Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

GI rl s do It, tDo. By Syd Clopton Photo by Gordon Rumsey First ll.. trl31s rld. Bill H3ynl1S, wurlne his um 3t 3 r3klsh Mele, sloshes throueh. w.ter crosslne on his Trlumph. WlHtn .sked which lr3ps _e tile lou"est, he replied, "All sl. of them." An Amateur with a near perfect score, and an Impossible bill for the Experts, were tile highlights or the S.C. T.A. English Trials at Uttle Rock, California on SUDdlIy, December 3rd. The Southern Trials A.ssoc1atlon held their f1na1 event or tile year at tile new Foothill Trails motorcycle playground. This newly opened area consists of some eight hundred acres of perfect motorcycle territory, and Is on private land in the desert foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Located on the north side of the Angeles National Forest, just a hal! mile soulb of Little Rock, it is only sixty miles, most of them on the freeway, from Los Angeles. with the skills of an Amateur in mind and were to be ridden only by the Amateurs while the last six were reserved for the Experts and the very exclusive Master class. These were a little more hairy; in fact, a couple were very hairy indeed. Eacb rider was to go around the course three times, for a total or eigbteen traps. [t didn't take that long to see who was going to be the bero in the Amateur class. Warner Mobley started out cleaning traps on his Bultaco as if be were riding around the parking lot at Marketbasket. By the end of the day everyone was wondering what be was doing in the Amateur class. He came up witb 'a pbenomenal score of ONE point lost (be put his foot down one time) in the entire 18 traps. Full of Surprises _lois of formlable boulders to avoid, hop.. fully wllh,out puttlne down 3 1001 do,,"_ T1Ie Lltlle Rock trials course fealured plenty 01 on-the-pees sandy pla.es_ U's A Playground lt is worthwhile to mention the fact that this playground is open every weekend and one can ride all day for the nominal fee of one dollar per bike. With the con s tan t 1Y increasing population making it harder and harder to find open land in which to ride, this type of motorcycle playground is worthy of everyone's support. It's nice to ride where you don't have to worry about being sbot at or arrested for trespassing. This area is also an excellent place to camp, and althougb there are few facilities now, many improvements are planned, including a graded and maintained scrambles track. Tbe idea of a campout was attractive to the trials riders, for many arrived saturday afternoon in campers or trailers, and the party around the campfire went far into the night in spi te of the rather cbilly desert air. There was some speculation as to whether all the folks stayed up because they especially enjoyed Jack Ward's g u ita r or they figured that they couldn't sleep anyhow witb all that racket going on so they'd just have to wait until be got tired and quit. Seriously, Jack is a Scottisb- born trials rider and bas attained the higbest classification (Master) in the short time that he has been in this country, His rendition of old favorite western tunes witb a Scottisb accent was every intertain1ng. Evidently Jack's singing didn't drive everyone away, for by the 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning starting time there were 100 riders signed up to prove their skill. Among these hundred there were plenty or Amateurs, or beginners, 70 to be exact, including six women. Layout man Jack Milne came up with a course about two miles long whicb included twelve traps, or observed sections. The first six traps were laid out Master rider Bob Nickelsen looked as if be were going to do the same thing in his class when he cleaned the first three Expert traps on his Greeves without a single point lost. Then he hit trap number 10 (tile fourth one in the Expert section). This trap featured a sandY uphill section which looked fairlY solid; at least Jack Milne thought so when be tbrew down the lime to mark the section ~arly that, m 0 r n i n g. However, when severai motors bad finished trying to cbew their way up the bill, it became so loose that traction became almost impossible to !ind. But loose traction was only part of the surprise that this trap beld. U you did manage to get to the top of the little bill, you found that there was just barely enough flat on top to keep your machine from high centering before you dropped almost straight down for thirty feet Into a sand wasb. And that lovable Jack Milne had you going out or tbe wasb in a straigbt up, eigbt-fooUeap up the wail of the wasb. Bob Nicbelsen took first place in the Master class, but only afterlle had lost a total of 17 points, 11 or wbicb be left lying on and around that nasty little hill in trap number 10. The remaining six pOlnts were ail lost on the next neat little trap, number 11. This one found you dropping sideways down the vertical wail of a little fourfoot deep, sand bottomed gully, and then trying to follow the gully as it made several jogs and tben acompleteU-turn. Not too hard except that the silly thing was only about three fee wide and in trying to keep both feet on the pegs and the macblne going In the rigbt direction In the sand, you found your handlehars banging Into the sides of the gully. Serond to "Singing Jack" "Singing Jack" Ward lost only one more point than Bob Nickelsen, but be bad to settle for second place Master. Jack was riding a Triumpb Cub, one of many of the discontinued 200cc single models that were being ridden in this event. _ d sleep uphill portions, 131d out bJ Ibst. trl31s rider JlICk lllIne, where runy 3 rl der 10 st pol nts. Bob Grove, S.C.T.A. President, doing a great job in keeping things running smoothly, also did a fair job of riding, grabbing 3rd place Master with a loss of 19 points. Bob was very cordial in his invitation to anyone who is interested in trials riding to come on out and join the fun. In tbe Expert class it was David Smith on his Bultaco in front with a loss of 19 points. Jobn Walters on a Honda lost 21 points and sewed up second place Expert. John is the kind of man wbo bas made the S.C.T.A. tbe successful trials club that it is. He lives in San Diego but he basn't missed a single one of the 21 events that his club bas beld this year. Lee Rom b e a u walked his Hodaka througb the traps with a loss of23points to take third place Expert. The best looking winner of the day, in my opinion, was Carol Stone. Now maybe that's because sbe won the Women's class, but sbe looked very business-like on ber Greeves, especially when she cleaned trap number 6, a rocky hillside section without losing a point. To bear Jack Ward sing and to see Carol Stone ride, watcb for the next S.C,T.A, event to be held the first or the new year. Better yet, write to: S.C.T.A. 4707 W, 164th Lawndale, Calif. and get the Information first hand, on how YOU can become a Master trials rider. (Results on page 26)

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