Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

ARIZONA TT CHAMPIONSHIP California Socks It To 'Em! story and P hotos ~ ~aureen Lee The r acing year wouldn't be complete ~ without a trip to Tucs on tor the Ari zona IT Champion ship and so that' s where we ~ wer e Easter Sunday, along with a s iza ble t.l group ot other Calitor nlans . At the end 01 the day a total ot 27 beautitul trophies :... were given out, 18 going back to the U c oast, 1 to Nevada and 8 staying home on the range. Tllli weekend started Saturday night with Herb and Johnnie, owners at Eastside Cycle and the track, along with their tamllles hosting som e at the Calltor nlans to steaks (would you beli eve a whole coW?) at Pinnacle Peak to say thank you tor all those long miles traveled to enter their event . The steaks were enormous, guaranteed to cut your power-to-weight ratio drastically (as Johnnie said, " You don't see OUR riders silting here , do yOU?"), but this tor m ot sabotage we can stand anytime! • t.l tJ Some at the best racing at the day was In llie 0-125 Amateur -Exper t division , with Mike Lane (Hodaka) trom Bakers- ' tl eld and Mark Kruse (Bultaco) at Newport Beach fighting It out. In one moto ' these two youngs ters really had a thing going but each time It was Lane who emerged the winner. Third place went to Suzuld rider Brad Wilso n ot Tucson. 250 Novice s fr om Dis trict 37 were moved up to Amateur to even things up a little bit but the Novice win went to Calltorn la and Yamaha twin, with Victor Hannan the winner . Hannan tI a t flew and st1ll won despi te mechanical trouble and not finis hing the se cond moto, Arizona took second and thir d with Pat p almer (Bultac o) r unnerup and C- Z rider Rudy Williams thir d (along with wearing the best looldng jumper on the track). Amateur Ted Longwlth (Greeves) had the spectators talIdng to themselves In his class. Lett on the line In one moto, Ted set out atter the pack that was over the Jump and tar away by the time he got going and showed the hometown tolks how a IT Greeves can travel when It has to. At one point we thought one or the other couldn't make It but somehow Ted and the bike stayed In one unit and he caught up with the rest at the riders . Fellow Cali tornlan John Llndeberg (Greeves) was s teaming along up tront with Bill Hub- Tucson's Brad W ilson (15) Iits 1111 drop on thl 0-125 class Into tum onl but 1111 IVlntual winnlr, #7 Larry Davidson, Is rl&ht aloncslde him. bard (Bultaco) and Arizonan BUI Fisher (Honda) atter him. Fisher really did a good job; each mota he'd be right up there, sometimes leading tor a spell but his equipment Just didn't have the suds to stand up to the others. The new Yamaha single showed tremendously In the Expert class taking tlrst and second. Mike Lane won with Roy spiker who now lives In Yuma second and san Diego'S Larry Blshop(Bultaco) third. Up With The Joneses 500cc class riders at work. Dennis Stinson I s han clnc on to slcond pia ci with Mlkl Lan e, Larry Nolan and Dwl.,t Harlow In thlrl pltchln,. Come Sunday mor ning r ider s showed up early at the track, including entries tram Nevada and Texas , as practice star ted at nine and ended at noon and everyone could r ide to their hearts ' content. The Action Begins Atter r ide rs meeting the war s began. Fi rst up wer e the 0- 125cc Novices , all eleven at them and as did everyo ne else they ran tlve- lap motes , The Tucson starts? Very Interes tlngl There are two. You line up to have your number checked at the edge at the pits and then drag race tor eighty yards to get a good star tIng position on the li ne. Wheel When you get there It you can 't lock It up and spin a doughnut you'r e In tr ouble, baby! Anyway, this was the only class to have a Tucson winner. Larry Davidson on a 125 Honda blew them ott In spite at a very deter mi ned ettor t tram little Mike North (Br ldges tone) t r am Las Vegas who got second and Tucson's Brad Wilson (Honda) who look third. Two at the big bore events went to " the Jones boys" with Gary winning the Open Amateur and Dewayne the Expert, both on BSA. It could be worthwhile to check with their dad Don In a tew weeks about a new goodie he's des igning to change tork rake. The Open Amateur s were agai n all Calltorn la winners with Lance Vallery (Tr iumph) ending second and David Brooks (BSA) third . David would up In that class Instead ot the 500 by mis take but rode It anyway. Phoeni x shoe Larldn Gabbert (BSA) took se cond In the Exper t and r eally s howed s tyle but he just couldn't nail Dewayne and was kept busy keeping Mike Van Acker (T riumph) tram beating him. Ar iel r ider John Fishburn walked oft with the 500 cla ss but the best r acing went on behi nd him between Dennis Stinson (Tri umph) and Mike Lane (350 Royal Enfield). Dennis took second thr ee times straight but not without really havIng to conce ntr ate on what he was doing. One goot and Lane was clos e enough to take him. Sai d Mr . Lane happily atterwar ds, .. Looks like he's going to be a track man, " sin ce so tar most at Dennis -s r iding has been desert. A Tucson rider known locally as " Super Squirrel" but really named Ron Garry won the Wheelle contest on a 250 Harley atter a contes t that put more than one rider flat on his back. Bakersfi eld's and Mil Dlnes on' s prldl and joy, Mlkl Lane, wan al mos l ev_ythln c In s l&hl - Ihl huvywlllhi SW llpS, thl 125 and 250 Explrt Ivenls, piUS a third In Ihe 500! Sweepst akes Go or~Up "Tile Janis boy" Deway.. on llis way III thl Open Explrt class win. Thl Stumpjumpers M.C.'s nllded a larl e tum of California rldlrs, some of whom took homl trophlls, like #424 Bill Hubbard, who 'Mlund up third In the 250 Amateur class. The Sweeps takes were wild and woolly and also teatured the goot ot the day. The heat board listed all whos hould ride the Lightweight Sweep but to make things more Interes ting the 250 Experts were listed to ride with the Heavies. When all wara -Itned up, word was sent for mor e r iders to get on the line , one ot whom was Mike Lane . So ott Mike went. Mark Kruse gr abbed otf the lead and held Iltor a long time unlll the superior power ot the bigger bikes paid ott and Lane passed him with Mar k hanging In there tor sec ond over-all. Then when the Heavyweights wer e lined up, back came word that all those who had ridden the Lightweight shouldn 't have, were disqualified, and would have to r ide again. The BakersUeldgroup was slightly unhappy as anyone would be, but Lane, only slightly perturbed, pulled his helmet back on and went out for another 250cc Amallu r winner Ted Lonlwlth Cels his Greevls way up there In flnl slyl .. Thl othlr J ones boy, Gary, look 1111 Open Amallur Utle, wllh an Arizona rider on his rear wheel. ten laps . Yep, he won and didn't look any the worse for wear when he returned to the pits. This kid Is really something. The Jones brothers, who also had ridden the first Sweep, were In there working hard along with Larkin Gabbert and Mike Van Acker . The day ended with the trophy pr es entation and we didn't hear one rider who didn't think It had bee n worth It to make the trip, as the track Is so great and everyone gets so much r iding, and It hadn't been an easy Irlp In so me cases. Larry Nolan had blown a ti r e and Ike Mizzen broke a Univer sal outside ot Yuma and was rescued by anothe r rider to go on to the races leaving his truck by the road. The Arizona riders are good, as was the gang tram El Paso, but this year belonged to Callfornl a. But next year ? It could be a complete r ever sal and, It all goes well, we'll be there to see the action. Hope you will , tool (Res ults on page 16)

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