Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

r C I The Drag Race Scene I Meet Tlte Dragger I By Betty Nichols Photos by Dan Zeman You don't see many yOlmg ladies out on the drag strips, but when you do, you would like to find out more about 'them. When I -.s fortwJate enough to meet Joy Houston, I fouod there was another balf of her story - namely, her husband Art. As close as this young COuPle are, it would be impossible to write about one without writing about the other. Joy and Art are newly-weds of seven months. They make their home lo Sepulveda, out lo the Sao Fernando Valley. Early lo their courtin' days, some three years ago, Art took uP drag racing, buUt took Joy two years of argument to convince Art that -she would be capable of joloing him lo this sport as aparticipant lostead of a spectator. Now, after a full year, she'S an old band at it and doing very well. Joy's pink, modified Triumph is 'way out of the class of Art's Triumph , fueler", so they are n 't competing against each other. Art does all the mecbanical work on both bikes. Joy's sponsor, Van Nuys Cycle, SuPPlies them with all their parts at a big discount. 'Ibis makes the "bike budget" a little lighter on them. Joy wears pink leathers and helmet to match her bike, so she's really a pretty picture going down the strip. Joy is every inch a lady and living proof that the girls can be just as femloine on a bike as lo a kitchen. That little girl would look good anywhere! Joy meets a lot of opposition at many of the drag striPs for the simple reason that she can't start her own bike. Art is her oll1cial starter, but they are usually lined up so close lo running sequence that. Art can't manage both bikes. They have found that they get better cooperation at Lions Drag Strip so that both of them can run without any problems. Joy said they wouldn't ride any place else because of this. To suPport their family of one Welsh quarter horse, two alley cats (one white, one black) and soon, a German Shepard PUPPY (he'S on order), plus their various loterest and hobbies, while bullding uP a decent bank account, Joy works as a secretary and Art is lo business for himself as a back- hoe trencher. By Dan Zemaa Bruce MWer and steve Brackett decided it was their turn to win some of the money Lioos Drag Strip has been giving away. Miller, who usually runs in the elevens, decided to try an SandS carburetor. It's been said that ooce you bolt on an SandS, you'Ugo a balf of a secCll1d quicJcer. It turned out to be true. Bruce made runs in the teDs all day long, turning a best ol 10.75. Steve Brackett entered in Mod1f1ed. Thought be would try Doe also. Steve usually runs in the low twelves. By the end ol the day, steve was running lo the mid-elevens, turning a. best of 11.30 and a speed of 123.28. Old man Murphy entered in E Modified, was finally put down. Brian Janes thougbt MurphY had taken this class often enough and decided to put a stop to it. The Dirty Old Man said: "Walt until next week". There were two female riders out today. Joy Houston, mounted on ber Triumph, and Donna Malcomson on a. 175 Bridgestone. Joy had her usual competition - Grant Hannah. Grant doesn't like the idea of being put out by a female and always manages to cross the finish line first. Donna did real good for her first tim e out. She took home the F Modified trophY. Clarence Bailey Clarence Bailey toot Top Gas with biB twlo engine Norton. Bailey had a rough time of it, however. Most bikes in Gas Division were turning within a balfsecond of him, SO each race was a close one. Vince Rowles on his E Gas Suzuki ran the closest run against Bailey. Vince turned an 11.97, compared to Bailey's 11.90. Jim Parks had the Street Division shook uP. His 500cc Suzuki had made runs in 'the twelves. In rouod two, however, Parks' machloe threw bits of piston out the exhaust, so minds were eased a bit. Not for long though. About 30 minutes later, the gates were opened again for the Top Street runoffs and there waiting to run was this same machloe. Parks said he wasn't going to let a blown piston bother him. He'd torn down his engine, put a new piston lo and was together and running again within those 30 minutes. Harold Spivack did the ridiog on this machine. This was spivack's first week out since his roadrace crash Nov. 24th at Orange County. Kern County Racing Association Is holding it's annual Gas and Fuel Championship Drag Meet. Top Fuel bikes are welcome at this event. (Gassers also, but they must run with the fuelers). There is good prize money: $200 winner, $75 runner-uP. So those of you who have strong running machines, be sure to make this event. The date is Feb. 28th through March 2nd. The pre-entry fee is $25. That covers entry for two, pit passes for two and entry for one bike. This may sound pretty steep, but it's for three days of racing. For more information, write K.C.R.A. 701 Baker St., Bakersfield, Calif. zip •• 93305. U time doesn't permit, call (805) 323-4472. Cycle News will be covering this event. (Results on page 16) ~ A Family Affair ave Chuck Jones Is on the road to recovery. Doctors at theRoyalNorthSborehospitaI are amazed at how fast the badly injured arm ol Jones is hea1log. The paralysis Is also leaving; Chuck Is reported to have deep-feeling from biB neck down to his waist, and partial feeling In his legs. I have received word tIat a collection is being made in Sydney, Australla for Chuck and they already have some $2,000. Those people down there must be something else. Ivy To Ride Jawa Four J., ........ By Matt Glovw BUl Ivy, worid road racing champion, has stgned a contract with the Jawa factory lo Czechoslovakia to ride the Jawa 350Cc four lo the classics in Europe this year. BUl had just recently announced that he. -.s retiring from the twowheeled competition sport, and still maJntains that his new declsion wlll not cbange biB car racing plans for this year. B1ll wtll contest the classic season openers at the Span1sband West German GP's and wlll ride the 350cc class only • Montesa Motors of SIlaI.n has a 400Cc Moto-cross factory special that will probably be contesting the 500Cc title lo this year's moto-cross circult. Montesa Is also doing very well lo the area of trials so far this year and could possibly take the world title this year. Their hopes' all stem from the skill of Gordon Farley. Farley has won several meetings this year already, the most recent being the National Colmore CUP Trial lo England. The new 247cc Cola looks like a wloner. Ron Nelson and John DeSoto, noted U.S. moto-cross riders, are being sent to Europe by Montesa Motors of Los Angeles to compete in the 1969 World ChampionshiP Mota-cross circult. They will remain there for the entire season. Both Ron and John showed everyone what it's all about by taking "First American" in both the 500 and 250 classes. Looks as if at least one American distributor has enough nerve (and spending money) to send his riders over to race agalost the big boys. Wish there were more. ~ fa) ~ l&J PHOENIX, Arizona, Feb. 2 - Another-J warm, sunny, Sunday. They didn't douse ~ the _ter on the track today, just a real U nice sprinkling. Last event here brought out 52 bikes and today there are 73 registered on the board. Gary Wells (Bri), a harvlsome lad all the way from Las Vegas, Nev. easilY woo the beat, and main, of the 125 combined Novice and Amateurs. 'Ibis kid doesn't drag his feet. As a matter at fact, he Is 12 years old and can't put his feet nat on the grouod when he is in the saddle. He's not hefty, except on the throttle, so the power to weight ratio Is really good for him. In the heat Bruce Marble (BuI) killed it on the drop of the green, finishing eighth. In the malo he held second all the way. Third overall, and lirst novice, Dick Shuman (Yam) of Tempe, worked up from filth at the end of the first lap. The 250 Novice class had 18 entrants. In the heat Bob Ritz ran off leaving the pack, and winnlog by a wide marglo. in the malo he had a close dice with Pete Wouters (Yam) for three laps. Then Pete took the lead and opened uP 15 lengths at the checker. Jim Ludi (Yam) chased the both of them for four laps, taking second as Bob faded to third. Ray Brown (Bul) started off seventh, gained one position each lap and finished fourth. There was a re-start of the 250 Amateur heat because of a pile-up lo the first left bander of the esses. No casualties. The eager beavers were off again, Dale Sturdevant (Yam) out ahead, hotly pursued by Jim Morgan (Yam) and Paul Niemi (Bul). Going loto the sweeper on the second lap Dale went too wide and way up on the top of the hank. Morgan and Niemi breezed by on the loside, low. Niemi forged ahead lo the third lap to wlo. In the Main, Niemi was the front runner for three laps, until he turned his head and Sturdevant was there, going by. And that was it, with Jim Morgan a close third. Some of the front row boys jumped the flag in the 250 Expert heat and were relegated to the second row. Brian Ross (Duc) took the lead on the second lap and had it made all the way. In the Main he had the early lead for one lap, then Jim Halford (Yam) moved ahead and stayed there. Younger brother Tom Halford (Bul) floally passed Brian golog over the jump on the last lap and got second. Sellers' Silk 1beir loteresis loclude hunting, lIshing, ClUI08lng (the camping tbatgoes with it), ice skating and skiing. 'They usually go to the Wgh Sierras for hunting and t1sb1ng. They take their 15 ft canoe out on the Colorado River. Thi$ summer, they !lope to make a trip UP to Britisb Columbia for somethlog new. They wtll take their canoealoogfor some of tIat rough river travel, but they IIaft lIIeIr 8)'es ClI1 one maJn object - the btg stber UJI ~I They aft been lospired bf stories of the big ~ ImDts UP in tIat area and they plan ClI1 bringing bome at least one fine tropby. SIdlog Is a DeW interest with them and, although it's bard, they enjoy it. 'They figure they just need more practice. Joy says you can gool all a whole day just trying to get the bang of it. They a nice little movie camera that they use to shoot highlights of the sports they enjoy. 'They take turns shooting fUm of each other as they perform. ix in the Open Novice heat Pat Hayes (BuI) and Mike Hampton (Hon) ran tight together all the way, in that order, onetwo. The Main started off and ran the same way. Mike would pull up even lo the sweeper and straight, but come out of the esses behlod. On the last lap the pressure took its toll and Mike won. Pat dropped back to eighth. Carl Antl1la(Tri) rode consistently comlog through from fourth to gain second, and Dan Gerha (BSA) lo like manner came from s1xth to third. The Open Amateurs and Experts ran together. Byron Boaz, our 11 plate, 15 conspicuous by his absence, as he 15 over at Ascot this week-end where he took two seconds and a third. Before the beat, we were kidding Jon Sellers about biB brand new, lire-engine red silk and sU.er sequined racing stripe lo front, and his number 22 on the back. He says maybe he won't W!ll but he will be the prettiest. Seems he was over to MexicaIi last week- end and cleaned the clock three times. Sellers (Tri) took the heat race handily by the length of the straight. But in the Main Sil Modesti (Nor) bad the same idea. incidentally, Sellers is a detective lieutenant on the Phoenlxpolice force. When the flag dropped Modesti immediately jumped into the lead by a big handful, and the high speed case was on, full bore. Sellers wasn't flashing his badge, or blowing a siren, but he had to prevent Modesti from copping the trophy and going home with the loot. Modesti opened up his lead for three laps. It began to look as though Sellers would have to radio ahead for a roadblock. Then he started to close, with Modesti still lo the lead as they took the white flag starting the last lap. They barrel~ through the esses together, came uP the ramp stde by side, new through the air abreast. Going into the sweeper Sellers pulled ahead and went 1m for the checker. What a finalel (Results 00 page 16)

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