My name is Marty Volmert, I found the BET web site and it reminded me of racing there in the mid 70s.  My younger sister also raced mini bikes at BET.  I rode 100cc, 125cc, and 360cc classes. It was a very competitive place and was a breeding ground for great racers.  I learned to flat track by competing with Greg Thompson, Brian Cope, Rob Berry, Doug Ahn and Dan Kirkland. I turned pro in 1975 and traveled with Al Steele between Granite City Speedway and Santa Fa.  I never won but made main events. I did manage to break the track record at Granite. I also won a couple of novice half miles.  A year later I rode a Norton for Carl Donelson also with no success.  I got discouraged and quit until 1980 and rode a Triumph for Gary Mullens in Jacksonville Il and had more fun than ever.

Enough about me, my younger sister went far in motorcycle racing.  My sister Lori's number was 4 and 48 when she raced mini's at BET, Archview stables, etc.  This was back in the early to mid 70's, she also ran motocross as I did.  Her name at the time was Lori Volmert (Francis being her married name).  Lori grew up got married and had children. Her and her husband rode street bikes and started drag racing.  Lori was a natural and very competitive; she did very well.  She got more serious about racing and started traveling; the next year she won the AMRA street bike national championship.  They built a pro stock Harley the very next year with Lori finishing third nationally.  Suburban HD in Chicago sponsored her for several years after that with Lori wining two pro stock championships, setting many speed records.  She also won races nationwide including numerous times at the famed Sturgis SD races.  Lori then was contacted by the Harley factory racing department to ride the new Screaming Eagle NHRA pro stock drag bike.  She compete the entire NHRA schedule for the next few years.  With the Harley in the developmental stage, there was not much success against the metric brands.  But Lori was very popular as was the big Harley in the NHRA, one year her souvenirs outsold all but John Force.  She and tuner Rob Korn laid the ground work for the present success of the HD Screaming Eagle Factory effort. Lori was on the cover of many magazines and on TV; even featured on American Thunder.  Lori is now retired from racing but does some testing for the Harley Davidson Factory (Her NHRA Number was 501PSM; her AMRA No's were 11 and 1).  She was the first female motorcycle racer that truly competed to win.  If you asked her I'm sure she would say it came from racing  often as a child in our area, namely BET. In my opinion Lori Francis (Volmert) is the most successful motorcycle racer ever to come out of the St. Louis area.  Thanks, Marty Volmert 49k volmert5@att.net