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club Drill Team.
Rare photos
and article (from the November 1957 American Motorcycling magazine) of the Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Drill Team, pre 1970.
Long Time Jollies member Carmen Tom second
from left.
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#87 Ron Bennett with his suspenders and beloved football helmet, Dan Mc Carthy #88m on the 73 BSA and the Great Seymour #29m on the 501 Maico in the Open class at the Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club Racetrack, Kent, WA. |
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Old-timers 2nd year, late 70's, at the Russ Smith Memorial race at the Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club Racetrack, Kent, WA. |
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Ron Bennett's bike from the mid 60's 250cc CZ AMA Sportsman #7 with the late Lloyd Albee a member of the Seattle Motorcycle Club. |
Development and
falling membership are checkered flags for a Seattle motorcycle club and
the dirt trails it blazed
Article copied from the Seattle Times Scene, Sunday, February 7, 1999.
by Marc Ramirez
Super 8 Home Movies of the legendary Mickey Fay racing at the also legendary Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club Race Track in Ken, WA
See more of the famous Mickey Fay
Super 8 Home movies from Jollies long time member "The Great Seymour" of races at the famous Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club race track in Kent, WA circa 1970-1972.
A young Carmen Tom in 1943 at 17 years old.
MORE
Mickey Fay - A Part Of Motorcycle Racing History
A number of the Jollies scooted on down to Puyallup Fairgrounds (Paul
Hammus Arena) on Saturday to take in Mickey Fay's NW Extreme Flattrack
Racing / Motorcycle & Quad indoor flattrack. Despite the cold and the
aluminum bleachers, the races were pretty exciting, the track was large
enough for passing, and some riders were very good.
MORE
The Seattle Times: February 24, 1999. At 77, Mr. Poitras was one of the last surviving founding members of Jolly Rogers,
Larry Poitras, whose blocky orange Poke's Cycle building on Capitol Hill was a mecca for motorcycle buffs, took a chunk of Northwest cycling history with him when he died Saturday (Feb. 20) of lung failure. At 77, Mr. Poitras was one of the last surviving founding members of Jolly Rogers, a dirt-scrambling group of bikers that in 1943 built the South End's first major motorcycle track. They bought the land for $1,500 and used two horses and a plow to create the tracks. They bulldozed a bike climb that exceeded a 45-degree angle. Read the complete article.
By Carole Beers
Seattle Times Staff Reporter
McLaughlin vs. Whipple - 1993 Jolly Rogers Motorcycle Club race track
Old Jolly Rogers Events Posters
Hill Climb at Corbett, Oregon. August 14, 1971
Present were: Glenn Imboden, Leroy Imboden, Cyrstal Wadkins, Doug Schrewsbury, John Martinolich, Arvid Edeburn, Delores Edeburn
Ron Bennett, long time Jolly Rogers member
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Ron Bennett # 81 Castle Rock Speedway (in the 1970's) |
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Ron Bennett #293 Old Jolly Roger scramble track(in the late 1960's) |
Jolly Rogers riders meeting 1963
The Great Seymour, long time Jolly Rogers member, bites the dust. What year was this??
Jolly Rogers pictures from earlier years
The "Tiddler" (100cc) class at the Jolly Rogers grounds in the mid 60's. Yamaguchi was hot stuff in those days. See the Line Up and the yellow bike (probably a Honda 90) with the gas tank under the seat.
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The Line Up |
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The Start |
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Jolly Rogers member Ron Bennet preps for a race at our grounds in early '70 |
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In the late 60's, the 325cc Mustang motorcycle was accepted in "minibike" races, so defined by its 12" wheels |
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Long time active
Jolly Rogers member Marion "Slimbo" Thomas died November 23,
2004. |
Jolly Rogers member Ron Bennet in
younger years
Members of the Jolly Rogers Motorcycle
Club prepare the steep approach for a biker hill climb challenge at the
famous Northwest Jolly Rogers grounds in Kent, Washington in 1951.
1953 Northwest Motorcycle Review - By Lila Bulen
Jolly Rogers member Dave Seymour in younger years
This is what's left of the original Jolly Rogers hill climb looking from the top onto the new houses at the bottom.
1962 Jolly Rogers race for PI needy kids from the UW Digital Photo site. The race is the annual PI Christmas Fund Scramble.
Copy of the cover to an early Jolly Rogers membership roster with a drawing of the pirate. This appears to be from the mid-40s before the back patch existed.
Oakly Downey tripping timer string: Jolly Rogers Hill Climb about 1969
1948 shot of the Jolly Rogers back patch. (See fella walking away from dumped bike).
List of Known dates of events that the JRMC participated in back in the day.
List compiled by Jolly Rogers member Bone.