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/125503
.... "" I FOOTHILL HAWKS I . ~: : ~ ~ ~ r..J :i!: r..J ..:l U G DESE T CHASE : . All Ibe top desert rld.s were at the Hare ser_les beld by tbe F..tIIi11 Hawks last SUlday near California City. Tbe race for the Numb. One desert rid. is really cbmging hands. Steve Hurd, who was top man as of March 31, 1961, bas run iato some preblems, including a ftat tire last week. Lon Pete rson has also had some tough luck and may get pushed out of second spot. The Number Four man. J.N. Roberts. has moved UP with two overall wins in a row. Bud Ekins. Ken Knudsen. Larry Bergquist and Gary Preston are all in contention for the top spot. The two leading Amateurs. 47-year-old Orie Cole (who is showing the kids how it is done). and Gail Ferrell are moving UP by consistently getting into the top 20. It had rained all day Friday which pretty well wet down the desert floor. Sunday the sun was shining and the sand was still damp. It looked like a good day for racing. Varied Terrain At the drop of the banner. the 302 combined Open Class and Lightweights headed for tbe. smoke bomb about three miles out. The course was 20 miles around and it was a 4-lap race. The course was mostly open boondocks and sandwashes. with some hills and banked canyons to keep it interesting. J.N. Roberts, on a Husky. had the lead' coming into the pits on the first lap. wi th Gary Conrad second and Bo b Belt third. Both runners up were 00 250 Greeves. Bob Belt was able to take over the lead in the twisty section of the course on the third lap and was the first man to the finish; J.N. Roberts was second and Gary Conrad was third. Dick Dean came in fourth and took 1st Open ExPert on a Triumph tuned by Daddy Dean. who has been tuning winning Triumphs at the Lamoreaux shop for 17 years. Oliver Angell was right behind Dean taking second Open Expert. The first Amateur in was Robert Rodine on a lightweight. Some of the smaller bikes have been showing the big bores the way home with regularity of late. The .course was well marked with orange ribbons. but as Bob Belt put it. -The course twisted back and forth in the open bu~h area. The only straight part was in the sandwashes and the old trails.· The pits were well laid out with the safety factor kept in mind. oi/l '" 3 f TRAIL BIKES The trail bikes used a separate 20mile COurse and were slated to go three laps. The 127 riders were lined up and ready when three new riders jumped the gun and took off when the banner was picked UP. The others had to wait 15 minutes for them to realize their mistake and corne back. The banner was dropped at 10:20 and everyone took off for the smoke bomb. The course turned to the left after the smoke bomb. and I dropped in behind the five leaders and started looking for ribbon or lime. We had gone about one mile in the open country before I saw the first ri bbon; then we turned onto a long fire road where everyone dropped it into 4th gear. and I laid down for the drag race. I was able to catch Jack Froelich and could see Jack Morgan and Frank Wheeler up front. We stayed on the fire road for about three miles. then made a right t .... into a deep sandwasb wbich ran uphill. The bikes were getting pretty bot. but alter about two miles we came upon a trail for a short mo. and then back into another deep sandwasb. My bike was handling well, as I had just had new forks pUt on at Crowell's Cycle Shop. but the engine gat hot and stopped. Thirty riders passed me as I changed plugs. but it started with the new plug and I took off. I began to notice some yellow ribbon on the course and after a while there was no more orange ribbon or fresh lime. so I knew we were on the Shamrocks Enduro course, and that I had missed a turn-off. Making a U-turn. I went back about a half a mile until I saw where the orange ribbon and lime made a tum up a sandwash. There was also a line of lime across the wrong course pointing up the Nu....... rider .Iast. Ie.. llelll at C..llfand.. City l.. st til; plb ..tter compiotlnc the first 20-1•• of lIle h..re scr..mble. -"_cL Fastest Record Run Super Bike Class At Irwindale Apr.22nd 122.95 mph. 11.54 e.t. TO Y DODGE DUARTE, CALIfORNIA 91010 PHONE 681-0255