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TRACKER – Forty Years of Skateboard History
Back in 1975, the Tracker Fultrack was the first truck in history made specifically for skateboarding by skateboarders to incorporate high quality, performance and strength. Trackers truly were (and still are) the Trucks You Can Trust. On Tracker’s 40th anniversary, those four words continue to be the driving force of the brand. TRACKER – Forty Years of Skateboard History is a hefty 388-page hardcover book full of photos and stories about Tracker and its rich history straight from the people who worked there, as well as the professional riders and photographers who made Tracker a major icon in the skateboard world.
The origin of Tracker Trucks dates back to 1974, when Tracker founders Larry Balma, Dave Dominy and Gary Dodds made the first prototypes. As Larry tells the story of Tracker’s formation at San Diego spots like La Costa, the Escondido Reservoir and the Kona Bowl, and about how the brand’s many innovative trucks and related products came to be, forty-four of Tracker’s top riders chime in with colorful recollections and revealing, behind-the-scenes insights. Rounding out this massive book are plenty of unpublished photos; a detailed skateboard history timeline; chapters on the Dogtown influence, Rockit Skateboards and Tracker’s other decks; a big scrapbook containing photos and quotes from the Tracker team; and way more.
“The Tracker book is so important because future generations will be able to learn about skateboarding history—who was involved with it, and how it all happened. It will blow their minds.”—Christian Hosoi
388 page hardcover Collector’s edition book (thicker paper, signed by author, embossed, numbered, gloss finish over photos, comes in an archival case and a printed box).
Dimensions: 11 1/4” high x 9 3/4” wide x 1 1/4″ thick
Weight: 7lbs
Also included is: The Tracker Trucks wing logo sticker pack which includes 1-5 1/2″ black on clear sticker and 2-2″ stickers, one foil and the other yellow and black;
the Tracker Sticker Pack which includes 10 stickers, 4 new and 6 vintage stickers, sticker design and colors may vary due to availability.
TRACKER – Forty Years of Skateboard History
Back in 1975, the Tracker Fultrack was the first truck in history made specifically for skateboarding by skateboarders to incorporate high quality, performance and strength. Trackers truly were (and still are) the Trucks You Can Trust. On Tracker’s 40th anniversary, those four words continue to be the driving force of the brand. TRACKER – Forty Years of Skateboard History is a hefty 388-page hardcover book full of photos and stories about Tracker and its rich history straight from the people who worked there, as well as the professional riders and photographers who made Tracker a major icon in the skateboard world.
The origin of Tracker Trucks dates back to 1974, when Tracker founders Larry Balma, Dave Dominy and Gary Dodds made the first prototypes. As Larry tells the story of Tracker’s formation at San Diego spots like La Costa, the Escondido Reservoir and the Kona Bowl, and about how the brand’s many innovative trucks and related products came to be, forty-four of Tracker’s top riders chime in with colorful recollections and revealing, behind-the-scenes insights. Rounding out this massive book are plenty of unpublished photos; a detailed skateboard history timeline; chapters on the Dogtown influence, Rockit Skateboards and Tracker’s other decks; a big scrapbook containing photos and quotes from the Tracker team; and way more.
“The Tracker book is so important because future generations will be able to learn about skateboarding history—who was involved with it, and how it all happened. It will blow their minds.”—Christian Hosoi
388 page hardcover coffee table style 11 1/4″ high x 9 3/4” wide x 1 1/2” thick, 6.4 lbs.
Purchase of book includes: The Tracker Sticker Pack which includes 10 stickers, 4 new and 6 vintage stickers. Stickers may vary in color and design due to availability. Book is enclosed in a printed box.
After Rockit Skateboards back in 1976, Tracker started making skateboard decks again with the 777, 757, and the shortest of the series the 707, which is 27 ¾” long and 8” wide with a 15 degree kicktail and wheel wells front and rear. Made of seven-ply hard rock maple laminated. These Tracker decks were Trackers first street decks; the versatile shred sled was a more traditional skate-anywhere design, but not really a vert board by 1980 standards. Tested by a few Tracker team riders, circa 1983, the 707 was never released for sale to the public as it was simply considered to small.
During the development of the 707, Neil Blender doodled a couple of graphic concepts for the deck, which GSD kept for safe keeping in his collection for three decades. That blew all of us away. Today, Neil makes his living off his art and since we had a few boxes of new old stock 707 decks from 1983 collecting dust in the warehouse, we decided to team up with him to produce a very limited edition run available now on this website.
The ulta rare Tracker 707 deck that never went into full production is now available for purchase. Only one short run of 48 of these 707 decks was manufactured in 1983, only for someone to decide it was too small. The graphic idea submitted by Neil Blender was never silk-screened onto them and the project was literally shelved. In 2014 Neil re-worked the graphics which were promptly screened onto the original 1983, 48 decks and offered on Kickstarter, which now only 7 decks remain.
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Willy Santos, 1992. Photo Credit: Grant Brittian