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Written by C.J. Wakula   
Thursday, 27 September 2007

5 Minutes with Wayne Hosaka
A brief chat with the internet trailblaizer.

What is your background in Motorcycle racing?

I grew up following flat track racing in Southern California during the early 60s. My uncle used to take me to Ascot Park to watch the Class C professionals on both the half-mile and TT tracks. I also Hosaka at Ascot Parkregularly attended the TT races at El Cajon Speedway. Some of my heroes were Bart Markel, Joe Leonard, Sammy Tanner, Skip Van Leeuwen and Calvin Rayborn. My first race was in 1964 at the Alpine TT scrambles riding my Hodaka Ace 90. In 1968 I turned professional novice and raced the TT season at Ascot Park. In 1969 and 1970 I raced both half-mile and TT as an professional "Amateur" and graduated to Class C Expert in 1971. I was injured that year forcing retirement.

 

What year did you start Flattrack.com?

     Being employed in the computer field, I was an early user of the World Wide Web and in 1995 I created my own web page. I quickly realized that through the World Wide Web, users could distribute information very quickly around the world. For me and other flat track fans it was an agonizing wait until Cycle News was delivered to the local shops or to our mailbox, usually Wednesday or Thursday. As people began to discover The Flat Track Page, they would e-mail me the results of races they had attended. Soon I was able to post the results of national races on The Flat Track Page the same evening as the race. My viewers increased rapidly and results from many races became available quickly.

Also, flat track enthusiasts started sending me classified advertisements for motorcycles and parts they were selling. In 1996 I purchased the domain name www.Flattrack.Com and started the flat track forum. The forum was a great hit and soon it was a major source of information on Flat Track Racing.

Why did you build it?

Because I love flat track racing and want to help it grow.


Wayne Hosaka Trailblazers Hall of Fame induction. Photo:C.J. WakulaDid you imagine it would grow this large?

My original mission statement was to provide a place for flat track enthusiasts to share information on racing, equipment, schedules etc. I did not fully realize the impact it would have on the sport as an "Open Forum". It gives promoters, riders and team owners a place to discuss issues and help establish the rules and regulations.

What sort of recent changes have you made?

After a couple of years of personal hardships, I have decided to upgrade The Flat Track Page. I have hired a professional web page designer to create a state-of-the-art web page that people of all ages will enjoy visiting. The new web page will contain more information, be easier to navigate and be faster to load.

Where do you see it going in the future?

As flat track racing grows, The Flat Track Page will grow. I do not foresee the sport obtaining the popularity it had in the 60s, 70s, and 80s as the number of motorcyclists has diminished. Off-road riding is not nearly as popular as it was then. Hopefully the popularity of flat track racing will grow slowly each year or at least stay at the same level for many years.
 
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