Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

RICHMOND RAMBLERS SUPER SCaAMBLES -.Q. "'C &::_-- _.. . .- Novi ce 650cc class competitors hurl Into the tum at Richmond Ramblers scrambles, with a packed parklne lot attestlne to overall attendance. Leadlne at this point Is 3rd place finisher #139 Curt i s Schrader. Comlne around the outside behind him Is eventual winner #109 Carl Rhodes, and movlne up on the Insi de Is IIl nnelll p #45 J oe Tay lor. The first three all are aboard Tri umphs. Slory IIY Larry stewart Pholo IIY Harry 8m llh The dirtiest people In Northern California on Sunday, March 17 were those riders who participated In the supermuddy scrambles sponsored by the Richmond Ramblers. The waterhole was so deep and the mud so slick that heats In which hal! the original riders finished were a rarity. There were a few more finishers In the main events, but not many. The Ramblers have always shown great Ingenulty In devising torturous courses, but they really outdid them selves this time . Just about the only competitor who made It look easy, went fast and didn't get stuck was B1ll Verblsclo (25G) on his 360cc Malco square-barrel. He was so far ahead of the 650s In the Open Amateur-Expert class that he was mugging for a photographer while climbing the steep , muddy cliff which spelled doom for many lesser riders. Jack Paro(75B) pushed his Triumph to second place In this class and was the first amateur across the line. Ray Lawson, (41B) another Triumph-mounted amateur, took third. Mark Brelsford (1 6\\'), the 18-yearold phenomenon, took the 250 Expert heat In fine style on a Bultaco and was leading the main when he (or his machine) fell victim to the waterhole. Montesa pilot Bob Grossi, (15M) who rode very well, took the wi n after Brelsford By Mike Capallte it looked like an Instant replay last Friday night as Gary Bailey won his heats In both the 100cc and 250cc short In the 250cc/ TT div i sion, #79 Gary Bailey ( Greeves) lea ds #18 Chuck Saxton (Honda), #117 track events and then In the 100cc Trophy Rick James ( Bultaco) and #613 Randy Elli s (Bultac o). Dash pushed his Hodaka to the checkered flag ahead of new racer Gary McKenzie also on a Hodaka, As the 100cc Senior Main chomped at the bit on the starting line, It was last week's winner Dale Hopkins on his Hodaka leaping to the front when the flag was dropped. ThIs gives him a bi g advantage beca use where before Gary Baile y j ust had to stay ahead of him, he now finds himself having to pass Hopkins, and as Dale gains more expertence, he Is getting harder and harder to pass. There was never more than a machin e length separating them for the whole race and as the last lap flag cam e up, Gary made one last bid for the win at the one spot that has been Dale's weak spot, at the hairpin corner before coming onto the big track. Dale had been doing a fine job of occupying the whole corner by gettlng cr ossed up as he went through It, Above: Over-anxio us l 00cc riders eet off to a but this time he left a little hole, and lIylne start. Belo w: Up Irom San Die go with Gary slipped through to pull abreast, but hi s Brl deestone Is 100cc compsler #2 Jim Dunn. Dale was able to clo se the gate on hi m I n the big corner to make It his second The 250cc T T Main Event again had MaIn Ev ent wi n In a row. Gary B al l e y on the Nick Nicholson In the 100cc Junior MaIn Event, It ., Greeves out In front, but this tim e Randy looked like It ...as going to be another win ~ r Ellis on a Bultaco was r i ght behind him f or the Dunn boys fr om San Diego as and pushing hard. Randy w as making James Dunn took the l ead on his Brl dge- '" Gary wor k to hold the l ead as he dogged stone, but on the second lap, he got him fo r .the firs t f our laps, then somebumped and l ost the lea d position to Milt ~ thi ng happened to Randy'S Bultaco as he Hayes on a Hodaka wi th Gary McKenzie ~ seemed to l ose power and speed, and he also on a Hodaka slipping past hime be- E dropped way behin d Gary and let Gary go fore he could recover and hold third on to an easy win . Randy had built up place, and that Is the way they finished El enough of a lead while chasin g Gary that with Bryan Spinks on a Yamahaflnlsh1ng ,g even though the machine was running fourth. I:. ratty , he was able to nurse It Infor sec- c dropped out . Gene Conant (4OG) rode his Bultaco to second place. Even though he failed to finish the main, Brelsford's obvious mastery of the rough course demonstrated his amazI ng versatility. He recently took the measure of all the TT Amateurs at Ascot, won the 250cc Expert Main at Hollister's smooth TT course on March 10th even though he fell just before the yellow flag lap, and was eating them up on Richmond's mUddy course. He may very well be the best all-around r ider In DIstrict 36. The 10Ccc Novice class was won by Mike DeVries (1830) on a Sachs, and he did It the hard way . FInishing only third In his heat, DeVries had to take first or second In the semi In order to transfer to the main. He won the semi by a large margin, and five minutes later did exactly the same thing In the Main. Del Silva (49A ) and Lloyd DeVore (154B) followed him across the line on Hondas , (Results on page 16) ond place before third place !Inlsher Lloyd Qulntard on a Bultaco could catch him. Fourth place went to Honda-mounted Chuck Saxton. After the break to remove their brakes (pun), the riders were back for the short track program . In the 100cc class, the eliminating heats found the top six men In the Main Event, with last week's winner Paul Wilde who comes out only for the short track event, out In front and holding It all the way on his special bullt frame powered bya Yamaha engine. Second place goi ng to Gary McKenzie on r a Hodaka , and third place ... as James Dunn f r om San DIego on the Brldgestone. Fourth place was another r ider up from San DIego, he even had hi s number plate already mounted when he reached the track. He was Jim McGui r e on a Hodaka who signed up as a Junior r i der, but his numberplate Issued In the San DIego area was black and white and was Number 1. The 250cc Short Track Main Event saw the experience of Chuck Saxton payIng off again as he held the lead on his Honda over the threats of Randy Ellis r iding the Honda that was ridden last year by Mike Spitzer. Lloyd Qulntard on his Bultaco finished third. The next two weeks w1ll see some big changes In the track as It Is bei ng l engthened and wid ened. April 5th will be a regular Friday night program of TT and Short T rack, as wi ll the night of Ap r il 12, but on Apr il 10th, which Is a Wednesday nig ht , t here will be an open practice on the enlarged short track, because i star ting Apr il 17th, the track will s w t ch to running Short Track racing on Wednesday nigh t , and TT racing on Thursday night. Thi s will be the beginning of the regular summer schedule. (Results on page 16)

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