More Production Racing...1981 Season: 1981 saw a number of firsts for me, both in business and on the track. I’ll always remember April of that year when Bret and I opened West Coast British (in Dublin, CA).. My racing season had started out on a high note as well, though I’d no longer race the little Ducati. The Triumph was showing promise (finally!) in AFM’s 750 Mod Prod class, I’d broken into the bottom half of the top ten. I’d never been 100% competitive against the Gpz Kawasaki’s or the CB750F Hondas, but I could screw with the minds of more than a few of these racers by beating them with the stock looking Triumph single carb twin. Having a bright idea to go for points this year, I made an attempt to hit every AFM - North race on the schedule, and come mid-July things were really clicking.
Now that I had some points to speak of, I was gridded nearer the front, giving me more of a fighting chance. As the season progressed I found myself closer to the front than ever before, I was fifth on the twin!  Screaming along I spotted the white flag, the pack headed up the hill through turn one and on into turn two, the fourth and third place machines were directly in front of me. Now I had visions of a third place finish (and a trophy), and was looking for an opening. Heading into turn 6 I’d closed the gap, I could have reached over the bars and smacked the fourth place guy up side the head, I was so close, and at that moment these two jokers backed it down a click, thus I pulled out. As I began to go by (I’m a firm believer in “In slow, Out fast”), I began screwing on a bit more throttle, knowing that if I beat them into and out of seven, I’d have’m for good.
Well, the poor little 425/85H18 Dunlop K81R thought otherwise and broke loose two-thirds the way down turn six, making machine and me look as though we should be at the San Jose Mile instead of Sears Point! With the throttle wide-open I quickly knew I was in for another first, my first get-off on a road racer, no hopes of saving it now as the back began to pass the front. As with Bret, when my butt touched down, I too let go, me and machine skidding across the road at God-only-know what speed. When I came to a stop, without a scratch (!), I noticed the Triumph was still on the track. During a gap in the traffic I ran out to remove it from the middle of the road. After a quick check at the first-aid station, we loaded up for home. Sitting in the house having drink and telling Mum about it excursion, Dad flew through the door asking. “Is he all right?” having seen the bike on the trailer.
Quick repair work would be necessary, for two weeks later was the annual AFM 6-Hour, though now moved to sunny Riverside Raceway, a track I had visited when only a few months old. Since Bret and I had already entered, we set about repairing and modifying the Triumph. Loaded and ready to go, we would leave the Rovers home this trip, instead driving Eric’s Dad’s motorhome. Our crew once again would consist of Rob Whitaker, Joan Stirton, and Eric, as well as his new bride Cynthia. Other than being married (he had more guts than Bret & I!), Eric would have a first, his first vintage race - his first road race period. Entered in the VROOM race I would run Dad’s ‘29 Sunbeam, while Eric would ride the ex-Bret BSA Hornet. He was quite fired up, as was I to an extent. But before we’d go vintage racing, we’d first have to practice and qualify the Triumph.  Both went well, the new twin carb set up enabled us to run quicker. Our only problem that day was a broken woodruff key in the clutch, which Rob and I soon fixed.
Saturday afternoon was a mish-mash of vintage bikes, no separate classes, just all at once. Eric had a good ride, that is until his petcock fell apart. Me? At one point I’d find myself going head to head with a Honda 175 twin down the long back straight... I won! The big single was still capable of near 90 mph. The old Sunbeam however didn’t like the 100+ degree heat and soon had a slight heat seizure in the esses. It wasn’t a big deal, I sat a moment to let it cool, then fired up once again, adjusting both spark and mixture with the levers at my disposal. Too bad the Triumph couldn’t do that, as thirty minutes into the six-hour we’d be sidelined, the right piston being holed. “Maybe one day we’d finish one of these damn events”, I said to Bret.
The following month the Triumph was repaired and on track once again, this being a normal AFM sprint race, and here I’d have a respectable finish. On this day AFM would announce the running of a new class, “Twins”, or Battle of The Twins as it was known in AMA racing (this may have been their second running of such a class). Normally we’d head out once our race was completed, though this day we’d stay, we were keen on entering the new class. After the Mod Prod race, Bret came up with the brainy idea of fitting the megaphones (and jets) fro this race. Since the addition of such did increase mid-range and top-end power, and the rules allowed such, we made the modifications.  How, why, or who did the gridding I do not know, I do know I was up front. With a Ducati 750SS beside me, and another behind me, I gave some thought as to my competition. Normally these big Duc’s raced in what was then called “Super Sport”, a more-than-modified class.
Anyway, when the flag went, so did I, big time hole shot! I was getting good at hole shots by now. I quickly figured I’d better get my head down and go. A few laps in Bret began signaling me, thus making me try a bit harder, and by the time the white flag was shown I had nearly 12 seconds on the second place Ducati. On my final go around I was keeping pace, braking and shifting at the same spot every lap, also I was trying not to forget my lesson learned just a few months earlier when I unloaded in six. Exiting turn eleven for the final time (and passing back-markers) I saw Chris and Bret jumping up and down and waving as I screamed past to take my first AFM win. It was great, these two yahoos’ were more excited then I was!
The following month AFM would run at Laguna Seca, though there’d be no Twins race, which was a good thing too. Dunlop had given me some new type tires while we were at Riverside, and I’d just now put them on. They sucked! The biggest problem being their weight and width, both in excess, which screwed up the handling greatly. The other problem had to do with noise. I’m a firm believer that when racing you must make the appropriate noises (I hate mufflers on racers!). We’d removed the megaphones, the twin TT pipes were still too loud for SCRAMP officials, they having a sound guy hidden at turn four. The only way I could beat his meter was to trail the throttle through that turn, thus screwing up my drive up the hill.  It was absurd.
AFM 6-Hour, Riverside 1981

Right: "A long push back" shows Rob Whitaker pushing the Triumph when the clutch key failed during qualifying
Below: Mike Green & Rob repair clutch.
Bottom: In full flight... during the 6-Hour