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/125470
Q - - ...!l ~ .. "'lo...._...... _.J • ~- -'~ victory, Jim Cook and Boris Murray induced Joe Smith into a race. Joe Smith won the match but had left again before the green light. In fact, his elapsed time was in the elevens and Jim Cooks run only took 10.20 seconds. It does give the impression that the Harley had a head gtart doesn't it? .. Up North Fresno Dragway is hosting some great two wheel competitors. The quick"Cl est and fastest is a Harley-Davidson go t?at is sponsored Qy Green Cyc!ery and Sudden Qy Doug Watson. This Sportster's low elapsed time is a quick 11. 11 sec~ onds at 116.42. (Doug Watson and Mil. '=' lard Disharoon would make a great o match race). The top stock blke is also _ from a Harley home. Jack Little is the .. owner/rider and can boast of a 13.80 ~ elapsed time and 92.30 miles per hour '< of speed. A new record has been estaliished at Fresno by Ray Bope's TR6 Modified Triwnpb with Lany Beintker as rider. By Bob Ebeling A pue stock 650cc Triumph is the quickest and fastest street bike at the southland drag strips. 'Grant Hannah turned an elapsed time of 12.53 seconds with a terminal speed of 105.14 miles per hour at Lions and the closest contender in performance figures was Harleymounted Al Sherwin, who secured the top street bike title at Irwindale. When Sunday's program was underway, Al and Grant faced each other in a decisive race for an ultimate title of Southland Street King. The Triumph led the contes t all the way and many spectators shook their head in dismay at such acceleration from a two-wheel Iransportatioo machine. SOme people raise their eyebrows when Grant says "!'Ure stock" and he then begs for someone to protest his displacement or power-producing cOmPonents. Anyone care to challen ge? One Hundredth Second can you count the period of time of one tenth or one hundredth second. It can't even be seen on your watch and the mind cannot even form the word as the time passes, but time clocks in drag racing are calibrated to one thousandth of a second and to the racer it's a valuable portion of time. It can mean win or lose, setting a new record or keeping the old. The SOuth Bay Honda 450 of Bob Long gained ooe of those small time fractions and secured the D street record. Le Roy Wyman's 350cc Honda "Lucky Linda" had previously turned a best of 13.58 seconds and South Bay needed that extra one-hundredth they gained Sunday that read 13.57 on their clapsed time card. Le Roy will be looking for a similar elusive flash of time to regain his championship record and if determination is the necessary ingrediient. he may find it. Top Gas At Irwindale Raceway the purse for top gas is fiftee n dollars and this week's racing action almost brought sheer embarrassment to the Harley camp. Tbe final race for top gas was between Bob Braverman's Yamaha and Millard Disharoon's Harley-Davidson. Maybe "Dish" gathered bad habits from riding the Honda 450 last week, or the newly rebuilt Sportster may have beel> laboring to seat new pistons and rings. No matter how or why, it was simply a darn good race! Bravennan and Dish were side by side and the Darley muscle only began to flex at the top end. Another moment's delay in putting the Harley's inches to work would have made headlines "Yamaha defeats Harley", that Clluld start a "stamp out the two stroke" protest that we would never forget! The Yamaha lost by only a half bike length or so and Bravennan turned his best E.T. to date. The Yamaha's ticket read 12.58 and 100.78 rnpb lO1li1e Disharoon's top gas victory performance was done in 12.16 seconds at 116,27 mpb. Welcome back is extended by all drag racers to Nira Johnson and his 650cc Triumph that is a top contender at any drag event. Nira was out to lunch for several months but is back to try and have a few Harleys or Yamahas for his dessert. Nira has a name for his dragster and 1 christen it" Agtisi' . Lions-Top Fuel Triumph again took a double win in top fuel competition but the race at Lions was close enough that if a dead heat were possible it would have been one. Sonny Raslawski has defeated the problems that usually confront a newcomer to the fuel burning ranks and when the final elimination drew to its moment of truth, Perry and Scotty were not overconfident as to whether their four barrels of t win en gine power were enOll gh to make it a Triumph glory day. Just a high gear in each machine. and when they left the line the Avons left smoke trails that made it hard to see where was what or who was winner. Perry and Scotty pulled just a hair harder 011 the top end and won top fuel turning 10.24 - 151 mph. How close was Sonny? His haulin' Harley turned 10.29 seconds elapsed time and again showed how much those hundredths mean. At Irwindale Murray & Cook collected the winner's purse at this scene and didn't even h"ve to race the runner-up. Its a little hard to explain, but Bob Micheals could tell you why when he regains his breath. Bob's "Black Knight" Harley was staged in an elimination against the Harley of Smith and Butterworth. Joe Smith jumped before the green light, "taich gave Bob the chance for an easy single but when the clutch was released a rod parted an.d it was shut down. Bob had runner-up honors if he only could make it do"n the strip and he did by pushing the Harley like a child's kiddie car. A quarter mile is a long ways to tra vel by the method of push and sweat. Ralber than take a single for top fuel SUZUKI IUNLESS HODAKA SALES - PARTS· SERVICE EDDIE CROWELL COMPLETE PORTING SERVICE FOR ALL BIKES OUR SPECIALTV !! Closed Sun. and Mon. Tues•• Fri. 9-9 Sat. 9-7 ARTESIA CYClf UNTfR 10427 Prairie, Inglewood OR.3'95i J 12S39 E. Carson, Arl.. la, Calli. Tel. 860-1314 STREET • TRACK 531-9984 e ~ WEEKDAVS 12:00 - 9:30 SAT. & SUN. 9:30 - 6:00. • HILLS dJ&W0 • DESERT 531-9303 ~0&.QJ@[3 C50C!J~1l\7 @"V@~[3 @[3G'Jrn~ 205 N. HARBOR, SANTA ANA 1 blockfrom Bolsa on Harbor ~ CLOSED TUES. YAMAHA & RENTALS Above: Bravenn.,'s Vamaha almost beat the blUest ruerers. Riehl: Slock Triumph Is the fastesl and quickest street bike In Southern California.