Don Castro (born December 28, 1949) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former professional

motorcycle racer Motorcycle racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Ot ...

who is an inductee of the AMA

Motorcycle Hall of Fame The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycles ...

. During his career he was a works rider for

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

and

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

' and a privateer on Triumph, Montesa, Yamaha and Kawasaki machines. Castro's life was the subject of the 1990 film ''Learning Curve''.

Early life

Castro was born in

Hollister, California Hollister is a city in and the county seat of San Benito County, located in the Central Coast region of California. With a 2020 United States census population of 41,678, Hollister is one of the largest cities in the Monterey Bay Area and a me ...

on December 28, 1949. As a teenager he was often in trouble for racing around Hollister on his

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

90cc motorcycle. His father brought him a Triumph 500cc motorcycle on the condition that he would only ride on tracks and not on the road. On the Triumph Castro won the first race, a dirt race, that he entered. Whilst he was still 16 he entered a race at Chowchilla Fairgrounds but was thrown of the bike in the race and run-over by other competitors. He broke his

sternum The sternum or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels from injury. Sh ...

, ribs, leg, ankle and an arm. His recovery took six months and during this time he had doubts about motorcycle racing.

Racing career

Castro moved up to Expert Sportsman class in 967 and turned pro novice in 1968 Moving up to the Junior category in 1969, Castro was doing well until he broke his ankle playing football with

Gary Nixon Gary Nixon (January 25, 1941 – August 5, 2011) was an American professional motorcycle racer who most notably won the A.M.A. Grand National Championship American Flat Track is an American motorcycle racing series. The racing series, founded an ...

and

Dick Mann Dick Mann (June 13, 1934 – April 26, 2021) was an American professional motorcycle racer. He was a two-time winner of the A.M.A. Grand National Championship. Mann was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1993, and the Motorcycl ...

at the Triumph factory which side lined him for four nationals. In his rookie year Castro won seven Junior Nationals and came 2nd to

Dave Aldana David Aldana (born November 26, 1949) is an American former professional motorcycle racer who specialized in dirt track oval racing and road racing. In the 1970s, he was one of the more colorful racers in the A.M.A. Grand National Championship w ...

for the ''Junior of the Year'' title. This prompted Triumph racing boss Pete Coleman to sign Castro for a factory ride in 1970. Starting in the Expert category in 1970, Castro rode for Triumph in both

dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a genera ...

and

road racing Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

events. In the first rode race he had competed in, the

Daytona 200 The Daytona 200 is an annual motorcycle road racing competition held in early spring at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was founded in 1937 when it was sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association ...

, Castro finished third on a 750 cc racing triple. He finished his rookie season in 5th place. Castro and his BSA/Triumph teammates David Aldana and

Gene Romero Gene Romero (May 22, 1947 – May 12, 2019) was an American professional motorcycle racer.

were known as ''Team Mexican'', a

tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...

reference to their

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

roots. In 1971 Castro was a member of the American team that participated in the 1971 Anglo-American Match Races. He finished ninth in the AMA standings that year. Triumph's road bike sales were suffering with the introduction of superior Japanese machines and the factory cut back its racing budget. Castro and

were cut from the race team at the end of the season. Riding as a privateer in 1972, Castro started competing on Triumph and Montesa machines until his van and the race bikes were stolen on his way to a race at

Houston Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston ...

. He contacted K&N, who lent him a spare Yamaha and he rode for their them for the rest of the season. Although he had his race bikes stolen, he did have a Red Line framed 750 cc Triumph twin in his garage. With the help of Tracy Nelson of The Fiberglas Works in

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a pop ...

, Castro converted the bike into a streamlined dirt racer. The combined seat, tank and side number plates lowered the centre of gravity of the bike and allowed Castro to lay lower on the machine along the straights. The first outing of the machine was at the Race of Champions. Although Castro was ineligible to ride in the champions race, he won all the support races he entered. The AMA then outlawed the bike. Yamaha offered Castro a ride in 1973 and on one of their motorcycles he won the San Jose half-mile. He finished 5th in the championship that season. Continuing with Yamaha in 1974, Castro won the 250 cc Daytona race, beating his teammate and race favourite

Kenny Roberts Kenneth Leroy Roberts (born December 31, 1951, in Modesto, California) is an American former professional motorcycle racer and racing team owner. In 1978, he became the first American to win a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship. He ...

. Straight after Daytona Castro took part in a

Cal Rayborn Calvin Rayborn II ( – ) was a top American professional motorcycle road racer in the 1960s and early 1970s. Born and raised in San Diego, California, Rayborn began riding motorcycles at an early age. He began his racing career in dirt tr ...

benefit race (Rayborn had been killed whilst racing in New Zealand in December 1973). During the race he fell and his leg got tangled with the bike. Castro refused to go to hospital, but the next day he did and was diagnosed with a detached kneecap and ligaments. This put him out of racing for several months, including the

Transatlantic Trophy The Transatlantic Trophy (initially called Anglo-American Match Races) was an annual series of motorcycle races between the United Kingdom and America held from 1971 to 1988 and again in 1991. They were mostly held over the Easter weekend at Br ...

races he was due to compete in. In 1975, Yamaha ended their factory racing so Castro rode on Kawasakis tuned by Erv Kanemoto. The Kawasaki was fast but unreliable, and Castro finished the season in 9th place. Castro retired from racing in 1976 and opened a motorcycle and ATV service centre in

Tres Pinos, California Tres Pinos (Spanish for "Three Pines") is a census-designated place in San Benito County, California. The community lies along State Route 25, approximately 4 miles south of Hollister and 5 miles north of Paicines. Tres Pinos sits at an elevatio ...

, although he came out of retirement for the annual BMW ''Battle of the Legends'' from 1993 - 1996. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2010.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Castro, Don 1949 births Living people People from Hollister, California American motorcycle racers AMA Grand National Championship riders