Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

Jeff Smith Tells School How To Win by Maares Lee It slaads III r-.oa tbat lJIls .-k's column ~ blml sometlllDc about .Jeff Smith to it.. Be' 5 jUBt about tbe best scnmbIer the world bas seen; to Oftrall poiDts stoce be started compel:1Dg be Is stIJl lUI impress1ft d1staDce abad al tbe fJorm1dllble Torsten Hal1ma n • enD lIIauIh Mtlf'8 last World CbamP100SIIiP _ a few years ago. to tile "MaratboD ntle" as tbe7 call it to Europe. be slaads with 571 potots. Aal1man at 500.. To earn points lllwards that title you ban III place in tbe top s1J< In tile big IDternat1ona1 G. P. races. so altbough be basn·t beId that CbamPioosbip for a whlJe it's more than obvious that Jeff and bis BeeEer are still a force III be reclta1ed with. WbeD you win a G.P. all you get is etcbt points! As a person to talk to. the old adage al "The bigger tile name the nicer the g1lJ" comes to mind after meeting him and listening to him at the Long Beach marie sbowIng and a1teDding tile scrambles lectnre. Not ooJy does be know bis sport thorougbly. but be CaD communlcUe wbat be bas learned to otber people III beIp tIIem along the way. So bere are some little goodies we picked uP. It's obvious you must learn to walk before you can run and Smith ad'rises tbat anyone consider1Dg serious compstlt10a ride tratIs. For beginners it's "'IpPClaIly important to make all m1staIras at slow speed, rather than blne III l8arn them tile bard _y in lUI all-out scramble. OYer the years we'ft noticed tbat .Jeff and team-malie Arthur Lampldn COIIt1Dued to ride trials wbeD not riding molocross. (f tile big boys to tile sport tIdDk it worlo:s, wily not try it? WbeD you race, you sbouId win at tile ;;lowest possible speed! Not ooJy that, if you plan OIl winning, you doo't get out In front at the beginning. We realize that In our District with our all too oflien "fourlaP race bit" that wouldn't work; you grab alt the lead and bang on. But wbeD you ba" III use your bead a little this is the tbeory, let someone else pace you whlJe you sit back and _tcb wbat happens from bebind him. (f be hits a bole. you bave time to miss it. He'll be pushing his macblne and himself harder than you because be's afraid you're going to pass him. "1Iukc~ Is a 8PllI"t". and as __ world c1w" i .... IlOl NUaoo cnee said: "We'!1t DDt pIQiDg pmgJIOIIC.." SboaId you take a ~ craab. ride cme laP at reduced speed; sbouId you really go dowa waIlcp tIIBa wttIm'aw for !lie dlI,y. "You 8oaidD·t _ tbat be~ you feel O.K. you are O.K.... tII1s espeelwllJr 11 70U btt yoJfZr ~ bard.. FlU- for yoarseli and YQ1II' m-cMtis important. (f YOU're serious aboat racing, then keep fit. .Jeff blmse1f runs two miles a dlI,y, does 40 pusb-uPs &lid 40 sit-lIPS. Tb1B. be says. takes about 2' IIl1nutBs and mUes b1m . - t a hit. in rldiDg bikes you'll be proae to back troubles. Don't ride straight uP &lid down 00 the saddle; try III bave a sIlghtcunatare al your spine to belp it absorb tile sbock 00 rongb ground. And wbeD you do bave trouble. get to a chiropractor and bave it fiIed. As tor your macblne. it's a thoroughbred. Help it live longer by giving it ample time to warm uP at low revs before making it breathe bard, and also maintain it. However, doo'Ulnker around with it too mucb. (f it's running well, leave it alone. Just cbeck the necessaries like ou. plugs ea:. Keep an eye 011 tire 'pressures and wbee1 spokes. You CaD burst a wbee1 just as easilY landing OIl one with too tight spokes as loose ones so let tile spokes live a little. According to Jeff, clean1lness is like Godliness at .the BSA factory. Their macblnes are cleaned tborougbly after a meet. You can't see emerging problems with layers of dirt on the engine, and we Ialow bow many local riders are In the babit of leaving tbeir macblnes looJdng like tile bottom of a bird cage. It done carefully, wasbing that scooter isn't going to burt it. Eftry race day, walk tile track before practice, eYen if you know it and bave ridden it before. You never know what migbt bave bappened to tile surface or bow the promoler cbanged just some little thing since your last time 011 it. Smith's whole attitude may be summed uP-this way. It you're going to race don't leave anything to cblUlce. But if you don't enjoy it then don't do it. To be a successful racer you must bave tun at it. It you get weary of the grind theD take a lay-off; don't keeP pusbing yourself. As Smith said humorously, in inliernatiooal motocross wilen they get a bi t stale tile only way they CaD get a breather is to fall off cooveniently and break something. In all seriousness, a break can reenergise you and you'll come back even better than you were. He thinks be w1ll cOlltinue to ride years from now "beI enjoy riding a motorbike," and even lJIls year, though retiring from the International circults, be wlllcootinue to race because be likes it. Those who beard him tell anecdotes at the movie &bowings. some so funny be bad the aud1ences screaming, and those of us who beard b1m realized that we'd met a true champion and a gentleman. '!be lad from Lancasblre is a credit to our spori. On a 20 laP race say, after be's led for 18. pass him. You'll know wllere be makes his mistakes and you CaD get by. TbeD immediately droP into the groove be's been riding; you've followed him long eaoueb to mow wbat it is. After 18 laPs al rldiDg tbatgroove be WOD'tbaveenougb time III tlgare out a new OIIe to get back arolDI you, and you've got tile win. 15 FloJd Cb'mer lllIIJdlDc" IJIMr-.-. ttm.l _pin fJor IIICIlDrqeIe me......tar1Dg. or a small Geaeral MolIDrB to !lie cyde f1eId? It Is ~ tIIat Cl)'mer. since biB acqaIsltloa al tile Friedel MlDcb bctory at (>nebefm. GermaD7. wllere tbe7 baiId !lie large 4-c:yUDder CIymer-Muncb Mammoth, lUI OBC Tw1D and..ract1Ig engines. bIlS brancbed oatud is now building to Italy six new 1969 models ~ the Indlsn name. TIle Italian firm, based at ~ , 1Ialy. Is CIymer- Tartarioi al 1Ialy, wbo operalle under contractual agreement. It is also mown tbat Clymer bas beeD negotiating with lUI Englisb faclDry to produce at least one model for him. Clymer and Muncb are considering an agreement with R1clanan Brotbers of England III build a Grand Pm racing frame and fittings to mount tile new 500cc Muncb-desigoed dual OHC Ind1lUI racing engine for racing In Europe.Alsoa 750cc version, wIIlcb under Dew A.M.A. rules will be permitted to race in tile United states In dirt track events. When quizzed about bis plans. wIIlcb seem puzzling to many people In Europe. as well as In the Un1tIed states. Clymer issued the following statement: "Certain of the rumors you bear are true, some partlally true and some are untrue. 'Ibis statement, I hope. wlllcJarlty matters. In Germany we are stead11y iDcreasing Mammoth "4" production at our factory at Ossenbeim, where Friedel Muncb remains as Chief Engineer. Mr.. Muncb bas disposed of his Intereslln tile firm to me. but be remains In charge al all development work, maIdng the Mammoth and tile new OHC racing engines. ml!JJUfacturing Muncb large front wbeel brakes. and doing otller necessary develoPment. designing and englneeriDg work. I bave great coafidence In Mr. Muncb's engineering ability. mucb al it gatoed by bis work In the former Rorex 1actory as lUI engtneer and racing expert. .. Our ligbtweigtlt models, tile Indlsn Papoose and Pooyblke and tIIenewIndlsn Boy Racer, the Indian Velo "500", and the vertical OHC TwIn wlll be bullt by Clymer-Tartarini of Italy, using mostlY Italian components, but with some German and Engllsb parts. "It is true that we bave some dea.l.1ncS with Britisb firms, as evidenced by our Velocette agreement wIlereby Veloce LlxI. sells engines and gearboxes to us for assembly In the Italian factory. ..P. Mitcbell & Co. Ltd. of Birmingbam, long time International Exporters, bas contracted with me to distribute indian products in all countries througbout tile world, with the eJ

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