Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

BAY MARE TT By Bill P ettili:rew Beautiful green rolling landscape, blue sky and soft white clouds formed a colorful background for last Sunday's TT at Bay Mare. Near-perfect track ~ conditions and a soft, cool breeze added to the spectators' and riders' en_ joyment. .;:: ~ APproximately 100 riders showed uP for the day's racing activities. and although the number was a bit conservative. a good time was had by all. Jim Northern and his super-fast Super -90 Honda led the little bikes to the wire. Jim was harassed by Hondamounted Rick Toberoff who placed second overall. Third place man Jim Belts (Honda) staved off fourth place Terry King. A SpaDi sb Takeover Spanish bikes completely dominated the 175 and 200 classes. Montesa and Bultacos were the rule of the day and Taco-mounted Randy Smith clinched the number one spot. Mickey Alzola's hot Montesa was the first 175 to cross the line. Bultaco and Art Carter teamed UP for third. H- D And Yamaba? Harley-Davidson rider Chuck Perrit and a very sanitary Sprint took first place honors in the 250 Novice class. Dick Allen (Yamaha) diced with Chuck early in the pre-lims and came UP with a well-earned second. Third went to Montesa heliever John Hateley. Action in the 250 Amateur/Expert category included a fine performance by Steve Smith on a new Bultaco Pursang. John Riggen made out on his new Pursang too, managing a first in Amateur standings. John and Steve gave a good show in the final - Pursang to Pur sang all the way. Jay Carter (Bultaco) took third from Don Northern's Honda. Triumph-mounted Joe Garbon copped first place laurels in the 500 Novice Moto. Dave Bastian and his Matchless single managed a hard-ridden second. Brian Short relegated Robert Curtis to fourth place in a hotly contested battle. Honda rider Alex Chrzanowski, in a fine dlsrlay of IT riding, earned first place bonors ahead of Triumpb-mounted Chuck Berry in the 3~G-500 Amateur/ Expert. Alex even found enough time to pull a few controlled wheelies on a back strai&bt. The Cer1an1-equipped Honda seemed to bandle very well in his capable hands. Ted Mainini and John Wiley, both Triumpb-mounted and good friends, managed to take their sbare of the 650cc Novice Moto brass. They raced around in close company, with Ted finishing just barely ahead of John in tbe wellridden final. Track co-owner Jerry La Salle, wbo hasn't ridden competition in three years, took third place On a sanitary Matchless. The last race of the day proved to be painful to Hariey rider Cbuck Perrit. Chuck bad the 250 class bonors in tbe bag on a Sprint and was after tbe Open Class when it all came to an abrupt end. He 'and eventual winner Pbil Garr (Triumpb) were dicing around the track until, coming out of the first turn, Chuck found tbe tail end out too far and was cut off in the next turn by unsuspecting Phil. Last this reporter heard, Chuck was suffering from a broken lea: or tom muscles. Chuck exclaimed. -It burts too DHIch to be broken.· BSA-mounted Jack Sm1 th managed second. All in all, the day's racing program turned out to be a crowd pleaser. Not to mention that the riders had a good time, too. All except the two whose bikes burned. Terry smitb's Honda burned while be was riding around before tbe races: the otber burned on the course. Both riders moved rather quickly! Tbanks to tbe Bay Mare M.C. for a good day of TT riding. (Results on pa.e 16) • If C.C. C.... SOME OF THE POSITIVIE ASPIECTS OF MOTORBIKIE POPULARITY to the public by COULDBE means to the publicCycle News. What it is that in motorcycle racing we offer a place for the individual EMPHASIZED person to play the game of aggressive1. Motorcyclesreduce air pollution somewbat, since the amount of fuel burned for a given distance traveled is less. 2. Apropos of that. the consumption of natural re80urces is reduced, which should delight the conservationists. if not the oil companies. And if Our supplies of gasoline should ever be destroyed, America could maintaln tra vel better with economical motorbikes. That should delight the military. 3. Traffic congestion would cease to be a problem if more people took tbeir cycles to work instead of their cars. How about a national -Ride-In Day,· AMA? On that day (let's make it SUmmel"' time) everybody rides a motorcycle to work or play or wherever he's going. And anyone who scoffs that the accident rate would go up should get to wear the Fink badge all year. 4. Parkina: congestion would likewise be eliminated, except where prohibited by law. 5. Basic transportation could be available in places where poverty is a problem, like Watts, APpalachia, and among schoolteachers by making individual credit discounts on bikes available through tbe recommendation of the War on Poverty offices. Even a single dealer could offer this, and that would be good news. The government might underwrite this plan. 6. Health and welfare of the entire nation would benefit by having hardier, healthier citizens, skilled in self reliance as a result of their exposure to fresh air and cantankerous machinery. 7. Wear and tear on roads and facilities would be reduced by cycle use. 8. Motorcycle competition is a heal thy way of expressina: emotion, when carried out under good control. To date. this is the major message being communicated ness in a manner which benefits everybody. If everybody rode motorcycles there would probably be no more wars. Lots of races, thou gh! 9. Motorcycle riders are less likely to injure others if they should cause an accident. What would you rather be hit with, a two-ton car or a 1/8-ton motorcycle? 10. Motorcycle enthusiasts are worlUng diligently to maintain a sport that they can be proud of. With almost no help from the authorities we have kept up with progress in most respects. We have been unselfish in our generosity to charities and worthy causes and all we ever ask in return is that the public realize that 99 and 9/1 Oths of the motorcycle market are pure good guys. •••• * •••••••••••••• While on this subject I should not fall to chastise the commercial media for swallowing the Hells .Angels' output of garbage. From the New York Times on down the word was out, -attack motol"' cycles, glorify slobs.· It finally got so you couldn't open a copy of Ladies' Home Journal without finding a stubbled. swastika'd grubby one staring out of the page. Hopefully. that phase is passed and some smart journalist might recognize that this year tbe Good Guy who races motorcycles is "in.· Why do men appear to risk their safety for no tangible reward except a trophy on machines which have a tranished - image?· There are many reasons, any one of which can make a thrilling story in itself. People must want to know about heroes at least as much as they want to read about slaves. especially when tbe Hero is reai and the Satan's Slaves and their ilk are largely make-believe. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •At•Lions• • • • • • CYCLEALLEY By Bob Ebelina: smasbed, Inken, destnlyed, obliterated and bettnd ae all IIrevlous speed and elapsed time records. II Flultratlon, II the twi....englne Trlu",h of Boris MUlI'ay and Jim Cook laDed in a time of 9.36 Hcends With a tenninal speed of 161.51 ...h. Many times, at previous race dates, the twin engine missile of Murray & Cook has llrovlded crowd thrilling sbows of smoke and acceleration, but lever before have spectators gathered In large nllllbers to touch and see this amazIng motorcycle Whiell has smasbed all existing quarter mile records. The speed of 161.57 miles per hour elapsed time of 9.36 second s that had just been accompliShed made the black and chrome machine seem almost unreal. But it was there in solid steel and aluminum, with no elusive qualities that will never appear again. In fact next weekend -Flustration· will 1'l!-ce an altered competition car at Lions Drag Strip on Saturday night, for two out of three and a return match at Fontana on Sunday. How did it happen? As Sunday's racing began at Fontana, several of the best fuel and gas buming cycles were entered in eliminator bracket competition. Murray & Cook's first timed run produced a 130 mph sputtering charge that gave wrong indications of what was about to occur. There were no previous ills noted in the two 4Q-inch TriUmPh power plants, only a fuel mix that was too fat. A change of three percent nitro cured that. How To Break a Record Other contenders were Don McEvoy, Rich Richards and Bob Ebeling, but Don and Rich fell aside due to mechanical failures. Ebeling was not a real threat to Murray and Cook and they decided to try the one trick others had used many times before: -burnlng in" the rear tire. Rope was dug out of th e tow car and a hasty sling made to halt the bike's forward strain. The clutch was released and billows of smoke rose as the Avon wore away at the asphalt and turned into a black sticky surface of molten ru bber. The ropes were cast off and Flustration moved into the staging lights. Ebeling then moved forward and the lights fiashed yellow to green. Only two feet out of the hole and it was allover, for the -Flustration's" traction shot the double through the finish lights in 9.70 seconds at 159.00 miles per bour. After Murray and Cook returned to the pits. Fontanas announcer said. -That's all for today racers-. but Boris Murray put in a plea for one mOre run and Fontana's management agreed. Hurriedly. the double was prepared and aa:aln broua;bt out to the quarter mile and was allowed to startits engines into Ufe. All went well and the bike was turned over to Jim Cook as Boris climbed from the pillion. Again the ropes and the burning tire, but this time Jim left the clutcb out and throttle on for a longer period of time. Staa:ed and gone from the starting line, as tboua;b propelled by a jet it blasted tbrou&b the lillbts. And wllea the e1ectrouic tilDiDg clocks were stopped, four witoesses a:athered to read the unbelievable fia:ures of 9.36 seconds elapsed time and 161.~7 miles per bour. Quickest On Gas Joe Smith turned a 10.85 second run at Fontana on his 74 Harley DaYldson and Ray Downum ran 13.57 On his Honda. Each is justly proud and satisfied with those figures since gas is the liquid power source. In fact why go to fuel when you can turn in the tens with reliability and wi thout the meChanical threats that nitro brings on? Super Bikes Tony Dodge made the move from top street bike to leading contend er in the super bike ranks. This was a first time for Tony and his Triumph Bonneville, but runs of 120 miles per hour were consistently seen. Next week may see Tony and Triumph at 125 miles per hour through the traps. Ed McDonald and Disharoon made a second attempt at the big and little numbers of quarter mile drag racing with their Harley Davidson "Super bike'. Last week Ed and Dish were turning 12 second runs. this week it was ll.60 seconds at ll8.00 miles per hour. And next week? Attendance at the Beach was a little below par but racing action was highlighted by the final round for top gas. Bob Braverman's 305cc Yamaha was really hauling the quarter with a best time of 12.27 seconds at 108.69 miles per hour and Millard Disharoon's sport-ster turned 11.51-118.26. 'Dish' won the race and its glories and then each en tered an E.T. bracket to battie four-wheel competitors for supremacy. Braverman and Dish lasted to the final race but were eliminated by a fender or wheel tread, which ever you choose for description. Next Week Fontana-Lions-Irwindale are each scheduled for a weekend's running of the finest cycle cOmPetitors. Saturday's action at the beach will feature Murray and Cook vs. Goldfinger. a two out of three match race of car vs. world record bike. Sunday. Fontana will have tbe richest purse for racers, so you may look for the best in machinery and performance. (ResuUs on page 16)

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