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/125434
9 " • • SCRAMBLIN' AROUND The California Gophers hosted at their own Prado Park last Sunday. and what a great turnout they had. Over 1300 people with approximately 460 riders. ( See results on page 12.) Heavy fog delayed the start so conse quently the da y ran very late . There may even be a few novice big bikes out there yet! The dampness kept the track tack y with no groove at all until early afternoon. Then it dried out a little leaving some ruts . but considering how badly the flood hit the track. the Gophers can be commended for getting it in such good shape for their opener. Montesa presented ' a pit area display of their new machines. an d DeWayne Keeter mounted on one took the win in the 250 Expert class ahe ad of a lot of persistent Bultacos . Bill Riley once again took Open Expert honors but not without work ing for it. Harley-mounted J. Willingha m challenged Riley with real determination. lea ding him for quite a spell and unfo rt una tely got a ribful of painful elbowi ng fo r his pains' from the hard chargi ng Riley. GRIPE SESSION By Maureen Lee around with the big guns on the 200-25Occ bikes, and someday someone is going to get run over. Recen tly at Elsinore, a rider on a fast machi ne blew over the jump and almost landed on top of an 80cc job . In the struggle to miss the slower machine the rider really dropped in and snapped his front forks putting him out for the da y. If _ 125 and under could practice separately it would be easier for everyone and safer too . NO PIE PLATES AUOWED At the California Gophers bash on Sun day we received a message for all you scramblers from President Jean Carter and Competition Committeeman Darw in Ballard. From now on there will be no pie .plate num bers allowed . ever. From what we were-told this inclu des future rac ing sea sons. You either have a proper ly issued Dist. #37 riding num ber or you can't compete . Pie pla tes are ou t. period, even for the once-a-season-type rider . One thing we'd like to see changed are the lightweight practice sessions . It is rea lly a complete brawl on the trac k with the little 100cc and unde r machines scoo ting ABOVE: Hap py Scramblers , glad to be turned loose on Prado Park. LEFT : #31 - J. Sprag ue a nd R. Ha ll hav ing fun a t speed. Photos by Maureen Lee. CARLSBAD ( Con tinu ed from page 1 ) Gary Nixon, Bahimore, Md .• new in the n ig:ht before to tr y hi~ new Yamaha w a ~ wae the win ner o f t he -econd hea t., lI'li,::: htly «lowes- tl mn th e ti me pOl'l tcd b,. " 'h ite bu t l'Iti li u n der th e old mark. Rayborn ca me up with minor brake problems and pulled into the pits in his heat and had to line up in the back row for the fea ture . Dan Haaby, on one of the new Suz uki Daytona racers. led the first lap but the eye was on Rayborn who was trying a new Sprint engine for the first time . The San Diego flash passed more than 30 riders on the first lap and shot into the lead. Gary Nixon worked into a challenging posit ion but on the final lap it was Rayborn by five lengths. Rayborn was the first man 10 line up for the ten lap big bike final. He had won h is heal race earlier as did Dick Hammer on his Daytona Triumph. This was the first meeting at Carlsbad for these two crack road racers. Each had won his respective class main event in Januar y. All big bikes were run together this time. Both ri der~ we re side by side o n the (n)n t row bu t Ra y born was off like t he wind from the s taet, Hammer wu!'\ ru nni ng: secon d and t hird in t" e• (·urty la p "., between 2 5 and 30 It"n~tlJ ,, beh ind. The P U (' C p icke d u p a nd the t ra c k r~or(1 was b roke n e ve r-y la p U!'i Hummer be g u n to clo!'ie' a few Fee t each time around. "OOPSl PARDON ME," says fellow competltoras Ra lph White stops to sea rc h fo r a lost contact lens. Hammer made his bid on the final lap and pulled even in the first turn. Rayborn then " Dialled it on " to stay a wheel ahead with less than a half lap to go. At well over 100 mph , the two ran end for end to the checkered flag . This time it was Cal by on ly three lengths! Eddie Wirth ran in for his best pavement showing to take third. Nixo n agai n surpr ised us by bringing a 305 Ya maha in fo r fourth. Tom Hoyt agai n tro phied by taking fifth. The un der 250cc fi na l w a ~ II runaway for Os~a.mou n ted Kenn y Clark rid inJ,: t he ne w prod uct ion ra cer for the rirf!ot tim e. Th e u nttci pa ted d ue l b e tween Clark and Ho n da-mounted D a ve Al fee fa iJed to come off when A JI~ ran int o C]urk'8 rea r wheel on t he openin~ lap. Allee crashed hanl bu t was n ol seriou!'l,. hurt . H is m a c h in e . h owe ver, w.~ a n ear total wreck, Star of the small class for the 50cc group was Japanese ace Yoshio Itoh and his teammate, Walt Fulton Jr . Their work s Suzuki's ca me in for a one -two finish in both the heat and final. Don Thomas. on a production Yamaha. run a solid third behind Itoh and Fulton and was out stand ing both times on the track. The next AMA Carlsbad even t wi ll be two day rare meet on May 14th and 15th. Sporbman r-iders will ru n o n the 14th ", it h t he prof~",ionat etas!' C rid' er-e on the 15th. u Last Sund ay's event was spo nsored by the Pla yboys MC who once again ra n the entire show in a manner that would rival any national road race eve nt. (Results on page 12) Racing a t Carlsbad was closer tha n eve rwlth AMA aces mixing It up. ...