Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

Its Very Obvious By Boxy Rockwood THE FINISH LINE ODAKA A big double-header last weekend with the indoor antics at Long Beach and the super speeds at Carlsbad. The nice thing about both events is that there will be more in the near future. Long Beach is geUing to be the wildest racing of all with some of the many spills and slides bordering on the unbelievable. How those riders can bang and crash and still not get injured is a medical wonder. Looking back to the first events of this type a year ago it is easy to see that the many top riders who came from the dirt track ranks really have caught on to what it is all about. To keep them off guard the track will again be changed for "this Saturday night's races. The track was in many ways too fast last week, if you can believe that. Even Sammy Tanner has become a bend and bust'em charger and looked great last week. Sammy likes the high groove but there isn't any at Long Beach so he joined the insiders last Saturday and made money - for the first time. Kudos to the North The northern riders, and there are many. really help make the show and are a great bunch of chargers. Odom, Cancilla, Cranke and quite a few more are welcome additions to the newest and latest in two·wheeled oval racing. From it all is going to come some top notch dirt track novice riders this year as you have to charge and stick a wheel in where it doesn't belong at Long Beach just the same as Ascot. From it will come. some chargers with the green plates for the outdoor season. Long Beach continues to top them all for a thrill...·minute action and there are only two more events left until next December. The wise riders are coming down again next Saturday afternoon for the extra practice as these are the riders that usually make the money at night. Those practice sessions, if you have the time to come down early, rival the racing at night for wild, wild action. ••• And On Asphalt Down at Carls bad las t Sunday it was great road racing all the way. It too k last year to really build the show but now the Playboys M.C. and Sandy Beland have arrived. The new short course. the production class for lightweights and the many stars of road racing all go towards making Carlsbad the home of road racing the way all the riders like it. The events are short, quick and close to give the fans what they want. Road racing is new and has lacked spectator interest but Carlsbad and the type of show they put on last Sunday has changed all that. Tbe riders, 140 stron g, on all si zes md brands of machines gi ve every fan a favorite to watcb. The race on February 12tb will be the last for the locals to get ready for Daytona. It should be a baby Daytona all by itself as we have talked with all the distributors and all the name riders who are heading east md they will be at Carlsbad in full force. Is The Best Trail · eye Ie In The World! SCRAMBLIN' AROUND (in i,s class) By Maureen Lee Here we go again! The 1967 season opened right 0(( the bat with controversy. The One first stated in this column about the subject of "earned· number plates is still going hot and heavy. A few people still seem to think this was my own little idea. It wasn't. I've said before, the thought was given to me before it was presented to the sports Committee so that it could be spread around a little more before official action took place. The Competition Committee has been discussing this and at die last meeting of the Sports Conmittee, it was even put to a vote, but was tabled to go back for further discussion to the Compo Corom. If you have my thoughts on the sulliect, these men bave asked for ideas, so let them know! We've had more letters on this than on any other controversy we've written about, but more of them have been from "loners· than from club members. Most of the non-club members feel that they shouldn't be penalized because they are "loners.· I say, fine and dandy. But how about the club members? As the system stands now, these mell are penaiized MORE for belonging to a club than for being a "loner· ...and to all the loners in the world we say this ... what happens the day you go to ride a scrambles and there is no one there to take your entry, flag off your race or most important, pick you up when you go down boom? The idea that ALL competition mem bers must belong to a club is ridiculous. We even know of people who send in for a competition numher so they can impress the neighbors (and we're not kidding.) But the serious competitor would not be ahle to get his points unless people worked for clubs, and they must have their say too. We cannot stress enough that right now it is more of a penalty to belong to a club than not to belong, but without cluhs there would be no events! It's a Mexican stand-off! ......._ Pasadena M/C Hare Scramb'es Double·Header this Weekend Another big weekend this week with Long Beach on Saturday night and the second short track ever on the quarter mile at Ascot on Sunday afternoon. The first time ever in the area that we have had double-header short track show. Fans can now compare top riders on the inside and outside as the two tracks are entirely different. The last one at Ascot, last Fall, featured Chris Draayer as the big winner bu t Chri s could not even make the main last week at Long Beach. It was not Draayer's fault as he arrived late from Utah and had little time to get the bike ready. The Ascot show will start promptly at 2 p.m. and with all the riders down from the North. there should be twice as many for two show s. I wonder "tlat the regular Friday night shows for the oval would look like this coming season if the big ~kes stayed on tbe half mile and the novice riders ran on the fast quarter mile??? The first TT at Ascot comes up on SUnday afternoon, February 5th. Half mile season is just around the corner and will begin the first Friday night in April. Jan. 8, 1961 Trai' • Cycle Oass a TTEJlTI N C M E N RIDERS! A& A MANUFACTURING Nlw Features a Select Line If Quality Cllllponl!lltS fir All cycles AIR CLEANERS COMPRESSION RELEASES ALT, COVERS-HONDA SCRAMB, _tlla Cycle News wbea Writing tl A & A MANUFACTURING 1036 EI ca.lno Redwwd CltJ, calif. 0.1. I ulrl•• IDYlted 1st If a club member is strongly in contention for a number one plate or not, there seems to be either one or two solutions. Either he be given a percentage of points won in the class he is ineligible to ride in because his club is sponsoring the run (this will help out the guys who will never get to the point of a top ten plate). Or else if he is truly in contention for that coveted number one, he could be allowed to ride in his class that day as long as he works part of the day for his club. The Sinners M.C. is holding two scrambles trophies for Peter Wendorf #771 and John R. Smith, #483. Call: 222-2720 Or write 2422 Riverdale, L.A. 90031. Remember the Easter Egg Hunt 1 mentioned before the holidays? It's still on, but has been moved up to April 2nd, still an Open Sunday for scrambles riders. The Easter Bunny will hide canll containing notes for such prize bikes as a Montesa, Benelli and White plus some others. Also some other real goodies of interest to all bike enthusiasts will be won. The top prize is $1000 and just think what you could do with a $1000. Buy a new scooter or fix up the old one with a flotested head and super-hot cams, pay Christmas bills or take your wife to Hawaii. Or, order set of custom leatbers for every Sunday in the month with. helmets painted to match! Anyway, with no events scheduled that day for "us-type· riders, it's a good suggestion for what to do that Sunday. JACK MORGAN HODAKA Jaci aM "is Ho4aia are #1 ia "e Trai' Class "is rearl 2nd FRANK MORGAN HODAKA A's 0: 9 ou' 01 flJe firs' 10 were riding Hodala's & 35 of flJe 4J finis'ers in "e Trai' Class were Hodaia's Jacl Rabbits MIC Big Hare Run Jan. 15, 1961 Trai' • Cycle Class 1 st Jacl Morgan • Hodala 2 nd franl Morgan • Hodala 4 of flJe firs' 5 linisllers were Hodaia. L.avltt Power Tool Co., Ine. 226S Sunrise Blvd. Rancho Cordova, Calif, (Pbon. (916) 635-6970 D.s1cned & ImplII'ted No. of I

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