Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

... HASEROT-ESO TOP SPEEDWAY SPECTACULAR By Mike Capalite Photos by Dennis Greene PA COIMA, cu., July 13 - The absence of Don Hawley (who has a spr int car contract to honor) , l eft th e field open this week as Edd1e Mulder journeyed to Portland for th e AMA National, so the remalning Class A r i ders were ones from the previous weeks, plus a l ot of new faces on the WhIteman speedway scene. There was much speculation re- Lee Slumpenhau s like s hi s Eso. gard1ng who would come out on top since It was elected to make all the starts except the Trophy Lash hand1cap starts according" to points. As the riders were cutting up a $1,200 purse, you know the action was fast and furious. The first heat, which was the third fastest of the night, saw Jon Thomas (one cr the fast-advancing young riders) taking the win, but right behind him and looklng like a real pro was Jim Doron, who has been playlng on a JAP fo r th e last three years atOrange County Speedway and South Gate Raceway. Here Is a rider who can handle one of the machines but had trouble getting a r i de because he d1dn't have a big name, so you machine owners take note; just because a rider Isn't a big name, It doesn't mean he can't make the program. In fact, the saturday before there was a rider In th e pits f r om Bulgarla who had been one of the top speedway riders overseas but d1dn't get to ride because no one had heard of him. The second heat was a battle between Paul Conserrlere and Lee Stumpenhaus with Paul taking the lead after they both had to pass three other riders because of the handtcap start. The third heat was an example of the old school of broadslid1ng as Stu M or l ey came up fr om a 2Q-yard hand1cap to take the win with Larry Helnselmann In second. The next heat was Bruce Haserot's chance to be a hero as he and Mike Spitzer flew around the track side by side with Bruce taking "th e win. The fifth and fastest heat of the night had the crowd on I ts feet and screaming at the top of their lungs as I t pitted Jack O'Brien, John Hateley, Shorty SeabOurne, and Sonny Nutter along wi th Jim Ashworth and Rabble Wells. Being second high point man, 0' Brien was hand1capped 25 yards with Hateleyon the 20- yard line. As the flag Was dropped, some of the fastest slid1ng action yet seen began to unfold as Jack used every trick In the book to work his way up to first place while Shorty showed that a racer Is a racer as he finished close behind. Jim Ashworth t ook third as Nutter and Wells tangled In a spectacular spill from which they both walked away . The sixth heat was expected to be a battle between Jack Simmons, Homer Knapp and Chuck Berry, but to everyone's surprise, Nor m Elledge took the lead and held It despite Knapp's efforts, and Mike Kanle tlnlshed third. The last heat was anoth er cr owd pleaser as it Included two big favorites - Steve Scott and Al Gunter - and they didn' t d1sappolnt the fans, going at It hot and heavy with AI finally taking the checkered flag wi th Scott second and Keith Kruser third. As usual with a progressive program, the sem is provided lots of action because only three men could move Into the mains. C1 360(( MOTO-CROSS TEST By Bill Pettigrew The CZ 3&Occ mo ta-cross motorcycle i s one of the fines t bikes we have had the privilege to test here at Cycle News. To qualify that statement would be hard to do in print, but we' ll give it a try. With mostofthe world championship moto-cros s meets now over, Joel Robert and his CZ 360 have virtually got the 500cc title in their hands. From the m inute we unloaded our test bike at the now defunct Forst Ranch moto-cross course It was sheer excitement In the brewing. The brand- new machine had no mU es at all; in fact It was started only once when it was serviced for our test. It fired on the first kick, to our surprise, and off we went for an easy first lap. From the moment we pulled away It was evident that this was a no frills out-and-out racer from the box. In fact the C Z has to be one of the tinest ready to race machines on the market! After the warm-up lap we decided to see just how good this r ig's suspension was at high speed and we weren't d1sappointed. Although we subjected the 360 to numerous teeth-jarring drops on the front forks, It never once bottomed. The rear suspension worked j ust as well with a good solid feel at all speeds and none of that see -saw action foun d on some other products. With the CZ being a twin exhaust alngle cylinder motorcycle the factory has virtually wiped-out any problems with rings In the ports. With a large d1splacement like the 360 it I s usually to be found that the f lnning will be gener ous because of bei ng a two- stroke, and the flnning founl! on the 360's barrel and head very generous. Throughout the test there was no problem at all with overheating. The standard 21-lnch fr ont wheel goes along with the standards I n moto- cross . U a prospectlve buyer was to use the machine for desert we would recommend a 19-1nch r im and a 4.0 0 tlre due to the l ong soft sandwashes found in the wester n U .S. Where a 2 .75 tire on a 21-Inch r i m would slice it' s way through the sand, a 4.00 on a 19-1nch r i m would fioat above the san d and give better control. The first semi found Jon Thomas determined to make the A Main as he kept ahead of Paul Conserrlere and , Lee Stu mpenhaus In a r eal cllff-hanger. In this type of racing the spectators don't even take time to talk to anyone because they are so engrossed In the action they don't want to miss a second of It. In the second semi, Haserot kept his win streak going by fighting valiantly and successfully to keep ahead of Scott while Harlan Bast slipped under Mike Spitzer for third place. Gunter had to duel with John Hateley I n the third semi and was hard pressed to stay ahead of him, but AI's years of competitlon paid off as he edged John out for the win, with Kanle taking third. The fourth semi was all Jack 0 ' Brien's and he powered past rider after rider to take the l ead from his hand1cap starting postion, Shorty Sea- John Hateley' s style 01 sll dln' rldln'. W aJllng away, rapid Rick Wood s. Scott and Conserrlere. The y swapped the lead back and forth with Scott grabbing first; Kruser and Hateley wound up third and fourth behind them . After the thrilli ng perfor manc e last week by Jack 0' Brien In battllng It out with Don Hawley, he was expected to be the man to beat I n the " A" Main, but Haserot again kept his win streak Intact. The sliding was out of this world as Jack gave I t everything he had, but st1ll couldn't get around Bruce. Back In third place, r ight on O'Brien's rear wheel, was Jon Thomas, and beside him was A l Gunter. They flnished I n that order and the crowd applauded all the riders enthuslastically, knowing that this I s some of the best and most exc iting raclng seen around, and I t happens every saturday night at WhIteman Airpark In Pacoima. (Results on page 16) gear tram first to fourth can find the rear wheel spinning because the power ts the re when you want It. As for the trame , It doesn't do anything exciting to us, but then the single down tube frame is extremely rigid and free from flex. We noted that the 360 has a low center of gravity combined to the 53- I nch wheelbase which helped In keepIng down the extra light 24-1b. front end. The all-magnesium wheel hubs help In keeping the total machine weight down as well as aiding In the handling dept. cus to mers with a spare piston assembly, clutch pieces, a final drive chaln , head and barrel gaskets, big-end bearings, a set of cabl es, spokes, brake shoes, rear brake lever, footrests, gear sel ector lever, condenser and , last, spok e nipples. This should carry most r iders through a season of moto-cross or other types of competition. I n appearance the CZ 360 mota-cross rig Is beautifully color keyed In orange and white painted metal. The finish of all the castings, as far as fitting goes, and Bli money wiMer - Bruce HaseroL The 360cc CZ mote-cross bike Is one 01 the Iine st cut-et-the-bc x racers available to U.s. ent husia st s. The C Z transmissi on Is ex tremel y strong and wor ks very smoothly wi th all shifts having a shor t throw and being abs olut el y posltlve . At no time I n the te st, even in the anxious moments, was a shift ever missed. Power band on the 360 Is very wide wi th usable power com i ng on In the l ow rev range as well as th e top end. Ev ery bourne was trylng just a little too hard 0> and filpped his machine In the corner to .... sque lch his chances for a run In a Main ~ Event as Keith Kruser and Mike Bas t .. finished second and thir d. Q" The Trophy Lash pitted O'Brien, Mor- 00 l ey, Thomas and Haserot In a scratch ~ heat since they were winners of the four .... fastest heat races . Bruce really showed 00 his style as he was able to keep ahead of 0 Jon f or the win and also pick up an extra ::l $25.00 for setting a new four - lap record ~ of 1:00.12, this In add1tion to $90.00 for '00: the TD win. When the Mains rolled around, the ~ " C" main was to show Lee Stumpenhaus c.J that he d1d the right thing by purchasing :i!: himself a brand new Jawa-Eso. He took c.J the win over Mike Konle and Mike Bast ...:l with Harlan Bast finishing fourth. The ~ " B " Main was a real battle between U Geared primary drive cuts out the usual problem s foun d wi th the chain drive units fo und on other machines . Th e Ji k ov 32mm carburetor Isn't an exotic piece of equipment but rather a very functional one tha t should require little attention , and prov ide great service. To cap off the ove r all package we find that the factory Is really thinking of i ts Fantastic jumping style 01 Roger DeCoster aboard the SOOcc class CZ moto-eross the machined parts are beautiful as well . as bei ng functional. The 360 retails In the U ,S.A . at $1295 which goes right along wi th the prices In th e bi g bore com peti tion field. No matter how seasoned a r ider you are, a ride on the 360cc CZ moto-cr oss will be an experience that y ou will never f orget; i n fac t It'll probably spoil you . •

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