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/125526
CHECKERS HARE & HOUND .. Story and Photos by Dick Wright Gary Conrad on his 360 Greeves tuned by Nick Nicholson came up from back in the pack to take the overall win of the rough, ninety-mile Checkers Hare Chase on Oct. 8th. This marked Conrad's third win of three attempts in the desert, and when he's not blasting them here, he's winning the Moto-Crosses elsewhere. It was a dynamite start with the sand flying forty feet in the air. George Walker, on a 250 Bultaco led the chase to the smoke bomb, Open Expert Lon Peterson, on a Rickman Metisse tuned by his dad, Ken.Peterson, right behind him. Peterson pushed Walker real hard the next five miles to the first check. Where Walker bobbled and Peterson made a fast pass, moving out and leaving no one behind him except Walker. As Peterson was coming up the offcamber hill to the second check, he ran into some cows standing on the trail. Seems they all cut out except one big one, and as Peterson put it, "He stood there for a minute, and then charged me; I had to go off the course and dOwn in the gully. When I got up to the check all the guys were standing there laughing at me." After the second check the course dropped onto a really great fire road, and at this point Conrad had worked his way through the pack and was setting his sights on Peterson. From the top of the fire road, It lloked like the road was going to make a left turn, so Peterson set up a slide to the left, but the course went off to the right and onto a round downhill. Conrad hit the downhill in the lead, turned It on, and was long gone. The first loop was round, with two sandy uphills and three sandy, bumpy, downh1Us, plus some up· and-down fast trails thrown in to really pound you to death. Conrad pulled into the gas check after the first 45-mile loop with a minute's lead over Peterson. The second 45-mile loop was rougher than the first with a lot of new country, t'ght trails, rocks, and sandwashes, but both Conrad and Peterson were In good shape, and made the second loop in fast time. At the finish, It was Conrad by thirty seconds over Peterson, with Steve Hurd on a Matchless (running second in the point standings) in third, and Dick Dean took fourth. Bill Hammer (Triumph) was the first Amateur in, taking eighth overall. Craig Shephard, also on a Triumph, worked his way up through the pack, picking up first Novice for his effort and was Twenty- Have Your Hodalra Set Up To Win 8, EDDIE CROWELL HodaIca Head"...rers mus · l " ' " , . d.. • 1 35...17 . . . nr. • 1 15Chtll ".. . 11,. • 1 51".1... SIMI ' ..III, ;hU., SMd;. • 1 ,.Ir • • • • • • • • • • One of Ibe slldlnc sldehacks nearly wipes out our pbotocraph.' 1 fat ! Coli 1 .1Ile. Hi: COIl,. Hud 1 s.t St~l -Cut Gi.r. 1 Sos,..d "Box 1 Midi", ~a" d IkK:ktil 1 Cl'Dwetl Til_ Pip. .. • l·U" Front . . . • 1·1/1 Tum 'ntronto -lKIU8lItt•• • 1 Bobby "J" Air Cle.1Ief • 1·21111111 C.,bu,.toI'"Am.1 second overall. Tom ?oteei (Bultaco) was right behind Shephard, taking first 250 Novice. The next man to pull in was the top 250 Amateur at the last listing of the points, stan Phillips, onaGreeves who took first 250 Amateur and twentyfourth overall. C...", "10.1 • 1 CrDwell Pori Job 10427 Prairie, Inglewood Phone (213) 673-5562 100cc Class The lOOcc Class started fifteen minutes after the big bikes, and were to go only the first loop. At the smoke bomb it was Jack Morgan with Jack Froelich right behind him. Pete Foster was next and then came Eddie Crowell. AU rode Hodakas. The first ten riders changed around a little on the next ten miles, then the 1 s.t art'" 'orlll 1 ,.,. .rae. 1 s.t D.,t lar. 2 St.. 1 C I Lt..-I Gary Conrad, rl&llt, and his cheerful sponsor, Nick NlchoJson. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Fittron ,\ir Filters, Judson Prods. • : • • Francisco Ca toroiJ, Ori- lide. Figlass tanks & eats, John Cooper & Big John Boots. : SIMPSON MOTORS : • • All Available From 5475 San Fernando Rd. West Los Angeles, Calif. 90039 : •••••••• ~~~~,V~g~ •••••••••• TELL THEM YOU SAW IT IN CYCLE NEWS Open Class winner Lonnie Peterson pauses briefly lD cet Checkered" course made a right turn and headed for a long, rocky hill in deep sand. Many had to push at least a hundred feet up that hill, or angle way around the sides, and then there were the poor guys that had to try it more than once. The leaders made it in good shape, and Steve Holladay, a Novice on a Hodaka found a good groove and picked up a few places to move up into the fir st ten. The course then went through the open territory for a short rest after that '*11&%0' hill, and turned onto a fire road for some real fun. After the fire road it was a steep, sandy downhill with a few scattered rocks, and Eddie Crowell got a little carried away. He could see Morgan in front of him and hit one of the rocks, flattening his front tire. At the finish it was Morgan in for the win, Foster second, Froelich thrid, and the fast-moving Novice Steve Holladay, in fourty. Robert Wters was the first Amateur in, and took fiith overall. (Results on page 16) ~....~ Beenr bomber Bercqulsl locks up Ibe brakes blastlnc InlD Ibe check lD pick up a nlnlb overall nnlshlnc position. ~*****************l t THE TWO-WHEELER 9 t : SUZUKI ~* * Ready for Inmediate Delivery! * * 867 W. Colton Ave. San Bernardino, callf;* (714) 885-3445 \ ***************** .. Large Selection Of New & Used Motorcycles 9000 SEPULVEDA BLVD. South of Nordoff in Sepulveda, Calif. 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