Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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••• _ - __ _ I.... 5/U·......,·u.. lClrl S-_ _• SI.9.5OlSencl25cf_ _ ' _ · Decool. 130._ _ SI. Co""" - RACE DAY AT THE PONDEROSA by Wes Anderson Sr. "ncI_ llf (@lllOOIjJD@lIIIlIll2II . . . . . :2(@U!DW@' ' ... The Ponderosa is located 15 miles east of Lancaster, Calif. on Ave J. A combination cafe, beer bar and shday pi cnic area are there. Al and Lois Coltzau are the motorcycle riding owners ofthe Ponderosa. Jack J:loss, Open Expert rider, promotes the open Sunday events. Most of the top desert riders have raced at the Ponderosa, including Bud Ekins. J .N. Roberts, Mike Patrick, and trailbikers Jack Morgan. Frank (Wheelie) Wheeler, and Jan Ditson, top gal rider. Movie star Steve Me Queen and stuntman Rod Pack ba ve also raced there. One of the oldest riders is 58-year-old Howard Lee, youngest is 11-year-old Tommy Brooks, both have trophied in the trailbike class. BAIDBESTOIE i FOR THE NAME OF YOUR NEAREST DEALER So. cal: McCulloch Dim. Inc. (213) n2·2108 No. Cal: Coaot McCulloch (405) UN 3-5520 Let's Go Okay, let's enter the race. In the cafe the cute smiling red headed gal who takes our entry fee, is Jack's wife, Pat. We line UP in a sandy area and receive our starting check. The banner is down, we fire up and GO. Every rider claims his way to the smoke bomb (1~ miles out) is the hest. After the bomb there is a fast little sandy stretch. Next comes a rapid fire road which drops into a winding, hard-surfaced wash. At the end of the wash is check #1. Then we have a good stretch of boondocking and onto another winding fire road which turns into a sandy trail and ends at -the bottom of famous Heartbreak Ridge. At the top are Jack's two brothers, Bob and Jim, at check #2. We come down the soft side onto a winding downhill road which is tricky. Then into some more boondocks and out onto a small dry lake. then a flatout dirt road. Then we make a sliding left turn on a super smooth hard pack (like Ascot) and across more boondocks into home check. Next we ride our second lap; if we come in with the first 40% of total entries, we trophy; if not. well, there is always next time. The course .is always marked very well. All of the volunteers who work the checks are given official's trophies. There is an ambulance at all of the races which is paid from the entry fep-s. Many new riders come here to learn, as it is a short fast course. The current Ponderosa Champions are Open class, Bill Hutton with five w.ins; Trailbike class, Wes Anderson Jr. with four wins. Trail bike rider Jan Ditson is the only gal to ever come in first at the Ponderosa. Mary Brooks, another fast gal, beats a lot of the men and almost al ways trophies. The trophies are given out the same day, after the tank cards and lap sheets are thoroughly checked out. TOISTfIIIWLlUII, WGILD'S OfM', rwlS AIIOTH£I U.s. TOUI Swedish Husqvarna rider Torsten Hallman, who created such a stir when he visited the U.S. last year, has again won the World's 250cc Mote>-Cross Championship, this time in Moscow. Reports free-lance writer/photographer Mike Terito, who just returned from Sweden, Torsten is planningan extensive tour of this country beginning in October. Hallman, 28 years old and known as • To t t e - to his countrymen, swooped the troops at Corriganville, Calif., and every place else that he and his haulin' Husqvarna appeared. This time Hallman plans to stay longer. In fact, he feels that people appreciate him more here than in his own country, where his repeat World Championship win went virtually unnoticed in Swedish newspapers. CO.'ETIOI HEAVY '" £L MIlAGE IELAY by Joe Timmons' On August 27, the Annual Hi-Jinx El Mirage Relay SCrambles were held on the dry lake bed near Adelanto, California. The course was a two-mile tight and twisting TT with top speed reached on the short straightaways about 35 mph. The riders raced through 25 laps over this challenging track. :)espite tremendous competition, Hi-Jinx members dominated the spotlight during the course of the relay. It was Larry Welborn who leaped out to an early lead for his team but failed to complete the first lap. Steve Paul then attained leadership for two laps until carburetor trouble left his team in last place. However, he and his teammate, Jeff Paul, recovered splendidlY to tie down third place. In and out of first place was the team of C.L. Mackie and Fred Mendez. However, a broken wheel and blown clutch dampened their hopes of victory. Trading Off Ralph Luhm and Frank Vallefuoco combined force's and bike to grab the leading position in the fourth lap and maintained it throughout most of the race. Ralph rode his 19 of the 25 laps with unequalled skill and determination, showing little wear as his team pushed first across the finish line. Taking second place were Bud Denslow and Bill O'Neill, winners of the last Hi-Jinx relay at Hi verside. They maintained a constant pace to follow Ralph Luhm across home plate. The next such event will be held on Sept. 24. Trophies are to be distributed to the first four place team members at the upcoming meeting of Hi-Jinx F.M.C., Monday, Sept. 11, at 7~0 p.m. at Jenkins Sports Center, 13200 San Antonio Dr., Norwalk, California. r PONDEROSA LABOR DAY The Greyhounds M.C. had many of the top desert riders at their Ponderosa Hare Scrambles, on Labor Day. It turned into san Gabriel Valley M.C. day again as two members won their races, Ron Fry (Open) and Wes .Anderson Jr. (Trail). The open class roared off with 109 entries fighting for the lead. At the smoke bomb, Marvin Steele of the Checkers M.C. had the lead on his big Triumph. Ron Fry (Husky) soon took over and went the two loops to win. J.N. Roberts, the top desert rider, still cannot break his Ponderosa jinx. Roberts (Husky) came flying from back in the pack to finish second, 50 feet behind Fry. steele, always a Ponderosa contender, was a solid third. Dick Vick (Triumph). another desert ace, was fourth, with five-time Ponderosa winner Bill Hutton (Husky) in a close fifth. The spectators were thrilled when Mike Popovics (Bultaco) and Glenn Peterson (BSA) raced over the line full-bore for tenth spot. The tie was broken by a coin toss, with Peterson the lucky one. THREE MILLION USED M/C PARTS COMPLETE ENGINES AND GEARBOXES liTHE ORIGINAL" IIJDmllifmlWlWm Trail Bikes The 80 trail hikes buzzed off after the Open Class. Jack Morgan (Hodaka), the top trailbiker. was first to the smoke with Wes Anderson Jr. (Hodaka) hot on his heels. They swapped the lead, then Morgan wit b mechanical droppe d out problems. Anderson led the rest of the two loops and won with a fourminute lead. He also finished 28 th overall to the amazement of many big bike riders. Monte Lee (Hodaka) and Barry Eisenberg(Yamaha) had a terrific duel for second place, with Lee beating Eisenberg by 20 feet. Joe sanders (Hodaka) was fourth and 51-year-old Gene Souza(Hodaka) a very close fifth. Souza always smokes a big cigar while racing, and claims he has never swallowed one yet. Mary Brooks was first gal, finishing 12 tho Tiny Tina Peterson was 25th and second gal. Both of the ladies rode Bultacos. Howard "Grandpa- Lee, 59-year-old Hodaka rider, beat a lot of the younger set by finishing 23 rd. Two car stereos. complete with inst'allation, were raffled off. The lucky winners were J. Stein and W. Anderson Jr. The stereos were donated by desert rider Jim Muntz of Muntz Cartridge City. We should patronize anyone who donates to our sport. Muntz is located at Roscoe and san Diego Freeway. See you at the next Ponderosa on Sunday, Oct. 1st. (Results on pace 16) tie TIRES ALL MAKES, YEARS, MODELS WE HAVE A LARGE SELECTION OF NEW TIRES FROM SU5 .,. SAVE $$$1 BRAND NEW YAMAHA FORKS 80cc Trail/Street .. $35.00 YDS 2-3 $55.00 WAITEI FOR CASH HARLEY & TRIUMPH BSA, AJS PARTS WE SHIP ANYWHERE. WAITE OR CALL FOR OUR PROMPT SERVICE - CRANKIN' IT ON AT CYCLELAND by Carolyn Ricbards It was the same old sixes and sevens (or should we say 100s and 2oos?) when 42 racers turned up saturday, .Aug. 26, to ride the wellmanicured fiat track oval at Chico's Cycle-Land Speedway. Three familiar faces, those of Steven Goff, Joe Allen and Francis Ladara, turned up in the 100cc class winners' circle. Goff, who rides a Kawasaki and hails from Oroville, took the first place brass• .Another Oroville rider, Moto-Beta mounted .Allen came in second, and Ladara, a hard-riding Honda rider from Gridley, was third. Dawson Did It Riding a Triumph from Orangevale, Bill Dawson rode hard to win the 200cc Main. Right behind him on the finish line was Barry Hiatt of Chico on a Bultaco, and coming in third was Oroville's Mike Rock- well on a Honda 160. Another Orangevale resident, Carl Cranke, also on a Triumph, took the checkered first in the 250cc class. Second place hardware went to Perry McLain of sacramento on a Ducati, and third place to Gerald Henderson, Fair oaks, on a Bultaco. Crante Scores Twice When the elite of each class met to go five laps from an even start in the scratch races, Cranke won his second trophy of the evening in the 250cc go• .Allen received his second win of the evening in the 100 class, and a close, close, close race in and 200cc event resulted in a piece of brass for Teddy Bare of Red Bluff on a Honda 160. Three of the five riders in the 200 class were mo unted on these hardy little Hondas with a 40cc handicap. (Resl1ts oa P8Ce 16) 835 W, FOOTHILL BLVD. AZUSA, CAUFORNIA PHONE: (213) 334-5912 MOTORCYCLE PARTS {7 ~ACCESSORIES ~ C7 For 111 BrHd. alld lliidel•• C.H. WIleal & K.. C_VItf, Own... 4020 Tyler Sl" Alli.pn, Cal. (714) 687·1373 CANOGA PARK ~ 7233 CANOGA AVE.346·3700