Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

S.F. CYCLE SHOI •• , from page 18 All of the riders who held professional racing licenses in 1967 have been mailed applications for the 1968 season. They have also been sent entry blanks for the first National of the new year, the Houston Astrodome indoor short track that will run on Feb. 10th. Maybe It Is a short year In Ohio? This means that the riders can now fill The AMA does not pay point fund out the proper papers and receive their money for non- National races which are '68 license In time for the raft of Indoor actually the hackbone of the entire race races that will be held In Calif. right program. However, In a recent notice after the first of the year. They can also from the USAC car group It was stated fill out the Houston entry and be ready that their overall point fund will top the to race the first National point eve,t of $100,000 mark with more than $60,000 the new season. slated for the cham{l)onship division that Entry deadline for Houston Is January runs the Indy, Sacramento and Phoenix 20th under the pre-race entry plrce of races._ $5.00. Atter that It Is $25.00 to any and Perhaps some day we will get around all Amateur and Expert riders. to making any and all cycle races point The well worn '67 license Is still good fund paying events which will find many for many Indoor races at Long Beach, more riders traveling to many more san Jose and Fresno during the month of races as It would be much more worthDecember. All three locations will host while In tI me and ettor t. racing under the roof during the ChristOn the car subject, A.J. Foyt, the Mr. mas month. Everything in the cars, will gross over Oddly enongh there appears to be more $300,000 this year. From this amount professional racing during the so-called the terrlt1c Texan will take at least 60% "off" season than there Is during the of the gross and then take with the Income regular April to November run. On tax people afterwards. many weekends during December, January, February and March, riders will be Simple Mathema.tics able to compete In Indoor races on The bikes still t$.ve a long way to go Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. as the entire total of National purses for ThIngs were never like this during the next season does not come to half of outdoor season. what Foyt will make in 1967. Riders and fans may also see Indoor This coming weekend finds the Indoor racing at Anaheim, Inglewood and Phoecycle races at san Jose on Friday night nix between now and next Daytona time and the first Indoor at Long Beach on which will run from March 11th thru 17th. Saturday night. san Jose guarantees a Are "Final" Points Final? $450.00 purse to the riders, Long Beach Some of the Ascot riders are still unwill guarantee $900.00. happy about the early arrival of the final san Jose will not have a special afterdirt track and TT rundowns from the noon practice session. However, we have been Informed that a special Noon to AMA. They were delivered two weeks before the final half-mile race and be4: 30 p.m. practice session will be held fore the final TT event - and weeks at Long Beach In addition to the regular abead of the many Indoor sanctioned evening session. races that are yet to be run. There was a record breaking 170 Quite a few of the riders moved Up In entries at Long Beach away back In Febthe final standings after the list was ruary when many riders did not as yet published. There must have been a breakhave their racing licenses. This late In down In communications with Ohio or the season may again prodllce another maybe they forgot Ascot was still runrecord turnout. How much racing for ning. The 1967 season cannot end until that many riders can one jam Into one night of racing? the chime of midnight on December 31st. Ing. Except for a couple of bicycle racers (who had a track In the hall to speed around on much as the AFM was doing upstairs) who fell oft, a good time was had by all. LONG INVITES YOU TO MEETHONDA BEACH First RaDell Continued tram Page 13 Robert again took the lead and won the first 500. The fact that the c- Z team were riding 250cc machines In the 500 class didn't slow them down a bit! The second heat was the most exciting. Roger DeCoster dropped It on the first turn and got going again with the rest of the pack "over the b1l1s and far away," so the Belgium proceeded to turn In one of the 'finest exhibitions of riding that has ever been seen In these parts. Sweat pouring down his face he worked his way back Up again rider by rider, lap by lap. Up front it was Robert leading, with team-mate Dave Bickers on his beels, then Torsten Hallman and Gary Conrad who was right after Torsten and riding harder than we've ever seen him go at Forst, especially through the sandwash. The crowd was cheering for DeCoster with awe, and then there he was, right on Conrad's tall. Gary hung on but DeCoster passed then dropped It atop one of the b1l1s but remounted without losing a place. Wowl As for the Americans, It was Gary first and "Iron Man" Walt Axthelm second. Chuck Minert took the third and we suspect he goes cow- trailing more than we know because riding scrambles like he does sure doesn't get you In shape for something like Forst Ranch. Trophies were given out after the races, with champagne for the top riders In the professional classes. Joel Robert tactfully refused his second glass and made oft with a whole bottle, much to everyone's delight. It was his 24th birthday and be wanted to celebrate I In the sporting class Gary BaIley had big brother Bob standing guard over a box which rapidly filled Up with trophies and even got some champagne from "trophy girl" Mike Capalite who accused him of "cberry picking" by not riding the pro classes as he handed Gary his third trophy. Quick notes for the day: Great specta- " tor turn-out and crowd-control by snow fencing and flagmen. The pits were kept as they should be, as racing pits with no cars allowed. We wish there had been more johns - a twenty-five minute wait In line ain't fun, and some day we'll tlnd a race where promoters actually overestimate Instead of going with the bare the various Barleys, It lends an attractive contrast to their "HI-FI" colors. The Sprint H has acquired a more bulbous road- racey looking tank, which rather clashes with Its American-style handlebars. If ever a motorcycle screamed for a set of European handlebars, low, like cllp-ons, this Is It. Triumph has a gorgeous deep, rich, ruby red paint for their new Bonneville that Is really an eye-catcher. But the all-new machine In the Johnson Motors booth was a new 250 Trophy, apparently designed to replace the venerable Cub In the Merldlen line. The engine resembles both the Cub and a BSA 250. Of course BSA and Triumph are sister companies (BSA's new front brake was actually developed at the Triumph works for production racing and Is found on the big Triumphs this year, too,) but In the U.S. where they compete so doggedly It seems a little strange. Moto-Guzzl's 700cc V-7 was on display with the Nomns and Ducatls imported by Berliner Motor Corp. The V-7 Is one HUGE motorcycle. It's smaller than the average Electra-Glide, but not by very much. Brldgestone had the GTR 350 and a full line on display, and the Ariel Owners Club showed a collection of beautitul old square fours that jarred many an oldtimer's memory. Among the non- motorcycle boo t h s were STP, Zltt-Davls (Car and Ct'lver and Cycle), and Hap Jones DistribUting, which had the first Avon "GP" tires I had seen. These are super-sport tires, made of a slightly stickier rubber compound that the standard Speedmasters, and cast In a racing tire mold. They will wear out faster than strictly street tires, but not nearly as fast as real racIng tires, and their rounded profile avoids a should entirely and gets gobs of rubber on the ground In the corners. Neither last nor least was the Cycle News booth, where Chuck and Sharon Clayton met new friends and renewed old acquaintanceships (like with me, for instance). A & A Motors show~d a cast alloy cycle wheel which they are develop- EVEI. KNIEVEI. ""I," "Tile Ii... of file S TIm Hart IItowine a Ionn of body Enellsh! Back to Torsl8n', rlclne 'c:Ilool, Tim! minimum (well, we can dream, can't we?). How about those 1% 'ers who got through the gate by looking respectable and then changed Into uglies afterwards? Didn't stay around long though and it's a good job too! Could the Europeans possibly go even faster? How about It these had been races where Worlds Champion points were being paid? scares you to think about It! Some comments from them: Torsten Hallman and Joel Robert both liked Forst Ranch the best of the three clrcnlts, but Englishman Dave Bickers likes Castaic the best (because It was muddy and raining, Dave?). He liked Forst but thought there wasn't enough room to pass on the turns for the speeds attained In various places. Hopetown. "It scared me," said Bickers. "Too fast!" (Results on page 16) -Tburstlay & Friday, Nov. 38 & Decemlter 1 fntm 3 p.m. hi 6 p.m. saturdaYr Dec. 2nd 10 a.m. " 4 p...., Melday, Dec. 11 frDm 3 p.m. " 6 p.m. This Is Jour d1aac. to flad out bow Ev.1 Kal.vel, cuneat bolder of II. IDlII"l!I'b1nc:. _orcJCI. Ju. . _ord, lat.ds to I•• hi' SkJCJcl. across II. Gra... CanJDlI la 1968. He'll pose for fre. polaroid plclur.. with JOII aDd JOur famllJ. IIp aulDcrapll, and aa,w.. qu.,tl on So AT LONG BEACH HONDA 5105 A"antlc Avenue, LIIIC Beach, Calif. Phoae (213) GA Ha3

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