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/125508
MDwc V1IIce ....... un: TrI by Bob EIIeliDc 'lite Sla-L_ Tn , ·1:llpr!8BD.- WOII Jr. FaeI at LioD.s Drag arip, IlIIt was lolled ia lite au (t 1& t'8p heI vidory by McEwy &I ~ " ..... ..S ...._ .. _ - __ The industrial refineries_....... DUO>.. ---'_- and rail • • yards that surround Lions Drag strip in Wilmington. calif•• stood along with spectators in mllte respect -as three nitro-fueled Trimnph engines emitted thoosands of explosive exhaust notes in prejl8.Illtion of the race for Top Fuel Eliminator. Str08' I • A '8.a11 C , . ~~ Martlnez. urge~ tile twUl engine E1 Taro- i:Dto Its staging position aud twisted the -quicktbrotUe lIIItil the engines settled into a ClllIIIf«table three UIousand rpm as Bob Ebeling rolled .his -Expresso·, sin&1e mo position. Two ~ yellow. lights -and then the glaring brilliant green. 'The D&DIe -E~s~ lived to the definitl~n. -strong 10 a ~ cUP.-, as the S1D~e lur~ed into a -quICk lead .over .E1 To~ ~~ctatOJs bad a ditficUlt time Vlewmg the event. as clou~ of SJ!l0.ke obscured the !;Ilg dollbl~ !:D U.s .bid to overtake Ebeling, but v~ bility returned enough to show Vlotory lights in·~ Toro'S"' lane. The tWlD engIne ~numph acc;elerated to an -elapsed time of 11l.~8 s~conds and 154J>O miles per hour, whIle the ·EYnIesso· trailed at 10.78 seconds -.. and 128.12 mph. • G ""'--d .~ Op &11 dhis ............. DI ""n an sponsor ·Cyc.Cal- products were matched against the -Eccentric· of Joe SIIlith'sfromLaidlaw'sHarleyDavidson. Each Barley is noted for its elapsed time and miles per hour, but Disharoon was on the short end in both figu.res. 1lk>ng with a shortage ill cubIC !Dches. It all goes to show, that there is never a winner until the finish li t flashed f . s are on, or D~oon was awarded the bonors :h~s~l:~ seconds and 114.00 Art Houstoo defeated his closest -contender Nira Johnson in the race for JL Gas honors. Nira lost power just off the line and we later asked Huston's &irlfriend..-What happened to Nira? She Teplied in an innocent blusb, -00 pistons really wear ski:rts~ We assured her they do and sbe said. -Well, they last 'em.Houston turned a victorious 12.21 _ 112..50_ steve Rowles was the rider witb eash In hand for Competition Gas victory as his Suzuki two-stroked its way to a 12.95 _ 101~56 victory. '1' '11' ...nis still on top in .. dso treet Barley-Davi the ranks of inches producing power MIl ~s . . . , SaDkI X. Hau. _s1st11d, tIIIII ......... 13 MCGMl IHIr ftIIIIs -.I .... -.cIl . . . . . . . . . sa.:1t clau Is. lUll! ,AI Sherwin used 60 of them for Top street a~ a 12.99 elapsed time and 107.00 IDlles per hour. Harry Couch is never satisfied with his time tickets and discards them with the disdain of a rider quite confident that the next one will be better, and it was when he won the Jr. street bracket at 13.50 - 93..53. Little stan SIIlith secured the Competition street gold on a KaWlr saki with a winning ticket that sbowed a 14.14 elapsed time and 90.63 milE:s per hour. Irwi.dale 1f a .machine turns better than 10.75 seconds elapsed time, it is automatically bumped into Top Fuel competition regardless of its actual physica1displacementand a QualifyiDg time of 10.26 seconds placed the Richards family Trimnph into CODtention with McEvoy and Martinez Twin engine -El TotO". Gary Richards straddled the immaculate single his father had eonstructed to jump ahead of the big double from start to finlsh. Gary turned an elapsed time of 10.60 and 138.00 miles per hour. Wilere was the big bull of a twin engine dragster? The engines are timed at 180 degrees out of phase and had slipped to a figure of about 110 degrees. Buddy trailed the hustling single at 10.68 seconds and 143.00 mph. Tony Dodge and Al Gonzenbach were the victors in smaller class and modification departments. Tony Dodge took his Bonneville .Super Bike- on a quarter-mile trip of 11.75 secoDds at 121.29 miles per hour. AI lowered the fuel percentage of his 350cc Honda for easier combustion and exploded through the traps in 12.32 seconds at 112.37 miles per hour. Top Street AI Sherwins Harley Davidson was in its best form in this first of two days victory. AI won top street, . scorching the asphalt at 12.60 and 107~~ngham Small Arms is never out of the picture in drag racing and Dick strickland was a fine representative in a closely contested race for Jr_ street honors. lUcll Newman and Randy Keefer. both Triumphmounted hovered near Dicks quartetmile times, ready to pluck the viotory trophy from his grasp in the e-went of a missed shift or slow reactionto the starting lights, but.BSA and strickland kept the villains behind in the sprint to the tropby booth with a winning time of 13.14 and 102..~. New. FI&B If you were planning to cross the mountain for competition at Bakersfield, Calif., fire your gnide. for there will be no racing on Sunday. June 4th. The event is postponed for a while and Cycle News will report the new date as soon as it is released. Racing is still open for man. boy or girl at lrwindale on Saturday and Lions or Fontana, Sunday. fae-ua OD Pace JII) •• 1 •••••••••••••••••••• 1.11 •••• , •••••••••••••••• 11 •• , •••••••••••••••• 1, •••• " •••••• f. Cycle SlUJea,ay 7~~7~ -I de 1fIeU Hot from the land of the rising sun and out to lay the baddest centerpunehers flat as a transistor comes the Champion of the Far-Out East.lma Takahashi makes a formidable appearance with his six cyl, transverse Flying Feather engine mounted'slantwise in the lightweight. miracle-fiber frame. Rider Takahashi won't reveal his face strategy to reporters. naturally, but spies tell us that he plans to take the lead at the start and hold it all the way to tbe checkered nag. Tilere are three other champions who plan the same kind of attack, however, so it will he interesting to see how this first Fantasy International Speedway Cbampionship comes out. Backing the EAstern combatant are his enolJDous pit crew, twelve of whom you cannot see because they are standing single-file behind the 1ar&e gentleman with tile straight face. The -ner peuoo prefers to remain unideatlfied -aDd it is as- sumed he either 1) mixes fuel for the Flying Feather or 2) keeps Takahashi down to 58 lbs. racing weight by supervising his diet. Now thecbampiousare assembled on the field of battle to do their things each as best hi s native skill. cunDiug aDd technology can do it. To enligbteaed observers they all four appear evenly matched Bltbou&h each trusts to hi s on braDd of raeiDgluck, or -magie.· American Barge Charger has husky inches going for him, the Latin Champion, Pronto Via relies on clean li ving to win the day, and the British King SquYer Rumchappe is at his best when faced with adversaries worthy of his steeL What has the Oriental title-taker got to match against all this? It's a mys. terious secret that might be in the bag which Dr. Noname keeps nearby at all times.