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/125609
illow Springs Sings !'botos IIY DeDDis Greene WILLOW SPRINGS, Calif. Marcb 30 UDder Ideal racing cood1t1oos 150 Grand Prix aDd Production reed racers took tbelr montbly jaunt out to WIllow Springs Raceway for tbe second ACA cbampiooship points event In the 1969 season. Liehtweigbt production, 50ec and 100cc GP macblnes all bad 25-miDute eV8Ilts, with all the other GP classes running 45 mUes eacb. Fastest times at the day went to Tony Murplly aDd Budd7 Parriott at 1 min. 46 sec., wilb Murplly eventually willDlng the 250cc GP 81'8nt ~ a spectacular race between Murpby, Parriott and Pay Hynan, all tbree Yamaha mounted. Heavywelpt production race pta throup the flrlt bend In aood alla... (above) with Roland Pap. #5 (allo below) on a Trhlllph Trident first o_all. !'arrlott and Murphy had a real due' 01 Ityle 011 equal 250cc bike.. TIle Triumph Trident triple held off all ItalIdard production C08lerl. Ken Rulsell look first 500cc with hll bo.. ltock Kawasaki lIach III. Nole centerltand was r_ved few com. .clearanc.. ~- .... Tbe desert beat took Its toll In the 350cc event. out of the entire starting field, there were only four finishers, with Dave Doan from RIverside on a Honda, riding out of Ibe Two Wheeler sbOQ, taking first place. In the Open and 500cc GP event, Fresno's Don Harms who Just returned from Daytona on his yellow HarleyDavidson, finished 10 first place 10 the Open GP class, with Tony Murplly, second over-all and first 10 the 50Dec GP class on his Norton Manx. One of the outstane:llng l1&btwelgbt riders of the day was 1000c Jet! Pasternak, finishing 10 first place riding on Angel. In !be 125, 175, and 20Dec GP class event, to everyone's surprise, 1171 Rudy Gallndo on a Yamabaflnlshed first over-all, but not until after a great deal of scrapp10g with road racing champion Buddy Parriott. Gallndo led the first two laps with Buddy leading the next 7 laps, and then Buddy dropPed back 1oto second spot until Ibe last lap when his machine had mechanical problems. In Ibe 175cc GP class, first place went to 1\1107 Doug Cl1fford from Hawtborne, Calif. on a Brldgestone and the 200cc class went to Dick Pearce on a Greeves. Tbe ligbtwelght production event Is always 1oterestiDg, especlaIly from the rider's viewpoint, wilb Ibe small 5Occ's tbrougb 200cc production machines battllng. ThIs time cubic 10ches took It and Ibe over-all winDer was a 200cc machlne, Roger Wood on a Brldgestooe. Rick Mullane came all the way from Seattle to take 2nd 125cc on a Honda. Tbe heavyweight production event also was captured by the largest displacement machlne running 10 Ibe event. Dave Damron, first place SOOcc production winner 011 Ocelot tuned Yamaha IponlO ..d by Bak_afleld'llieIDln..en. Roland pagan, last year's OQen class champion repeated his championship performance and won first over all on n Triumph, wilb second place going to Ken Russell on a 500cc tbree-cyllnder Kawasaki. It looks as If Ibe Kawasaki Macb III will be the machine to contend with 10 the heavyweight production events 10 the future. Ten additional events are scheduled ibis year for Willow Springs, 10cludlng the very popular twelve-hour production event. Tbe next scheduled event will be on April 27th. (Results on page 21)