Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

ISPROCKETS SCRAMBLES I Story by Ernie Winslow Photos by Jack Light BAKERSFIELD, Cal., July 13 - saturday night the ()pe n Experts provided one of th e finest programs seen at Sprockets Park In many a season. The Bakerst1eld fans witnessed three potent Triumphs parade across the f1n1sh l1ne with Butch T urner , out of Wilson Tri umph of F resno, In his famillar position - first place. Ron Pi erce, sponsored by Custom En - gineering, rode a ver y smooth race to '-.t LannIe Mays of Fr esno for second. The trophy winners In the Open Novi c e were also TrIumph- mount ed with L ynn Campbell besting Allen Basden for fi r st place gold. Basden turned In a surprisingl y good ride as this was the first time 10 over a year that he's even laid eyes OIl a bike. It seems all the sand tn Saudi Arabia would make for fine racing but Al says it's a little hard to throw a camel into a full lock slide. Basen has been overseas for the past few years looking f or that black gold but still likes the kind you find on the seat of a motorcycle. Mike Keene and his ever - dependable Matchless copped Amateur honors to stave off a Triumph sweep of the ()pe n events. NEW I CAR MoulTED : CARRIER . . , - - - - - - - - - - - - - , <\i e, WRITE: Garl.eo Box 243, Novato, CaUf. Blake Hustles Winning Ride Rick Blake showed up at thetraekwith a set of Expert number plates under one arm and an eye outlor a r ide. He promptl y ·jumped on a 250Cc Suzuki and smoked the field. Rick can usually win on anything from a small bike to a big one except f or the one he owns and tunes him self. (Rick, do y ou suppose there i s a me ssage ther e?) " BULTACO" Dale Brown Motors 244-1 Long Be ach Bl vd. Lon g Beach , .Cali r. HIGHEST TRADE-IN 239 I. Auh.lm Blvd. Au...... Cal. Phoa. (714) S33-1309 BRIDGESTONE Sales-Service Barney Tillman ' s SPORT CE NT ER 6027 W tt i er Bl vII., E. Los Ang el es hi (213) 723-3 523 Open Expert winner Butch Turner (Tri umph). ABOVE: Ron P ie rce (Tri umph), 2n d plac e Open Expe rL BELOW 2SOcc Expert winner #201 Ric k : Blake (Suzuki) leads 3rd plac e Harv.y Bakker (Bulla co) . Pete W11l1s, on the mend from a broken collarbone , r eturned to action on his Ducati and i n fine style zapped the boy s i n the 350Cc Novice go. Guy Smith and Ron T obey were the top dogs in the 200ee Expert and A mate ur affair. These two lads were moun ted on l 75ec Bridgestones as was Gil Robbins who won the Novice event In this class . The 250Cc Novice went to Howard Howell of Pas o Robles . Jet! Johnson (Royal Enfield) chased Howell' s Yamaha to pick up second place. Roseberrys Romp The 125cc Exper ts were agatnplagued by the deadly duo of Joe and Frank Ro seberry. This br other combo and their ultra-fast Kawasakls furnish som e of the better racing 10 Distri ct 35 regardless of displacement. Art Carter and a very healthy Honda took the Nov i ce class as Bultaeo-powered F r ed Gregry ofVlsal1a was number one Amateur . The 250 Amateurs staged their usual crash-bang affatr with Stan Mills slipping by Max Carpenter f or a well-deserved win. (Results on page 16) MEET THE DEALER By Elsmar Salley Probably th e younges t and fastes t growing business I n An chorage, Alaska, I s a moto r c ycle sales and service shop tha t was opened about six weeks ago by a young man who i s used to running at the hea d of the pack. He I s Mike " Squeeks" O'Connor , about whom other motorcycle racing enthusiasts say , " He never enter ed a race without winning some thing." Mike has the Anchorage franchise f or th e Kawasaki line . If his first rush of business Is any Indication, he'll be as good at selling cycles as he is racing them. " 1 had hoped to sell maybe three or Mike O'Comor Trophy Winner Turned Dealer fo ur Kawasalds a month until 1 got established " he said. "1 thought my pri, mary business would be In repa I r , " Then he added, proudly , "I sold 15 In the first six weeks." Mike looks more like a f r i endly boy next-door than a self-employed business man. His slight, wiry body looks deceptively thin until you notice the r ipple of muscles _ muscles earned by hard work and years of wrestling cycles . One lock of his light brown haIr keeps f alling Into his eye and his nos e Is well sprinkled with f r eckles. His friendly, almost shy manner Is a r efreshing change f r om the traditional hard sell entrepreneur . He Is a dealer with whom the younge r cyclists can laenUfy. ThIs trend is already apparent. M ike say s that most of his customers - both the buyers and the lookers - are In the 15 to 24 age group, He advertises by taking his Kawasaki cycles where the action I s and then winning the trophies. 10 the first event of the 1968 season, an English Trials with nine traps, he entered the only Kawasaki and won the first place trophy . He has had years of experience In r i ding an d racing. He inherited his love of cy c1ing from h1s dad who first put Mike on the buddY seat when he was four years old. He soloed at ei ght on a big Triumph and owned his first maeh1ne when he was 13. He paid half from a paper route and his dad paid the remainder. He has rarely been without one since. Re left his home In Pocatello, I daho, and came to An chorage by the same route that has brought many new Alaska residents - the military service. After spending 28 months at Elmendorf AIr F or ce Base, he was se nt to North I:akota, Unusual shifts in his military job as a fireman allowed him to hold part-time j obs as a cy cle mechanic. As soon as he compl eted his m ilitary com m i tm ent, he r eturned to Alaska and wen t to work as a mechanic. He continued to race until he began savi ng f or his own bus iness. In 1966, he finished second in the Nor th west Championship races held In Boise, Idaho. 10 1964 and 1966, he won the Alaska state Cha mpionship . He was " outs i de" in 1965 and the 1967 races were cancelled because of a severe flood I n Fatrbanks, where th ey were to hav e be en held. When they are hel d and he enters, he wins . Since 1957, he has won 162 trophies . Will he enter any of the big races this year? U It' 5 doubUul, " he said , " because I'm puttlng every cent I make here at the Kawasaki Cycle Cache back Into the business." Unli ke many budding businessmen, Mike did not keep working for the other man until his own fledgling business became well established. In fact, he has one fUll-time mechanic of h1s own. "1 knew there was a good chance we would not make a great dea1 of money fo r a while, but I f elt 1 coul d help It grow faster U 1 gave it all of my energy and attention rather than just what was l eft over from another job. Besides, " he grinned, " my wife wnrks, so U things got real tough we co uld live on her salary," The way things look now, she will probably soon jo i n him In running the family business. Hotiuk» \I O I O r< · ~· cl ,. ,", Greeves Morlt esu Kuwasuki W estmin i ster Sport Cycle Guy R. Loui s (714) 893-7057 757 4 W ini ster Ave. W inslel , Cal. estm eslm RONNIE RALL FLIES ON A BEMELLI FOR DEALER INFO RMATIO IN N SELECTED AR EAS Write: Jesse C. Levine National Sales Manager COSMOPOLI TAN MOTOR , INC•. S Dept, A., 5521 Wayne Ave., Phi ladelphi a, Pa. 1 9144 \>\~ ~~ ~(S

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