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/125504
I .. 00 III llIl a.. r-. CO 0> . ...... .. 0 'll' ::r ~ .. = CI) ~ Ii ;; .,. fo:I :i!: fo:I ...::J U :IE >.. ;1 - u !- A REAL RUN SAl GABRIEL VALLEY II.C. HARE SCRAMBLES AT CALI FORIIA cm By Dick Wligllt JoN. Roberts. on a 360 Husqvarna. blasted to first overall again last Sunday to establish an UIlPrecedented and I1D'" believable record of five overall wins in a row. The 250 combined open and liglltweight entrants lined UP at 10:15 and the banner was dropped at 10:30. The riders headed out for the smoke bomb in open boondock territory. steve Kirk. on a Triwnph. led it off the line. but JoN. Roberts passed steve in a sandwash rilbt after the smoke marker. After the short sandwash, the course went into more boondocks with rolling bills. It was all third and fourth gear stuff for three miles then back into a wide sandwash for a mile or so. The wash bad a bad spot where a big rock stuck its ugly head out and there was a five foot dropoff. A nagman was there to wave the riders uP the sidewall of the wash where the riders banked the turn and J.... Robert. on hi. win In a row. w., 10 tile fifth de••l was. third overall with Bultaco-mounted Charles Gates moving up to fourth spot. The top Amateur in was Bob Rodine on a 250 Husky taking thirteenth overall. Open Amateur winner was Jerry Perkins on a Triumph. Taking the top Novice spot for the first time was John Thomas on a Triumph tuned at Lamoreaux Shop in Sunland. This 17-year-old has really been getting with it in the last couple races. After the race we talked to JoN. Roberts and asked him how the bike ran and what he thought about the course. His answer was, -I had no trouble at all. The course was really good, lots of fast and uP and down stuff for somethin g different" • then headed back into the sandwash for two miles to the first checkpoint. After the first check. the course headed toward more open country and the second checkpoint. At this point the course started to head back in the direction of the pits and along the bottom of the bills and to check number three. The course continued following the base of the rolling bills to the pits for a total of 24 miles around. Coming in on the first lap of the three lap race it was J.N. Roberts who bad one minute lead over the second man. Dick Dean on a Triumph. Dick bad a two minute lead over the thi rd place man. Steve Kirk who was having mechanical troubles. On the second loop Roberts and Dean held their respective leads but Howard Jackson on a 250 Bultaco moved all the way UP from ninth spot to third. At the finish of the third and last lap, it was still J.N. Roberts for the win on the Husky. tuned by Tracy's of Burbank. Dick Dean was second and took first Open Expert. Howard Jackson Planning Pays Off Everyone we talked to liked the run and the course was really limed well. The san Gabriel Valley M.C. used one and a half tons of lime plus lots of yellow ribbon. The pits were set UP on just one side of the course, which is a good safety factor. The promoting club really planned everything out very well. Jack Froelich (Hodaka) MlOtiale. de.ert sh rullbery. Trail Bites The trail bikes bad a separate course of 18 miles around and were to go three laPs. Dave Ekins on a Zundap led the pack until the course turned into a short sand wash. At this point Ekins lost his front wheel and bad to come back to the pits to fix it. Frank Wheeler then took over the lead. (Frank, incidentally. is taking another long trip on his Hodaka; this time a 7,OOD-mile round trip to Anchorage. Alaska, starting May 11.) It was Frank Wheeler still leading at the end of the first lap. with Tom Ruddy. on his Van Tech. and Jack Morgan. on his Hodaka. both pushing him hard. Wheeler also led it on the second laP. but ran into engine trouble, which enabled Ruddy and Morgan to pass him. Tom Ruddy and Jack Morgan then diced the entire last lap but neither would gl ve in. They were wheel-towheel all the way around the course and UP to the last left tum before the Pits, but Ruddy pulled away from Morgan In the last quarter-mile stretch and won by 20 feet. Jack Morgan took 2nd; Jack Froelich, on a Hodaka. came in third. and Frank Wheeler held onto fourth spot. After the race. Tom Ruddy said, -This was really an interesting course for the trail bikes; hills. fire roads, sandwashes. and almost no rocks." He seemed to express the thoughts of everyone: A real good run. (Results on page 16) Hurried pit actJ. keeps Larry Ilerl1lUl.l and Triumph. .sat raclnl ezelt"'.