Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

Rolls Tllrougll Rugged National forest story and Photos by Leonard E. Sipe Th. cours. was abl. to absorb 30 Inch.s of rain and stJ II remain comparativ.ly mu~tr... Cal Poly P.neu'ns can be counted on to provld•. Ib. best In California sc.nery. Jawa-tllounted .ndurolst passed the pollee check at the start with approYlld spark arr.ster. SANTA MARGARITA, Cal., Feb. 16- The Cal Poly Penguins M.C. presented their 19th anouaI Hi Mountain Enduro in the rugged pastoral beauty of the Los Padres national forest. It had been raining steadily for two weeks, but on the day of the event the deity of motorcycUng was kind and brought forth clear blue sides and a warm sun. The Cal Poly Penguins 15 a club of about thirty members, all students or recent graduates of California State Polytechnic College in San Luis Obispo. The 76.6 mile course, laid out in two separate loops, had been revised slightly. It was orgluaIly an 85 mile run, but a few miles of obscure paved county road had to be deleted. This year, the Californla Highway Patrol resolutely pointed out that unlicensed, unequipped motorcycles on any section of blacktop was a No-No. And to emphasize the need for strict law enforcement at this potent1aIly unlawful event, a patrol unit was on hand at the starting area to check out a few bikes for proper papers and 1.0. numbers. At 9:01, riders began tak1ngoff,flveat a time at one minute Intervals. The 43.3-mile first loop began with a short section of sandy river-bed thalled riders to the base of a large hill, to be surmounted in a series of small, steep h1l1climbs. At the ridge, the course continued on Into the green, ram-fresh backwoods with hundreds of twists and turns. The loamy ground had soaked uP over 30 Inches of rain, resuiting in the kind of good, damp traction that is a joy to ride. Near the end of the first leg, riders came down a 3/4-mile smooth dirt road that could be taken at speed to try and make up lost time. Then a sharp corner that came to a wide arroyo, doWn the rough, choppy sand-and-gravel riverbed again !or the last few hundred yards to the noon check back at the starting area. The morning's ride was a comparatively easy one, but it was long enough and difficult enough to thin down the orig1nal field of 375 starters to less than half that number. At the noon check riders took a 40 minute mandatory layover before starting the second part. At 12:01, the hundred or so riders st1ll in contention began the 33.6-mile second loop. It was more demanding than the first, full of rocky clumps, a myriad of stream crossings that drowned out more than one engine, and an extremely steep step-hill that turned into a time-consuming bottleneck. Distressed riders cluttered things uP with their stalled vehicles, hampering the flow of mountainside traffic. There were also deep mudholes to traP the unwary. Some machines bogged down so badly it took three or four helpers to get them out.At 1:30, riders began check'ing in back at the final point. • ...:... •... ;,r.. ' Club m.mbers and volunt••rs check the riders in at points alone the trail. Then IIm.s have to be comput.d and wlnn.rs talli.d, which is why bie .nduros otten require sen",) weeks 1Io e.t r.sulls flnish.d. One rider who finished very close to his designated time was Steve Hurd, last year's #1 heavyweight desert rider In District 37. A motorcycle dealer that believes In his product, Steve rode one of his new 90cc Kawasak15-speeds taken straight out of the crate. The only change made to an otherwise stock machine was to install a larger rear sprocket. It ran as strong at the end of the run, Steve claims, as it did at the beglnn1ng, where he entered the enduro with only fifteen miles on the odometer. The exceptiouai torque and tractability of the little mount helped Steve finish with a calculated loss of only sixteen points. This could be good enough to put him on top as overall winner. Hurd started out five minutes late, made uP all but two minutes at the end. Also winding uP with extremely low marks was Dave Ekins riding a 100Cc Rapido, with frame and suspension modifield according to his own requlrements. When it was over, riders had nothing but pralse for the Cal Poly club. Their annual event was well organized and had been laid out with thought and originality. The club is to be especially com-' mended for keeping the course well marked. It was almost impossible to get lost, and dangerous areas were clearly Indicated. The Penguins had made arrangements with the ham radio club at the college to have mobile radio facilities set uP, keeping in constant touch with the half dozen field checkers via walky-taIkles In case of emergencies. Officials were able to keep track of riders on a master check list this way. Th. way to win, say .xperts, Is tleare yo.. mlnut....p.r·mil. to arrive at checkpoints rlcht on lime. '...·.·A·.·.·.·.·.·".·.·.·.·...·...·.·.·.·.·,.·,. ~ See'em Ride at I • SADDLEBACK : PARK' ~ March 9-AMA S~lIles; SCTA Riding School I March 16 - ACA MolO-Crlss I Marcb 23 -Mini-Bike Meet; seTA I Riding SCbool : Marcil 30 -Saddlellack Scrambles ~ advertise your coming events in a space this size for only $19.50 (non-profit club rate). send us the information and a check or money order and we'll do the rest. (DEAOLINE IS WEDNESOAY, 5 p.m.) 0 .. nlc. thine about .,duros Is that fri.nds can ride as a team. H... a croup of three star! the trek on the sa.... iauw. Cycle News Ads BOI 498,Long Beach, Calif. 90801 lide'e. r"neff af SADDLEBACK PAIII Open .5 daily, except Tuesdays: and Wednesdays : Admission S2.50; Juniors and Minis S1.5a Mi'es of Trai's : : Acres of fun Box 2455, Orange, Calif. 71 4/639-5832 .. . 0 ~

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