Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125412
CYCLE NEWS , THE FINISH LINE By ROXY ROCKWOOD 01' Sam Tanner is playing that winning tune again at Ascot as the season goes down the final stretch. Last Friday night he ran his win streak to 11 straight, and now has 38 wins on the local speed path for the year. The high groove artist from Long Beach is now just 11 wins away from his 300th victory on the halfmiles since he started in 1956. If Sammy climbs into the 300 win bracket this year he will have done it in only ten years of riding. Of the modern day riders, only AI Gunter has scored more than 300 wins. And AI took 15 years to rack up 366 victories, the unofficial record. Sam my is a cinch to top this at his pr ese nt rate of speed. He missed the all-time one season record last year by four wins when he raced in front 51 times, the second best total ever recorded in one sea- The 1964 w ins were not all at Ascot. He stopped oU back in Kansas last year to do some "cherry pickin" and scored a few on tracks that most of you never heard of. He also grabbed oU a couple up at Tulare, a track that shut him out a few weeks ago. If Sam sets the record this year it will be on on e track and one track only - Ascot. This, in itself, is a record of sorts. To win 55 or more races at Ascot in one season is unheard of. Many riders are still looking for just one front run at the fastest halt-mile in cycle racing. His present 11 straight at Ascot represents the longest win streak by any r ider this year in Gardena competition. At the start of the racing year. it took the Texan five weeks just to win his first main event. Six more weeks remain for Sammy to win the Ascot high point expert award, win his 300th race, try to go undefeated 29 straight times in heats, dashes and finals, win the national dirt track tiUe for the 4th time and top the all-time one season win total of 55 races won in one year. If it were anyone but Sammy, you could safely say he didn't have a chance. But it is Sammy , and he stands a very good chance. Am going to hit on a little personal note this week. Long time friend George Pritchard was killed at Tulare a couple of weeks ago. There was a small three line article in one of the local papers about it after it happened. George deserved more than that. He was a 35-year-old man riding his first season as an amateur. It took man)' years for George to move out of the novice class because he just raced for fun. He owned and tuned all his own equipment and just being entered was good enough to satisfy his urge to race. Many racing people knew George on sight, but did not know his name. He was a former member of the local Motorcycle Racers Inc., the only novice ever elected by his fellow riders. George was just one of many who P AGE THREE Wed nesday, October 6. 1965 compete in the most active area in cycle racing today. It is easy to get lost in the shuUle in California where there are more than 700 licensed riders - especially if you are not a big winner. I doubt if George won a total of $100 racing, but he more than made up for it with the number of friends who knew him when he was alive and will remember him now that he is gone. George died because he chose to hit the crashwall instead of a fallen rider. This is the type decision he was noted for. Help the other guy first, the n worry about yourself. This was George Pritchard. FEATURE GIRL Dressed all in white, Miss Susan Karns sets out with staffer Rick Hutchins to ride the breeze, Susan's jacket is a Harley-Davldsen accessory, the helm-hat is of course by Buco. Both Sue and Rick's ancestors are well known in the large Amer ican motorcycle bu siness (Mr. Karns, you 've got a lovely daughte r) . ","""""""""IIIII'II'~ ~ . ~ [lUMP ~ ~ FOR'66 ~ SAL 8 ~Scores Clean Sweep/II OCl2 ( 3~O;~~ ) NEWRECORD HEAl; TROPHY & MAIN 1. MULDER-TRI. 2. HAMMER-TRI. ~ 3. WIRTH -TRI. ~ ) (NEW~RECORD 1l :~.~3 , ~ 4 . DORRESTEYN -TRI. ~ ~ 5. VAN lEEUW EN-TRI. 6. PET TON-T RI. Western Distributor / JOHNSON MOT ORS. INC . 267 W. Colorado. Pasadena . California 91102 Easlern Distribulor /TRIUMPH CORPORATION. Towson. Baltimore. Maryla nd 21204 '"11"1,11,11,11,1,,1,,11,,,,