Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

NEVADA NEWS By Rec Sheldridl -liiffiRISHnlf.... ... ~- <'.-..:. -'. 'The Las Vegas talk these days is about motorcycle racing, and the Stardust Raceway. Drag entries from Nebraska, Michigan. Arizona, New Mexico and from California. Dragsters like Pete Hutton and Don Harris. Roadrace entrants from Texas, Indiana. Cal's top ranking riders like Eddie Mulder, Dave Damron. #1 AFM rider Ron Grant and those terrific side car passengers and pilots like Reg Pridmore and the Sidehacks Association. ten or twelve of ·em. The greatest array of motorcycle marauders ever designed to distract the patrons of Glitter Gulch. The Hi Rollers will be on their own on the 18th and 19th of February, for Lady Luck will be burning past the Christmas tree. Starting lights on the day of the drags and ridin g throu~ :the es!!es and down the back chute on Sunday.•.•• The Las Vegas motorcycle dealers are lending their support in· variOIlS ways, entering riders, advertising "the event on their front windows, loaning us bikes for use at the track and for publicity pictures. The major casinos are sending out their show girls to present trophies and are showing th eir support by advertising in the program. Diamond Jim's Nevada ClUb is hosting a ·Finish Line" party•••FREE dinner and drin.ks after the races Sunday. The Hacienda Hotel helps with their weekend room and entertainment package. Add Mayor Oran Gragson who will act as honorary starter, the locai Riding Roulettes M.C.. who will lead a cycle parade and hring in the flags, radio and TV sports people and the newspapers who offer their help and the spoken and printed word. Mix it all with the best cycle racing talent and WOW1 do we have a show? If you're not out at the Stardust International Raceway on the 18 th and 19th of this month you'll miss the best race dates of the year. And if you don't bate yourself. I will. To all you riders, the usual trophies will be here for you. you'll pick up the first Las Vegas gold for a Bike Drag Meet, and the first Las Vegas road race piano decorator. Some will take home many merchandise prizes•.. donated by local merchants who recog-.,~:; nize the greatest sport of all, and 'are" :'. •" sbowing their support. The Las Vegas odds makers (who are supposed to bave a price and odds on any contest) tell me tbat a winner here on the Stardust track. is an even money bet to win all the marbles at the East Coast mecca of motorcycledom, Daytona. SOmehow last week in this coillmn I failed to mention the winner of the Herb Hill Oil Co. Sportsman trophy. The competition riders voted the trophy to Roy Chivington. Sorry about that Herb! and I think I should mention a word in defense of the'DirtDiggers M.C. At the last Sunrise event. Jim Peterson asked if he could bring up the subject of his club throwing a benefit race for the Roy Chivington fund. This was relaYed on to some of the members of the Silver City SCramblers. and as they had accepted the offer from the Hill and Gully riders for the same thing and knowing that more money would probably be needed in the future. the offer was declined for the present time. I'm sure that if the locals approached Jim or the DirtDiggers, the offer would again be forthcoming. At present, The Silver City SCramblers are offering raffle tickets on Roy's Greeves, proceeds of which will go to his wife. Contact any cluh member or local rider for ticke ts. TWO MORE NATIONALS LOST THIS YEAR The 1967 season may go down in history as fhe blackest year in American motorcycle competition. Word has just reached us that two more AMA national championship races have been struck from the 1967 calendar owing to unfavorable publicity generated by the bad element. Lebanon. Ohio's 7 mile national which was scheduled for July 30 and the 6 miler at Lincoin. Ill., slated for June 4th have heen cancelled I:lY the local authorities. who seem to have adopted a ·wait a year and see" attitude toward motorcycle events in their areas. Both were '12-mile dirt track classics. John ,Miller, promoter of many nonnlLtionals in the Midwest, stated he has lost 12 races in Wisconsin this year because of·a combination of small crowds and fear of problems with the element. Mostly the latter.· Miller was denied permission to promote a '12-mile fJ.attra<:k race at the Des Moines. Iowa state fair this year because pUblicity accompanying the spdnglield national cancellation worried the local talr bosrd into withdrawing permission. NOW!! By RollY Rockwood ......dtbe news is EXCITEMENT! ROY CHIVINGTON BENEFIT , ,-..-- HODAKA AND MAICO ~---~-- BALE·BUSTERS CHAllPIONSlIIP Rock and sock action comes this' weekend as the Long Beacb indoor races bead into their final event and big season cbampions1?ip on Saturd~y night at the plush arena. 170 riders shoftd up for the preVIOUS event with the entry list expected to again top that mark and set another new record as the final nigbt of bay bale busting and concrete scratching takes place. The big finale should find the riders taking home a purse bigger than any of the previous four races that were held during the second season of mayhem under the roof. The previous bomb runs have found the take averaging out to around $2500.00 per event. The events have been cetline wilder and wilder and the racing closer and closer with the northern riders winning all the 200cc finals and the southern men wimine all the 10Clcc main events. No rider has ever come close to winning both finals in one night but it could happen this Saturday. LONG BEACH 11- HONDA 11America's Largest Vol umeHonda Dl r . Turn To for the TT The next day the action swings over to Ascot for the first TT of the season on the well used national course. This will be the lirst outing of the new season for the jumpers and the ll.rst professional dirt point event for '67. New riders and part time mechanics are again reminded tbat the pit gates close at noon and there are no exceptions. Racing will get underway right at the dot of 2 p.m. Eddie Mulder. Gene Romero aad "SIQp Vaa Leeuwen wUJ ba ve fresh caD'. JIOD-~er 10 work on with new experts ••ttidI Ttiorwaldsoa and Jim Beny wea~ iDe white II1IIIIber plates lor the first Ume. All of those wild novice riders from last year who rode lightweights and could not make up their minds as to who should be the winner. get their first chance at falling down and crashingon the big bikes as amateurs. It goes without sayin g that there will be a hundred or so new lads up from the scrambles ranks to try money racing in the novice class for the first time on the short course. Cad sbad Calling Next Week Next week is the hig one and second season for road racers at Carlsbad. The monthly sportsmen road races go in what will be a final attempt for many area riders before Daytona next month. The entry list hit 140 riders in Jaauary and win easily top that mark for Feb. 12th. APin dlere will also be a class for full:!,: equipped street macbiDes, 200cc aad UDder. This productioo class for tbe newer riders acain joins all racing macbine classes for machines OOcc's uP to the open class. Highlights of Carlsbad will incl'!de the new Kawasaki factory team making their first appearance anywhere on these shores. There has been much talk of these 37 borsepower 250's and the team of well known stars that will ride them. You can look for four and maybe five of the KawaSaki's to be on hand from the factory, plus at least six that have been released to local dealers in time for the race. 350 H- D For Cal Also, Cal Rayborn will ride one of the few new 350cc Harley-Davidson race jobs at Carls had on the 12th. T~e .AMA is going to drop the raclDg lmut to 350cc come 1969 and Cal is the only rider we know of wbo has a full factory rig ready to race. A matcb race is in die min to pH the fasteat Kawasaki, Rayborn's 3:iO H-D and January 250 winDer Dick Hammer aad his potent Suzuki apinst each other for a lbree lap affair. Hammer aad his 2li8 was faster than aay of the 5OO's and 6M's the last Ume out. OIl Ql =' Q" ... ... r-. 0) ~ ~ os ~ Ql eo. - Co) 5105 Atlantic An. - 431 W. Pac. Cst. H!l 4328 Eo Anaheim St. - 11747 E. Carson St Lone Beach, Calif. By Wes Cooley Broadsliding and Broadsiding The point standings are exceedingly close io both divisions with the all important point fund money riding On the last race. The previous 250cc winners. Mert Lawwill, Jim Odom, and Butch Corder will all be back for the last one as will the 100cc winners. Gene Romero. Dan Kelly and RalPh White. To ensme positive action. the promoters will again have an all afternoon practice session on Saturday from noon until 4 p.m. Pit gates for the actual races will open at 5 and close at 6:30 p.m. The races get under way at 8 p.m. and maybe sooner if the entry list hits the 200 mark. Over 50 spills were recorded the last time the boys got together for an evening of racing, fun and wheel rubbing. Broadsiding instead of broadsliding is the byword at the track-with-no-groove. The shape of the track, by the way. will again be changed for the last bhtster until next year. '-To add again some spice to the sI(pw well known Johnny Moorhouse is gomg to bring his full sized Offy midget down for another emi bition. Last year he was completely sideways around the cycle track for 20 laps. How abollt a match race? AT ~ SLINGS 'N ARROWS .. I have been critized for making statements about associations other than tbe ACA, particularly the situation between the AFM and the AMA and the Stardust raceway. Many times I know my column gets a little rambling, but mainly, I try to point out to the reader things I feel are lll\.iust and they should be aware of. or at least give them a little food for thought. I also realize no one is perfect. but nothing is ever accomplished by hiding or ignoring things wbich are wrong. All we can do is correct our mistakes and try to do better. I feel the AFM is getting the short end of the stick when it comes to the event which is going to be held at the Stardust Rac~way inasmuch as they were awroached first. they had their advertisement out. t~ey had notified tbeir riders, and everythJ.Dg was all set to go. and then. through some mysterious maneuvering. the situation was cbanged. I dlought the readers as well as the motorcycle enthusiasts should be made aware of the facts because I think the AFM was done an injustice. I don't see why you're so upset anyway, Mr. Sheldrick. If you really want to get nasty about the whole situation. what is this I hear that you are ·paying" a certain association money to participate in your event? Why don't you pay the grand prix riders who are going to participate and tow all the way tram the northern and southern California area? Everyone is perfectly aware you are paying a fee to the AFM ~o help yO!!. run this event. and I feel this is justifled; they are going to do the work, and are putting on the race, so this is only right. but why keep it a secret about appearance money for certain groups? If what I said before has made you mad, this ought to cause a coronary. I also understand this event. if successful. will aliow you to obtain an exclusive contract at the Stardust Raceway . to promote all of the motorcycle events. I hope if you do receive this contract tha t you use better judgment in your promotions. In fact, if we were not having an event that day ourselves, I wnuld bring my sled, buskies and arctic gear to your event. Naturally, after I've said this. Motber Nature will sbine upon you. so this might be a good omen and make the sun shine in Vegas in February. GO SUPER FAST with CYCLE CITY OSSA - BENELL! - SUZUKI Complete Machine Shop 2142 Lone Beach Boulevard Lone Beach - 591-1389 TELESCO FORK TUBES FOR UNIVERSAL 250 MOTO - X UNIVERSAL 175 ROAD RACERS ONLY S90.00 ACA Bnsiness We were up to Willow Springs last weekend and looked over the comse. It seems to be in fine shape for tbe coming ACA 3rd Annllal Opener road race to be held this weekelld on February 5th, with the first event getting under way at 11 :00 a.m. If the riders practicing there last weekend is any indtcation of tbe turnout we can expect at the event on Sunday, then it should be a record. It is certainly good to see so many new riders getting interested in grand prix racing, and we hope this year will see an all time high in entries. The ever growing popularity of the Production class and the graduation of production riders into the grand prix classes seem~ to have added a stimulus to road raClng whicb has been needed for some time. Riding production equipment affords the rider an opportunity to participate in competition with a minimum amount of lay-out for equipment in the beginning. We hope this class continues to be a stimulus for all those interested in starting grand prix r....cing. , ANAHEIM M/C 127 S. Mancllest. AYe. nl4)Jl21338 2 StND INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR COMING EVENTS TO - CYCLE NEWS. WE PUBLISH THEM FREE. *" DN't wait, lit It ••! . . Informa!too sbould include type of event, date and staJtiDc time, localioa (and dlrecU.... If tile place is IIanI 10 fiJId). spoasoriq dab or IIIOIDOter aDd other lDformatiClll as aecellllUJ. PjJDtt(Ip/&J. 2707 - •• 1st Street s.ta AlIa. Calif.,

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