Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

CASTAIC MOTO-CROSS Pholos b~' Chuck Clayton ACA coul dn' l schedule Ihelr mato-cross al Cas taic, Calif. unlll the lasl mlnule, owln c to zone varianc e de lay s. Here the l OOcc cl a ss cl utche s away with #22 E. C. Blr! In front. Mike Runyard and his MoB sporlcycle. SIev e Hurd (he.. on Kawa sak i) won open class eonl esl wtth 500cc Malchless. AMOTO-CROSS IS ASCRAMBLES his finishing position. These are Iola1led at the end of the three for the overall finis hing position. Other American-type scr a mbles are run in the desert such as the Har e Scrambles and the European scrambles. The Hare Scrambles Is similar 10 the Hare and Hound. A " hare" limes the course and the same course Is used over and over again up to a lotal of 50 mUes with the actual circuit not being shorter than 5 miles . Check points are used where a rider's lank card is stamped and have 10 be arranged so there can be no cutting of the course. European s era m b 1e s are again a desert- type event. These are massstarts In each rider class1fication and are run over a closed course for, preferably, one hour. At one time no pre-practice of the course was allowed but District 37 Is not allowing a practice lap a t the discretion of the promoting club should they feel the need for one. Getting back to Europe now, their s crambles or moto-cross are run constanUy over courses that for the most part are completely unimproved. It's in the FIM rules! Also, the more difficult the terrain the better I t Is . The sport has developed Into real big time bus iness and the r iders are second to none In the world because of their background and training. A young European starting out progresses from weekend riding In club events over unimproved unknown courses week after week to where, 1f he Is good enough, he will become one of the elite. The International moto-cross rider riding for his country and with a place on one of the big works teams, and as we all witnessed at Corriganville, For st and Castaic, really are elite! It's Wlfortunate that so far our Amertcan system has changed scrambling so much that we can't produce enough riders to compet e successfully with them, but then we al so have 10 gear the sport to our local condl tions; However , the time has come to where riders with an eye to this highly specialized type of scrambling may get a break. For quite a while the ACA promoted moto-cross over rough courses that some scrambles riders wouldn't touch with a ten -foot pole and the tun-out was never gr eat although the action was fantastic . But s ince the European Invasion that ended with them taking home the booty, r iders are beginning to see their failings , and riding the rough stuff Is getting popular again . A new Moto-Cross club has been formed by the cream of our local motocross riders who had seen the writing on the wall way before a lot of other people did, and some of them, Including President Pa ul Hunt have spent a few seasons on the European eireuit so therefore know the ropes . We say hurray! We want to see 1t become "fashionable" to ride the rough again the way It used to be . So once again, moto-cr oss and scrambles are the same thing but now in American terminology we've taken 10 using the word moto-cross for the hardest type of s cr ambli ng and the term moto-cross rider as a man who Is at the lop of his chos en sport. Russ Robinson and his Suzuki wenl lichtysp ill In Ihe Irallblk. class. therefore essentially the same thing, It's In America wher e the greatest changes in the sport have taken place unUl some of our sc rambles can barely be called that. As Don Rickman said after riding Perris, "That's nota scrambles, that's a speedway! " But then maybe no one explained to him the American term "TT Scrambles." A TT scrambles Is run on a course that must be 50 % Improved and may be 100% Impr oved as Is Perris and was the old Prado Park. Speed as much or more than skill can be the deciding faclor In these races and riding these all the time will not develop riders competent enough 10 ride moto-cross , The old- fashioned rough scrambles Is a different breed of cat and Is fast going out of style because we just don't have the Iocations in which 10 throw them . In these at least 50% of the course has 10 be unimproved. The rules for either a TT scrambles or a ro ugh s crambles are the same and It's here that the term moto-cross comes into the picture. In local scrambles 1f there are not enough machines In a given class 10 run a progressive program then the moto-cross scoring system Is used. Each rider rides three heat races or "motos" receiving points each time for Spec talo rs viewed lhe races from handy hil i. By Maureen Lee Now that the word moto-cross has suddenly blossomed Into use with everyone In molorcycling it's Interesting 10 find that so many people think that motocr oss Is a different type of r acing from scrambling. It's not. It Involves a slightly more complicated type of scoring system, and In Europe time is also a faclor that can win or lose a race, but it's still scrambling. Scrambling was started In England where the natives have a habit of devis ing sports that lax man, beast or machinery to the limit just for the fun of It, and there the word scrambles and scrambler Is still much in use. The term moto-cross came from the Continent where the Conl1nentals took the scrambles and started throwing them with much more professional organizal1on and an eye to business than In the Br1t1sh Isles . There scrambles remained almost enl1rely spor ti ng. While moto-cross and scrambles are GRAND OPENING "J~ 7'UUt ad Stunt Under New Management Full Line of SUZUKI TRIUMPH BULTACO GRMID OPENING SPE CIAL Feb. 5 thru 29 A ll motorcycles discounte d new & used 2131 Verdugo B lvd. Mon trose , Ca lif. (21 249-3410 3) Ask for' Act ion J a c ks on' MOTORCYCLES ONLY SALVAGE W buy Junk.. & Sell Fine Used Parts e AIso rons of H. 0, Obsolete Stuff. 45' s-Knucker-Dish Pan Complete Servi ce Frame & Fork Straigh teni ng. We Service what they sell. Bob Ross 126 West 4th St. , san Pedro, California TE 2-6 124

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