1968 Triumph 650cc T120R Bonneville Dirt Tracker

It was in a 1969 Cycle edition that they described the ’67/68 650 Bonneville as “One of the best big bikes ever made. Smooth, fast and classy. Starts easily, hangs in there, even sounds good.” The world already knew how good these bikes really were, Cycle simply reinforced it for us all. It was the basis for all kinds of customizations and race preparations from café racers and bobbers to off-road and road racing. A mainstay of American motorcycle sport for decades, flat track racing was populated with bikes from a handful of manufacturers, with Triumph at the forefront. The bikes versatility, power and light weight made for the perfect combination. Triumph Motors factory participation in flat track racing is legendary and diverse and goes back to just post-WW2. Today the record books are full of famous names like Dave Aldana, Kenny Roberts, Don Castro and Gary Nixon, all winning on Triumph hardware.

The motorbike offered

This ’68 Triumph tracker was designed and built by the late Hollywood special effects guru, Ted Van Doorn. His movie and TV accomplishments are well-documented on IMDB, but he was also an avid dirtbike rider and stalwart of vintage desert racing of Southern California. Built as an homage to the oval racers of a bygone era, and signed by the great champion, Gary Nixon, this matchng-numbers Triumph Bonneville-based Dirt Tracker is nicely presented in blue and white livery. Having sat on static display for many years in the Van Doorn collection, it will need the usual recommissioning before returning to angry competition in wild landscapes of the Mojave.