Jody Nicholas

JODY NICHOLAS

National Number 58

NASHVILLE’S “MUSICAL MAESTRO,” Jody Nicholas, who combines violin playing, motorcycling and college, has captured one of racing’s biggest plums — the Laconia 100-Mile National Championship — in his second year as an Expert rider. The former Amateur road race king bounced back strongly from a rather rough 1962 season in which he competed for the first time with the top names in the professional field. Though ending up far down the point scale with five national points, he accredited himself well, and showed great promise.

The amiable youngster, who attends the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, finished a surprising sixth at Daytona last year in the 200-Mile classic, even though he fell several times during the late stages of the road race. He picked up another national point in the 15-Miler at Heidelberg, Pennsylvania and added his final 3 points of the year with a 4th place finish at Laconia. After a year of racing against the best, the dimunitive Southerner and his rapid BSA are right on top in 1963.

Nicholas came to Daytona Beach unheralded in 1961 and ran off with the 100-Mile road race, the first time he had ever gone that distance. To prove it was no fluke, he entered 2 more road races — the Watkins Glen and Laconia 50-Milers — and won them both. Then, versatile rider that he is, he switched from pavement racing to the one-mile dirt track at Springfield, Illinois and captured the 10Mile Amateur national.

Jody started competing in field meets around Nashville in 1957, followed by numerous scrambles and drag races in his home area. By the time 1960 rolled around, he was ready for bigger things. As a Novice, he went to Daytona Beach and racked up 3 wins in 4 days of lightweight racing; that year he also won the 20-Miler in the 250cc class at Watkins Glen and, later in the season, triumphed at Marlboro, Maryland in both the 25-Mile Novice event and the 250cc lightweight category.

The son of musical parents, he is as proficient on a violin as he is on the track. He has studied for some 10 years and appeared in many concerts in Nashville as well as at college. An ideal public relations ambassador for the sport, Jody is much in demand by the press, radio and television when he comes to a race, and his fresh, frank manner has made him many friends among the motorcycle fraternity. •