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/125495
COACHELLA HARE SCRAMBLES By Dick Wright Larry Bergquist led all the way to take the overall win on his new BSA Victor, aD the very rough 80 mile course in the Coachella Valley desert. This was Larry's second desert win of the year. Larry Bergquist won #7 Open Exp rt in the desert for 1967, riding a BSA. He's 33 years old. married, and has two boys, the oldest of whom rides a Yamaha. Larry has been riding motorcycles [or about 15 years, but has been racing seriously [or only 10 o[ them, He is also an active member of the Buzzards Motorcycle Club. In th desert, Larry is known as a charger. He goes out to win, and h will gen rally be up there in front if he du sn'l go over a cliff or something just as spectacular (like he did wbile leading the Pasadena M.C. run in January of this year). lIe ask d Larry what he considered his b('st v. in, and he said that he rcall.' 'njo.yed the Rams M.C. run of 1965, wh rl he' dueled with Dick Vick all tht' WllY, and won in a close fim.'h. Larr.' ha,.; u lot of overall wins to hI credit, nd we wi sh him cantlnu I, (Jee,'ss. Robby Ferro #16 open Expert, is one o[ the unusual desert riders. He started racing January 1965 as a Novice and was a winner, he made Amateur in March of' 65 and still was a winner. Then he made Expert in May of the same year, earned enough points to get 112 in the open class for 1966, and was within 11 points of getting #1, all this in his first year of competition! Rohby is 19 years old, single, graduale'd [rom Van Nuys High and works for Eddie Crowell's Cycle Shop in Torrance. He has been a member o[ th Checkers M.C. for 3 years. His b st overall win was the Desert Challengers M,C. Hare Scrambl s 1/22/65. The race he enjoyed th most was the Four Aces M.C. Har Scrambles on 2/19/67, He didn't win it, but he led it for a lap and a half, he dueled for 1st place with Malcolm Smith all the way, and they were changing places back and forth "out in front having a ball", was his way of putting it. I asked Robby if he had any bad crashes, and h replied, "I never take any chances, no way." Robby has a new ride on a 250 Bullaco tuned by Eddie Crowell. When asked how he liked it, he answered, "the Bultaco is a fun ride, doing whee lies and wild cornering, you don't have to fight them, it's a blast!" We wish Robby good luck in the desert, and hope he continues having lots of [un. as this is what the sport is all about. Bobby Ferro grabbed 1st 250 exPert and 2nd overall on the Eddie Crowelltuned Bullaco. Bobby didn't get his win wire to wire as Bergquist did. He hit the smoke bomb o.k., wt a lot of riders had found a fast sand wash just to the right !Old got a jump on Bobby, so he had to pass about 20 hounds to drop into 2nd place. By this time, Bergquist had really built UP a lead and came through the pits with a 15-minute headstart and be held thi s lead over Ferro for the entire four 20 mile loops, Gary Preston, #2 OP, Ex. was the 3rd man in and took 1st op. ex. on his Triumph witb steve Hurd, #35 right behind him On a 500cc Matchless. The course was another real rough one wi th a lot of light twisty, rocky sandwashes and rocky nre roads. To quote winner Bergquist. ·Three loops on that ro ugh course would ha ve been plenty." Only about 25% of the starters finished the race. Oliver Angell, #470 was the 1st 500cc Amateur in on a Triumph. Bill Boyle, #81 x pushing him hard and taking 1st 250 Novice. Boyle was really moving for a novice and bears watching in the future. Gary DeWitt, #30x, bad to blast through the pack to fight his way up to 1st 250 Amateur. Angell, Boyle and DeWitt ran 9th, 10tb and I Ith overall, washouts where you had to stand up and tet the bike bOunce underneath you and "hang on sloopy'" It was this last four miles that Ron Fry, #30, OP. Ex. on a Husqvarna and Wally Castersoll, #231, OP. Nov. on a Triumph dueled wheel to wheel with Fry winning out and Casterson comin g in on his hack wheel taking 1st open Novice. The Coachella Valley M.C. heLd a burrel luncheon after the run and passed out the Trophies which made for a real nice finish to a day of racing in the desert. TRAIL BIKES Dave Ekins on the Ducall Melisse. respectively. The last four miles coming into the finisb line were rough, UP and down Jack Morgan, U on a HOdaka, took the Trail Bike trophy again, witb Jack Frolich, #252 also on a Hodaka, pushing him all the way. The trail bikes went two loops on tbe same course tbat tbe big bikes used, starting ten minutes after the dust had cleared. Frolich Lead it to the smoke marker. with Morgan 2nd and Cleve Thomas, #30 on a Honda, running 3rd. The 2nd time around Morgan led it, with Thomas moving up into 2nd spot, but out on the 2nd loop Tbomas made a wrong turn and went up a dead-end canyon, losing 2nd place to Frolich. 1'hat was the way they finished. Morgan 1st, Froelich 2nd, and Thomas 3rd, and taking 1st Amateur, Tom RUddy. #36, picked up 4th spot on his Hodaka Van Tech. Tbe course was quite a cballenge for the trail bike riders, but everyone seemed to enjoy tbe run,.and especially tbe riders who received one of the large trophies banded out by the Coacbella Valley M.C. (Results on page 16) ithout II ARAKI? lnnkwhBt Ynurm missing: The only motorcycle in the world made by an aircraft manufacturer ••• and it shows In the precision engineering detail. lineof2&4 strokes A warranty program unsurpassed 85cc . 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