Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

Evel Knievel was there. And so were Nick .Adams and zale Parry. Daredevil, ThesPian and Mermaid were brought together, along with electric bands, motorcycle clubs and merchant pri nces, to do homage to the motorcycle phenomenon. seattle, Washington provided the setting, Romin, Inc. assembled the show and just under 10,000 northwesterners came to see it. This first attempt at show business for the Northwest caught the industry with its commitments down. Major distributors, exhausted from three shows in rapid succession already, balked at a fourth. said distributors are still kicking themselves two weeks later for missing a wnale of a snow. Producer Dick Rogers takes the small revenue from exhibitors philosophically. -I consider it an investment. Nearly all the participants said it was the best show tney'd Seen in in a long,long time. Real red carpet service. - Many spectators expressed disappointment that the major distributors brought nothing to show. Everyone of the senses were stimulated by the attractions: The taste of popcorn and smell of new rubber, kaleidoscopic color, the sound of good musical groups, MaIuee and the Turnabouts, The Surprise Package, Rapid Transit System, a uppet show and the tactile excitement of slick machinery. by Maureen Lee SOmetimes I truly think that gnplDg about the tmck you happen to be riding on is one requisite to being a scrambles rider. Elsinnre has long been a thorn in some riders sides and we must admit, not without reason. But the owner is trying to improve the track. Some of the turns have been changed and a new surface has been put down. When news of the new surface reached the scrambles contingent. loud were the screams because decompOsed granite has been used, (for those unfamiliar with the term, that's what Prado was, 'nuff said?) but the fact of the matter is that the granite holds tbe water better, and at night when Elsinore is at its best, you can't ask for a better surface. I admit, when the sun hits it it can tum into ice. But instead of complaining maybe someone could come up with a constructive answer to the problem. Now to Perris A few thoughts along the line of the whole problem including things we'd lik.e to see changed at various places: Elsinore, get rid of the off-camber on the starting line. It's been th ere too long and is an open invitation to send riders sliding into each other with cmsbing results. Another thing riders don't like is the camber going into tum one. Make it flat, they all say, whicb will also help when you come out of the hole on the start. Track surface? Well it looks like we're going to have to live with it unless anyone has any suggestions. Personal opinion? The track is fun to ride, at least on a Hodaka! Perris is next. The track surface there has been improved immensely over the past years and we remember when people bitched about Perris the same way they are bitching abou t Elsinore r-;iiiiiiifiiriiir" 1 ..I ByRoxyRockwood Red hot Gary Nixon scores another one on the National Trail and appears to be getting closer to that much sought after number one that he has been chasing for so many ye ars. Nixon and Hammer have come to the top this year and only a few of the diehards that have never seen them race on pavement would question that they are the two best road racers in America. Nixon now has only the Columbus National that comes up this weekend before heading west for four straight Nationals at Tulare, castle Rock, Portland and Ascot during the month of JUly. Western Battle Fields The entries are all in now for the Tulare National for next weekend and it will be a blazer with 'the likes of Markel and Nixon (the only two out of state riders to ever win in California) challenging all of the best from Ascot. It will be more or less a neutral meeting place for Bart and Gary. Bart is the master of the slide and you cannot slide anywhere like you can at Tulare. Mert Lawwill is still hanging right in there in the National point standings and is a better 'IT rider than Nixon. This sizes up the battle next month as a toss-up for Mert and Gary at Tnlare and Portland with Lawwill given a chance to close UP and maybe take over the point lead from the Main Events at the TT's in Castle Rock and Ascot. That Portland mile on July 16th is really picking up steam with Webco Inc. placing $100.00 on the leader of the first laP. Right behind is D-A Lubricant with 550.00 on a lap and Pirelli Tires with another $50.00. Promoter Jack Leigh is pumping UP the lap money up there like no one has ever done before. Tulare National Tulare goes next weekend wi th time trials for all Expert and Amateur riders on Friday night, plus a full show of Novice racing. Then, on saturday night July 1st, for the first time ever, Central Calif. will have a National with the fastest Amateur and Expert riders gathering from allover the nation to compete. Extra grandstands have been added to take care of the overflow crowd that should top the 7.000 mark from all early indications. Markel, the fence-buste.. should put on a show like never before. Previous winners, sammy Tanner and' Al Gunter will be on hand to see that he doesn't. Over at Ascot on Friday night, June 30th, Aggie will present a night short track on the quarter mile. The race is open to all Novice, Amateur and Exper.t riders on 250's. This switch is brought about due to the time trials at Tulare. Ascot Short Track Many fans have often wondered what it would be like to run many of the top riders on a night cushion quarter mile at Ascot. It hasn't been done since 1958 and the old Gardena Speedway days. The saturday night 'IT slated for San Gabriel for this Saturday night has been cancelled and the riders will pick UP the show out there in a couple of weeks. It was another good one down at Carlsbad last Sunday and again it was just about all new faces in the winner's circle. It should continue right UP to the National road race down there on Sept. 24th. The Carlsbad National in September, the last on the West Coast this year, will pay tbe largest amount of National points to the riders over all other western Nationals. Tbe current point race between Nixon and Lawwill, and Markel coming up from the back I could make Carlsbad tbe deciding event. Deadline for the Portland 2D-mile Nationalis this Sunday night,June 25th. From then on it is the $25.00 late entry fee tbat goes to the National Point Fund. :--------~~-----, Ho" ell!er Or, I .-----------------------------, MOTORCYCLES ONLY : . "SA . : I : I I SALVAGE I Adios Prado Prado? Well. Prado is gone and the only reason we'll go into is that the lease expired J although we've heard a whole host nr other tales from money troubles to in-fights for control of the track and profits. The truth still is, th e lease expired and was not renewed. It leaves us with one less track on which to ride. and with a whole lot of unhappy riders who are now left with an overabundance of horse-power for any other track! Scramblers Getting Soft? So we'll end this column by sticking our necks out again. Any criticism of tracks in this article is intended as constructi ve. But we still want to say this: When did a scrambles track have to conform witb a road racing circuit? Has everyone gone soft so that places like Rusty Nails couldn't exist anymore because they'd be too rough? We say no, because each week on these rougher courses you see some of the speed demons getting thorolighly trounced by riders whn can still ride a scrambles, not a road race. There is a good chance there will be a new tmck in these here parts next year. It will be a good oldfashioned scrambles circuit and will be located in the greater Los Angeles region and will be in a cool location. The guy who told us said happily, -It'll be som ething like the old san Pedro or Rusty Nails. UP and down hill." Now let's see, I know my knob lies are in the garage somewhere•••haven't seen them since Corriganville! ******************* : HONDAS : * 2013 W. Paelne * * Gartn. Enlerprl Coasl Hwy, * J * lomita, Calif, ~~~~_1 * 326-3810 & 115-1102 ***************** COMPLETE SERVICE- HARD TO GET PARTS WE SERVICE WHAT THEY SELL l~_S!I!'!~ l'J~!!7 1 L~~~~-----~~~~~~=~~~~~ I : now. The one thing that has always seemed a mi ghty dan gerous place is that dropoff on the outside of tum one. Get to the edge and look over and it looks like the Grand canyon! That leaves Bay Mare which we haven't re-visited since improvements took place so we won't say a word about that. : LOWEST PRICES IN SO, CAL. : HS

• Cover