Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

i BERGOUIST TOPS Q.. ~. ~ ~ ~ A T H ILLTOP E S PR HARE SCRAMBLES ,. Story and Photos by Dick Wright r.J LUCERNE , Calv, Ju1y 14 - Iron-man ...::I Larry Bergquist. #888x on his trusty ~ 250cc Bullaco, won the twn (orly-(l veLl loop HllItoppers Hare Scramlies held near Lucerne. Phil Bowers, #139x , was second on a 250cc Yamaha, and Tim Smith took third on a 360 Moo te sa. TwIce around the course was to be a rough go for big bikes and trail bikes alike. The starting line was at the end of the dry lake, going lIP a sandwashinto sandy boondocks on an uphill grade, and It took a little pressure to stay with the pack. It was mostly sandy, choppy, and dusty trails all the way, with a long flatout fire road, and then a no-good, rocky, downhill . This hill was completely covered bY head-sized rocks, with no sand to speak of until a lot of riders had gone down It and pushed some of the rocks to the side. They uncovered only two fee t of sand, and the rest of the two- hundr edfeet down was rocks. Then there was a good fifth-gear fir e r oad, more deep, sandy, downh1ll trails, and into the pits. Bergquist led It into the pits the first time around, with Bowers coming through second. After the pits, the course ran the full length of the " Soggy Dry Lake ," at least a full mlle, and at the end.or the lake was the choppiest stuff I have ever seen, with lots of small bushes In deep, powdery sand. Wethen crossed the startIng line and headed lIP.the sandwash again. Bergquist came in for the win after these two rough loops with Bowers second and Smith In third. Lynn For tner , #506, got a bad start and took of( the li ne almost last, but he wor ked his way up to fourth on a 360 Malco; not a bad day's work in the hot sun on a new bike. Jack Byers, #3 on a 500cc Rickman, pulled in fifth , and Kurt Luhmeyer, #50X, • ,. Brl dp stD mDunled J 1m Cl ancy flew III first ne 100cc Novice and a veal second Dveran Trallblke behind Ja ck Morgan. was the fir st Amateur in on a 250 machine. Mase Ryan, #11 ona TriumPh, was the first Open Class rider In for seventh overall, and Jim Dorman, #102 on a Triumph, took first Amateur In the Open Class for tenth overall. Jerry Ratellff, #106, was the first Novice In and eleventh overall. W.L . Turner, #218x, was the first 250 Novice In. . After the race, we were talking to the fast-riding school teacher, Phil Bowers, #139x, who has taken two seconds In a row on the 250 Ya maha , and he said, " The course was a big bike course, with the long fir e road and the drag across the lake; I was sure glad I had a fivespeed," Trail Bikes At the last minute, the Hllltoppers de- Lynn Fortner and his new Malco mount copped second SOOcc Expert behind lIontua mouniad TIm Smith. c1ded not to run the trail bikes on a separate course due to the lack of manpower ; they were to go on the big bike course. Those who missed the r iders' meeting never did know how many loops to take, until theyfinishedtheflrstfortyfive miles and were told to keep going. More than one rider ran out of gas. Jack Morgan, #1 on his Hodaka, was the winner. The big duel was between Jim Clancy, #818, a Novice on a Bridge. stone , and Eric Jensen, #7 on a Hodaka, who has opened a new shop known as Competition Motors. At the start, Jensen was running fourth and Clancy was Sixth, and they both moved up until they wer e r unning second and third behind Morgan as they all came through the pits. Clancy passed Jensen r ight after the pi ts , but Jensen was able to take him back In the rough stuff. They stayed this way untU they came to the rocky downhill, where Jensen got boxed in behind some riders who had gone down, and Clancy took the advantage to pull into second position and hold it to the finish. This was only the third time that the bearded nineteen-year-old member of the Hundreds M.C. has finished a race, but each time he has been in the gold. Jensen pulled a third on his Competition Motors' Hodaka. Alan Wurtzel, #612, took fourth and was First Novice. John Leary, #934, pulled In flfth and was second Novice. George Ramy, #88, had a good r ide and was running a strong fifth until he unloaded on a rock in the middle of the sandwash turn; he hur t his shouider, but was able to get lIP and hold onto s ixth spot to take first Amateur • (Results on page 16) BERLINER MOTOR CORPORATION _ Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey W ESTERfj PARTS HQ. ZDS MOTORS 521 Windsor Rd., G lendale, Calif, To ride th e new Norton Commando 750 OHV is to exp er ien ce the thri ll of superio r cycling performance.

• Cover