Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

~CYCL.E AL. EY by Bob Ebelinc ... ... There were a lot of racers, more in fact than ever before at Fresno !ast weekend and there were many that left with a promise to return. Bruce MIller of Long Beach, CaIiL. gave handicap starts to twelve of the local ar~a stre~t and gas machines and brought home the trophy and cash fo.r Top BIke. HIS Harley Davidson Sportster turned a best of 12.14 - 111.00 mIles per hour. Tony Dodge and his -Super Bikewere entered as contenders wlth~ut much bope for awards. but this did not defeat Tonys foremost goal of owning the world's fastest and qulckest street machine. The Super Bike record is now 11.36 seconds at 128.20 miles per hour and it was backed UP witb almost identical runs time and time again. The first race for top fuel placed Tony into contention with Bob Ebeling's Triumpb fuel bike and Ebeling won the round turning 10.88 seconds and 122.00 mpb. Sonny Raslawski was suffering another day of troubles witb the HarleyDavidson sportster and faced -Flustratlon,- the twin engine TriumPh of MUJray and Cook. Wben the bikes were fired UP. sonny's sounded like it bad a bad case of hiccups and was sbut oft on tbe line. Jim Cook rode tbe F1ustration on a single run of 9.88 elapsed time and 128.38 mph. New E. '1'. Record Fiaal Roaad DarII IIorlle l!IIUy _s McEllOY and MarUIIez' -EI Toro.- No ODe expected The tinal round was called as Ebeling and Martinez waited in tbe staging lanes. As tbey gathered speed approaC'bing the starting line. the bikes cast off and tired without tall. UP to the line and tbe lights began. At the green the single was out front. rot it took only a sbort distance and the double regained the power that was. being burnt in rubber smoke and stormed ahead to a top fuel victory at 9.87 - 156.52. There were many fine bike entries witb elaPsed times ranging well into the 12 and 13 second - brackets. The most impressive was the twin engine sportster of Doug Watson. The drive sprocket on tbe front engine stripped its keyway and left only one engine to drive witb. The connecting primary chain was removed and the machine raced to a 13.10 second elapsed time. at 101.50 miles per hour. I! Doug gets all four of those cylinders pumping. we may see tbe world's fastest gas bike yet. *& ....t was aboat to lIIIfpea. Ia as tile twill eaciDe Trl....... left tbe startWe Uae it boned s1tllllt1Y. &lien gatbered a few IPIII _d dalIbed &bnJaIb tbe traps far a Dew ~d record of 9.25 secoad ! Ullbelieva"e, DOt posst"e. a IIIOtorqcle?!! TIle cmwd felt _e a mis&alle IIad bel!II .-de lilt tbe clods were cbeelled _ tbe pell.lI&.ace veriJled! Fwrtllet' ...s .. d _t bacIl up tbe reconI aad to nake it orDdal. McEllOY ud Martmez will .baell it 11II at _otber ~. . Tony Dodge and SOnny Raslawski were out and only three bikes remained. Since McEvoy & Martinez had soloed on tbe previous round of top fuel. tbey were committed to race in contention this time. Jim Cook and Ebeling called tbe toss of a coin and Ebeling won a single run while tbe two doubles fougbt it out for the qusrter mile. Each macbine was staged and the countdown came to green and Martinez and Cook hard off the line. Suddenly the Flustratlon balked and stuttered wbile -El Toro- charged on to a victorious 10.W - 152.54. Bakersfield The 266cc Suzuki tuned by Bill Rowles was taken to Bakersfield.Calif., by Jack Murpby. Jack was top man at tbis strip known as -Famoso· drag striP. Jack set a record of 13.24 - 100.11 lISld defeated all street bike coDteuders. If you have ever competed in street Bike classes. tbe incredible elaPsed time and speed of sucb a small displacement engine should make even the most devoted big bike owner fear two strokes and their amazing development in the last two years. 18 o oLZU Top Gas was won by Joe Borges on a 650 Triumpb. turning 12.45 - 111.80. Lio S -How can there be a better day than the last at Lions?- is a commonly asked question. Competitors were shown bow this week. when a new division for purely stock cycles was inaugurated into the classification system. There were enou gh entries to make four classes last Sunday and Bob Doneske was tbe qutckest on bis Harley-Davidson. Bob won A Stock. turning 15.04 - 85.30. Burt Proctor out-acce1erated some of the best, sucb as class winners Rich Newman, Harry Coucb and Charlie Cash. Proctor's Harley Sportster turned a winning 12.90 E.T. and 101.90 miles per bour. Bob Braverman took Top Gas bonors as Nira Johnson lost full control of his Triumph and crossed over the yellow line tbat runs down tbe strip's center. It you cross. there is an immediate disqualification! Nita turned 11.96-114.79. Bob Braverman received Top Gas bonors with a 12.42 - 107.94. and that is not crawling for a two stroke. In fact its the fastest recorded yet. Kotalac's Vincent fueler turned 11.11 -126.05, and tbe use of cbemical waJfare is all new to him! A little more per centage nitro and tbe death of a few bug may add anotber name to the list of Top Fuel con tenders. hwiDdale .. Saturday night was not mucb more than a small group meeting. but tbose who were tbere went fast. Murray and Cook's Super Bike faced record bolder of Tony Dodge for Junior Fuel awards. Tony staged and left on the green light just as it he bad been on fuel since the day it was invented. The winning speed was a tremendous 125.69 and the quarter was covered in just 11.79 seconds. It was a great Super Bike matcb and tbere will be lOOre to come. Tony was so confident be told Murray and Cook to unload that big terrible double of theirs that was being kept in the truck for the trip to Fresno. It was announced that there would be a race between SUper Bike and the tueler for Supremacy! Murray and Cook agreed, unloaded. fueled aDd fired for a race wi tb Tony. Eacb machine entered tbe staging lights and shot out of the hole. Tony took the iead as the double turned bard Avon rubber into dense smoke. It looked like II; great chance for the SUper Bike but the shift to fourth gear dido't work and tbe double tripped the lights in 10.41 seconds at 151.00 mpb. The ToP Street class looked like a sure tbing fOE Bruce M1l1er and his Harley-Davidson SIlOrtster when the time for a final race with Dick Strickland's BSA drew near. Both engines sounded good. rot suddenly Miller's engine was dead sUent. He forgot to flU the tank! He was out of gas and Strickland was yelling at him to roy a horse as he traveled> to a winner's tropby for 12.82 seconds at 96.74 mph. There Is a war between BSA and Harley-Davldson close at hand! In the battle for Jr. Street honors. Jack Murpby's Suzuki soundly tromped a450HoDda and won witb a13.69-96.74Nita Jobnson won Top Gas with a 11.85-114-50 and Steve Rowles swinging little Suzuki X-6 took tbe Jr. Gas title at 12.68-101.35. Eacb week. the Suzuki swings down the qusrter mile a little faster. Fontana Raceway had a small turnout. rot top man and machine was the Smitb and Butterwortb Harley-nav1dson. Joe Smith won Top Bike bonors at 10.92 seconds wi th 127.00 mpb recorded on the clocks. (ae.Its 011 page 111) (InriJMIale Drag Sq, April 22) 001 lCEVOY 10 TOP FUEL EY EI HE CIt GED TO OILZU AlII Sldp s.,Ior at BIlEISFIELD lIe SALES ..,011_ 121 K::dlz ...... (Il you *-1. . . . . .t • •e on- W. ,.. c*ace .u. .,M yo • dRlIP "'en.) "If eD6iaes collld talk, we woll1d1J'C eed to adverti~· DBAL&RS~ Wdte in 1& jdJ,. .a-. oILIUM w. 50

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