Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125573
NEW WIXOM FAIRING , .------------.~ " BULTACO" e Dale 8ro.. Motors ,..-------------. e. lIy lIob E\)Plin~ Things seem to happen in succession as attests Bob Ebeling's third victory in as many weeks ot top bike eliminations. Real highlights ot the weekend's racing began at Irwindale, when Bob Braverman led Kawasaki's debut into drag racing, minus a 'stock ttsme, with his harnessing ot two 350cc Grand"Prix engines into his twin -engine frame. There is a lot ol room [or improvement in quarter-mile racing [or those speci al breed powerhouses, but it wasn't needed this Saturday. Braverman was uncontested in the race [or top bike, but in sptints " just [or kicks,- the Kawasaki turned 10.57 elapsed lime and 130 mph. • A li-al um num framed.NarlDn 750cc tum machine of Moul ders & Reece. The .D Gas Draestor Is i ri dden by Roece. Street b1ke racing was heads-up with one top eliminator, and all appearances pointed to Ron Knapp's ll- second Yamaha or the Murphy- Nicosia Suzuld to secure a winner's trophy. But alas', things began to happen for the quick ones . Tony Nicosia drew a red light In eliminations against a 450cc Honda and Ron Knapp fouled a plug, producing failure to fire against the same Honda. Now don't get out your a utograph book, for the na me Is a matter of coincidence. Gregory Peck won top elimlnator! Th1s Grego ry has only made the home mov1e s creen , but may be on h1s way to bigge r things with a 450cc Honda that runs In the th1rteen s ec ond bracket and wins top eliminator. Lions Many, many motorcycles, some big , some s mall, but all damn quick for their respective dlsplacement, showed up at Lions, Time prevented a final elimination series In stock, gas or modified, but I will take the r espons ibility of guessing that Ri c h a rd s o n' s Harley-Olvldson Sportster would have the honors In the s tock divtsron, Richardson seta top s tock E. T. of 12. 68 an d c ut a trail through the top end of a quarter-mUe a tl04. 89 mUe s per hour. His clo s est contender was the big SuzuId of Sommer s that turned ti mes and speeds of 12.82 - 102.80. - - ----- ctose on the heels of Sherwin's Harley Sportster was Linn's 250cc SuzuId that had to defeat Nicosia-Murphy's venomous Suzuld, to secure trophy gold. Linn'S trip through a set of timing lights was done In 13.08 seconds at 98,90 miles per hour. Gas QuIckest of the gas machines were vying for top bike elimlnator and left trophy runs to the .. 0" class dragster of Leonard. The 350cc Honda that Leonard r ode into a trophy pickup booth ran the quarter mUe in 13,32 seconds at 94.2 6 miles per hour. Velasco was out in flnal stages of preparing for Bonneville on his 175cc Bridgestone that runs the quarter in fourteen s econds flat, a t 88.93 mUes per hour. The current r ecord at Bonne ville is 89.3 61 mUes pe r hour. Chances sure look better than good l or Velasco an d Br idgestone in the s prin t for a ne w land s pe ed record on 175cc's of displacem ent, Top Eliminator Two on gas, one on fuel made i t pretty easy for Ebeling'S third top bike victory . George Jonovic h an d his twin -engine Norton first raced the Moulde rs and Reese s ingl e-engine Norton and met with defeat as Reese went by from s tart to finish . Jonovich was so mad he threw a chain, or maybe it was accidental. The flnal race for top bike staged Reese r iding the gas-burning Norton against Ebeling's Triumph and it was niP an d tuck out of the hole. Needless to say, fuel produces power an d the Sta-Lube Exp r esso expr essed i ts way to the clocks in 10.67 seconds , at 134.55 mUes per hour. The Mould e r s and Reese aluminum-framed machine had the elec tronic dials stopped a t 11.88 - 111.80. ·Pit· Notes Georee Janovich's t wl _ cl ne Norton sponsored by American Sp.ed Cycle campetes In A Gas Draester cl ass. Two of the stock entries fought hard for class trophies as Malland had to defeat five contenders In B stock, on a 750 Nor ton. The American Speed Cycle ma chine ha d s topped the clocks In 13.49 seconds at 98.3 6 mUes per hour. The s econd entry I have mentioned was Middleton, who faced six able adver Saries in 0 stock. Middleton did the m all In with a s wift quarter-mUe run of 13.81 E.T. Modified AI Sherwin had a lead on all of the modified pack with a best trophy-w!nn1ng run of 13 seconds flat and 100 mUes per hour. SACHS TRAllBIKES Dealer Inquir ies Invi ted Hercul es Dist. Ca. LTD - 1171& Sant a Manica Blvd. Las An$ele s 3, Co. 90025 Irwindale Raceway will continue to r un b1kes but the me thod used in eliminati ons will de pend on the turnout. Bonneville 15 but one week a way an d machin e s are being tun ed to hair-line fashi on l or attempts a t the big numbers in mUes per hour. With r e spect given, where respect ts due , Cycle News is presenting an addlti onal award at Bonne ville for 1968. J im Enz is not with us in an earthly race for speed but is rather loo king on l r om a seat with the definite advan!age of hig h altitude an d fiullY white clouds for a foot s tool. Last year, Enz and his twin-engine Royal Enfiel d broke 190 mUes per hour and without a doubt the major goal woul d have been 200 for this year. As I said, "In respect," a beautiful" Enz Memorial Trophy" will be awarded to the week's fastest open bike at Bonneville, Utah. (Res ults on page 16) 2441 Long Beach Blvd. Lo ng Beach, Calif. • ~ ..; 0> ~ EW I CAR MOUNTED ,Q ~ ~ CARRIER WRITE: GarNoCo B 243, NDVato, Calif. ox Wixom Brothe r s , makers of fairings for the factory Harley-Olvldson racers, including Cal Rayborn's Olytona 200wlnn1ng mount, r ec ently introduced the Ranger 74 Legs hi eld Fairing, which continues the expans io n of the Wixom Bros. Company product line, according to Dean Wixom, presiden t of the company . The Ranger 74 Legshield Fairing is des igned for year-around use, except for extreme summer temperatures, to be used in conjun ction with windshield fairings . Engineering Innovations incorporated include neo pr ene panels, which permit lull turning radius, Dealer inquiries are invited and the company address for further Infor mati on Is: Wixom Bros. Co., 1955-57 Temple Ave., Long Beach, Calif 90804, phone (213) 433-7409. (RASH TIME AT (Y(LELAND By Carolyn B. Richards CHICO, Cal., Aug. 3 - Three Oroville racers, none of whom made the winners' circle, limped a way from a s pectacular crash Saturday night at Cycleland Speedway in an '''a ct'' that was one of the highllghts of the weekly flattrack events. Starring In the pe rforman c e were Gene Frieze, Mainer Richards an d Steven Goff . F rieze and Goff are both Kawasaki rtders and Richards rides a Hodaka for Drake' s Auto Supply. On the second lap of the fir:;t 100cc han dicap heat, Frie ze took two r iders on the inside, but as he came out of the corner he .was going too fast to s tay UP. When F rieze s li d out, Richards was riding on the outside and he had no ch oice but to hit F r i e ze or his cycle. He chos e the cycle - an d went flying through the air in a doubl e somersault to land fla t on his back several yards down the stra1lrtltaway. He Flies Through The Air Whlle Richards was s t1ll pl aying daring-yo u n g-man-oil-the-flying- trapeze, Goff found himself in a worse dilemma. He had nowhere to go, so h1s machine's front wheel hit F rieze's helmet. After untangling the machines, Ri chards had the only one that was s t1ll working. Another Crash, with no one being hurt, . oc curred in the 250cc Handicap Main when the Harley-Olvl dson Ray Vatne was r iding dled on the s tra1ghtaway • Mike Cor coran of North Highlands, cons istent Cycleland winner, hit Va tne and both riders went down. After the re-start, Cor coran won first place on hi s Bultaco and Vatne, third. In between was Manfr ed Heyrend, Oroville, who too k second place brass on h1s Yam aha. Participa ting this week in the 21 events with the 38 other riders was Gus Lauer of Grass Valley, number 2y . ~r ing intermission, Laue r and Corcoran had a four- lap match r ace, which Lauer won. The .vl s iti ng rider, holder of 758 trophies, said the greatest number he ever won in one day was back in 1954 at a Marysville field meet. He won 12 firsts In the 13 events. 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