Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

A.H.R.A. SPRING NATIONAL DRAG CHAMPIONSHIPS ~ ~ .... .... ~ .... '" the sUghtest threat. Buddy's best elapsed time for the quarter mile was 13.94 and his speed showed 101.80. Candler had a superior elapsed time but was short In the not-Important mUes per bour. His tickets read a best of 13.36 - 98.08. Goodness, gracious, another redllgbtl Yep, In the f1nal round Candler and Boggs were all staged and when the moment of truth In consistent acceleration arrived, Boggs drew the red and Candler took the win automatically. The Competition eliminator went _home with $100.00 from Bristol, $75.00 hy STP and $25.00 from Cycle World. To make the potbeavlerhe : also won the Chain Lube and Klean by Petrocbem, a Van Tech Frame from Grant Industries at L.A., )1elmet from Satetech and a tachometer from Pydex Co. of L.A. Buddy Boggs, the runner-up, received $35.00 from Bristol, $25.00 from STP and another electronic tacb from Pydex, (Continued from page 1) In the top gas contentiOn, Sonny Routt turned b1s twin engine, 9O-1nch total displacement Trlumpb over to the Rebel Larry WeIch who rode the macb1ne to a victory time at 10.79 seconds, at a speed at 133.33 m1les per hour; Top Fuel For a first'time In events at National standing, class racing was considered a pun1sbment rather than an bonor In the fuel catagciry. In baseball It you don't play the game right you're sent to the sbowers. In the Spring National Drag Raclng CbamplOl1sblps It you didn't make the top four qla11tylng spots rou were sent to class eliminations. ' Six of the fuel burners vied for a spot In the coveted four top eliminator spots: four "big Ineb" Barleys, one 45-lneb Trlumpb and a single Honda entry. Wben the two days ofathree-dayevent had passed, quaUtylng was locked up with three Barleys and one Triumph In contention. Bob Barker held the number one spot with a 10.14 second elapsed time. Larry Nance, the current A.H.R.A.AFBrecord holder, bad b1s magnesium-framed Barley In second qualltylng position with a 10.15 second time. Third spot was beld by Sonny Routt' 5 45-Inch Trlumpb at 10,28 seconds and the "bump" or number four spot was occupied by a HarleyOlvldson entered by Olnny Johnson at 10.68 seconds. Of the six attempted qualltlers the Honda was never a threat to any at the top four, but number five, Rusty Quesenberry's brand new 74-Ineber, camewithIn one and four-tenths at a second of bumping Johnson Into ctass eliminations. Quesenberry clocked a best run of 10.82 seconds and then blew a piston, cyllnder and rod, wbleb eliminated the threat of bumping Johnson. Sunday morning, June 9, was "E" or elimination day and the Bristol Raceway gates opened at 8:00 a.m, with bike eliminations sebeduled for 9:00 a.m, Wben the sebeduled hour arrived only three of the contenders were staged for racing. Olnny Johnson and his HarleyDavidson were nowhere to be found. A call was placed to tnemotet he and his crew occupied and It was found that they were all burled beneath blankets and pillows as thougb they wisbed the day would never come. A promise was made that they would be right out and races were held up until they arrived. On the previous day, Jobnson bad burned out a clutch and was to change It Sunday mornIng. Wben they did finally arrive at the • Ill; 011¥OD decJded It was too much -.>rIf to cllange the unit and after holding , etlml nati ons for his convenience for more than an hour, the races went on without him and his Barley- Davidson. 1be three contenders, Routt, Nance and Barker tllpped coins for a gamblers' ellmination and Larry Nance held the lucky odd coin that placed him at the sideline wblle Routt's Triumph and Barker' 5 Barley staged for the quartermUe battle. .~ , Bob Barker put Sonny away from the e at 10peliminator without too mIlCh lUI tiien returned _to do battle with , NaDell's A.H.R.i. record-boldlng tueler. 'd ne-bwidredth ata second was all the time ~t:1DC the contenders 1n qua1ltylng, lUId In el1mJnations It could be lUIy man or machloe's title. Botht1red easily, staged for this t1nal round lUId watched the progressive countdown In yellow llghts. A Red LIght! It looked as though they were out of the gate togetber but Nance must have lett a shade too soon and Bob Barker secured top fuel victory at 10.31 seconds and 144 'mUes per hour; Nance saw the red bulb In b1s lane and shut ott to coast througb the traps without a time or speed In this final race. The purse for top fuel winner, Inparts and parcels, totaled $325.00 not includIng gltt awards. Bristol Raceway gave $125.00 to the winner and other contributions for top fuel bike were from: CbaJpplon plugs $100.00; STP $75.00, Cycle WOrld $25.00; one Mlnl-blke from Bonanza; Custom Leathers from A.B .C. of South Gate; helmet from Sateteeb at Paramount; Chain Clean and Lube from Petro-Chemof santa Fe Springs. Nance, top fuel runner-up received $50.00 from Bristol and $25.00 from STP . North American Imports provided an Alloy wheel for this defeated Harley racer. Top Gas Earl Harrln,ton's Yamaha 350 turned a 13.89 ET and 93.75 mph. 50MJ Rout's double en&!ned Triumph flew to a new las record of 134 mph and Top Gas win. LalT)' Welch piloted this bl e double. .. Records i., or Seven new records were established on the A.H.R.A. books at these Spring Nationals. 1bey are all In the results. Yamaha secured three, Triumph two, Brldgestone one and Honda one. Yamaha international gave each of these record holders a Yamaha team jacket and ten dollars In cash. They also awarded ten dollars In cash to each of four class w1DIIetS. . 1be best mlle8 per bour record was set by Sonny Routt's twin-engine gasser at 134 mUes per hoiIr. Best elapsed time record was by Corty Elder's Brldgestone at 13,38 seconds. SummatioD H·D man Bob Bm" sits astride his flr......athlne bust after laklne Top Fuel aU0.31 ET and 144 mph (In baekcround). Runne...., Larry Nance (H·D) In forecrOllnlL Competition Eliminator After It was all over and the awards had been presented, C. Candler was Only two entries for top gas made It conclusive that a top and runner-up race were pretty secure. Larry Welch was riding a twin-engine Triumph bum and owned by Sonny Routt. Sonny's c u s tom 45-lnch Triumph barrels, and going Under the tI:ade name "Webcor" gave the twin-engine machine a total displacement of 90 Inches (or more, since the barrels are available In up to 48 Incbes per engine). The big double clocked a best elapsed time of 10.79 seconds wblcb Is below Its current A.H.R .A. record, but broke In a new miles per hour figure of 134.00 miles per bour that Is now the present record for A gas bike. His (Welch ' 5) competition was a little 350Cc Yamaha gasser that set a new A.H.R.A . record for Its class, "DGOB", at 13.89-93.75 mUes per hour, Itsowner Is Earl Harrington of Roanoke, Va. The top gas racing was planned to be a four spot, top eliminator bumping process, but the simple two engines took away the lustre of beads-Up competition. As a result the Yamaha was given a two-second handicap by the lights and Larry Weleb cooled another halt-second at the llghts waiting to be sure there would be no red light on his side. Wben he did pop the clutcb and accelerate In hot pursuit, all the race stand spectators lurched to their feet and watched the big double cateb, pass and defeat the Yamaha In Top Gas eliminations. Larry Weleb rode the double Trlumpb to an elapsed time at 10.79 seconds at the speed of 133.33 mUes per hour. Awards for the top gas bike were: $80.00 from Bristol, $75.00 from STP, a helmet from Satetecb, $25.00 from Cycle World, Chain Klean and Lube from Petrocbem. The runner-up received $30.00 from Bristol, $25.00 from STP and an alloy wheel from North American Imports• Bob Quesenberry (H' O) col bumped for Top Fuel. Bob won cia .. Irophy! 51ttlng beside his ' traIlered Norton and had his arms' locked about the gas tank In an emotional embrace. His eyes were glazed and words tumbled from b1s lips f . that could be deciphered Into repeateC:t sentences of, "It can't be real, tbls Is a' dream. Someone's going to come and take It all away from mel" . ThIs was Candler' 5 firs race outing and In the three short day' Jf!grewfrom street rider to Champion. Candler's first competition was for a class title and he defeated a BSA that was entered by Allen Christian of KIngsport, Tennessee. After that It was the handicap, and one by one, six contenders were put down until only one remained against the Norton. Buddy Boggs of Alexander, Va, bad raced against two class contenders for trophy gold on his 72-Ineb HarleyDavidson and won those events with only So there It was, 2560 miles from Los Angeles, Callt., Bristol, Tennessee, l0cated In a beautltul canyon surrounded by echoing greenery that drew forth the drag strip'S nickname of "Thunder Valley." A small field at competition, but . the best In fuel hikes. Larry Nance's custom built magnesium framed Barley was the finest piece of machInery present. The frame weighs In at 7 Ibs.and Is all band-ttnlshed alloy. Bob Barker's best elapsed time of 10.14 seconds was top E. T. of the three days. C. Candler not only won top competition eliminator but bad the best E. T. of all stock and modified bikes. His time was 13.36 seconds. Top mUes per hour • . for all stock of modlfleds went to Buddy. Boggs and his 72-lnch Harley-Davidson at 101.80 mph. Gas competition was nil, but the performance of Sonny Routt's Triumph would bave put any entries down with as much ease as he and Larry did the Yamaha runner-up. (Results on page 20) • •

• Cover