Ted Hubbard #23 BSA

Thanks for that Dave. That was from the heart and I (we) appreciate it.

 

The first time I met Ted was at Roebling in the mid 1970's. We all knew he was someone special. He had just retired as an AMA pro and had helped field the British teams at Daytona in the 1960's and earlier in the 1970's. He rode smooth without being all over the bike. He seemed to just sit up behind those flat track bars and ride effortlessly. But the results fast. He stressed that this was now for fun. Serious racing was behind him. He and his friends from NC were trying to develop and sell a new racer: the GRT (some sort of a british bottom end with a homemade top end).
Two decades later his health was starting to fail. One time in the late 1990's I was talking with him at Road Atlanta. He was having trouble with his heart and was afraid he might have to quit racing. He said now he held the throttle open until the pain in his chest was unbearable, then backed off until it didn't hurt too bad. That was better than quiting.
The last time I spent any time with him was at a birthday party for his protege, David Rutherford. Even though the room was filled with oldtimers (like Lyn Garland and myself) it was clear that Ted was the dean of the racing fraternity.
Last weekend at Roebling I spoke briefly to a young man (Robert Hall?) racing a B50 with flat track bars. He rode smoothly and fast. He spoke of Ted and his help with reverence.
Maybe that is the best way to judge his impact. He still has a second and third generation following his example. Hopefully they, and we, have learned how a gentleman races and acts. We can all learn from his life.

 

My Dad (Ralph Coffey) and Ted were good friends for the past 50 years or so, and I had the pleasure of spending time around Ted as well as a youngster growing up.

I was able to see Ted race many times, and was always amazed at the way that old dude could ride a motorcycle. :up:

I talked to my Dad yesterday, and he informed me of Ted's passing. I decided to do some "googling" and came across this thread on here and felt the need to say a few words.

Without a doubt, Ted will be greatly missed. He was certainly one in a million.

RIP

 

Ted

I heard of Ted's passing at Daytona. I was saddened,... not so much for Ted, but for the rest of us. He touched many of us with his wealth of information and inspiration. I had many great discussions with him over the years and I will miss them and him.

Ted, you've left too soon, the party's not over!!!

 

Wow seems like an amazing guy. Rest In Peace.

 

I first met Ted in 1972, he was a BSA service rep at the time and he came to my dads BSA dealership to help him repair a problamatic BSA Lightling 650.

It didn't take long for him to start telling me some of his race stories and I was hooked right away. He and my dad became real good friends and my dad always reminded me to "listen and learn" when Ted was talking.
I learned a lot of stuff from that man!

Is was Ted that got me started roadracing in 1984 and at that time he was very able to go out and show me exactly how to do it.
In the beginning I asked him how to go fast and he said "if I told you everything I know you would go out and get hurt right away", instead he would wait for me to ask a question and then tell me how to deal with it.
As time went on and I started winning some races he would come over afterwards and say "you rode like an old woman". Never mind that I won he would say that I could have and should gone faster! and then he would let me know where my weak points were (which was usually braking) Ted belived in going in really deep!

I haven't seen him much in the last 10 years but I did get to see him at the AHRMA race at Kershaw in 2007.
He was still the same Ted I met back in 72.

How ironic that he passed away during Daytona.

He was a true friend and I will miss him dearly.

Frank Shockley

 

ted

we have all his leather and bikes,many will be sold.Anyone interested send me a PM.

Ted was pretty famous for the '71 Daytona 200 with dick mann

 

Ted Hubbard

It must have been '93 or '94...Rockingham,N.C. coming down off the high banking,into the infield,across that dreaded skirt transition,a speedbump at over a hundred,Ted comes by on the outside, hot.Too hot. Waaaay too hot. And waaay too wide. Off into the grass. Shit, I think. Teds going down. Yeah, right.He slings that old bastard sideways, grabs a handfull of throttle,throws an f-ing roostertail,and stuffs it back on the track,never losing a position! Damndest thing I ever saw! I asked him about it later in the pits........"Boy,I was a champion grass flat tracker in England". I was a young buck in the wera vintage ranks,Ted, one of the old masters.And If I didn't put my head down and really run hard,really,really hard, on a MUCH faster yamaha 2 stroke,Well,lets just say, he would come up from the second wave,and keep you honest.And hand you your hat,if you flinched. I'm Sorry it's taken me so long to Talk about him.Ted was one of those guys you thought would always still be there,ripping it up.All I can say is, I hope,in my later years, I'm still as fast, friendly, and respected as he was.I can proudly say,I've raced with one of the best. Godspeed my friend. Keith Powell WERA# 949

 

Respect.

 

so many great stories. thank you all for sharing them!

-tex

 

Exactly...

 

Ted saw me make a last lap pass on the outside in T5 at RR to win a twins race in the late '80s and asked me later how I pulled it off. I told him there was a ripple on the outside pushed up by the cars and I was drifting into it and using it like a berm to get a great drive off the corner. The next practice I felt someone tap me on the right leg in T5, guess who. He just wanted to let me to know he was there. Always enjoyed spending time with Ted and his gang. He is missed!