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/125616
- JlIll Trojan Speedway Spiffy Race fans driving past Trojan Speedway, alongside the Long Beach Freewa,y in South Gate, Calif. are glad in their hearts to see a new, hrlgbt sign and colorful banner s dancing in the S1III. Would that more race track owners redecorated their premises, or at least made them visible to the naked eye as Trojan owner Mr. Rene has done. Plan to enjoy the circus atmosphere there Thursday, May 15 at the Championship TT. JlIDe [s Beantify Ascot Month During the coming month, race!ans are invited to bring a flag, poster, decal, banner or any other colortul decoration to festoon drab old Ascot Park with signs of gaiety. Cycle News has anticipated the month-long celebration by donating its bright white, blue and yellow show booth to beautify the premises. Readers are invited to begin this Friday nlgbt installing their donated decorations on the Cycle News booth along the Grandstand Walk. Across From Candlestick Park By Edward Hookins Mot~ SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., cross races at San Francisco's speedway were terrificl The Lancers Motorcycle Club of Redwood City laid out a very fast course which includes a mudhole and three good jumps. To be afront runner here one can't be faint of heart. Outstanding rider Phil Jacobsen, a junior, brongbt the fans to their feet during his first moto. He took a bad spill and lost much time geltlng back into the action; but when he did his green streak Kawasaki "red streaked". He commenced to get around the course faster and faster, passing one rider after another until he pulled UP on the Znd place rider Ben Cragian, also Kawasaki mounted, but the clock ran out. 10 his effort he set fast time at 1 min. Z4 sec. for a full lap. Rick Lopez, Yamaha mounted, won the first moto. Phil Jacobsen won the Zod moto by a wide margin, and also the trophy. We were fortunate to witoess very good How I Went To Europe And Raced Motocross (ont fro. last Weel I will now tell you about the race last week. It was at Marouset near BralneIe-Compte, on Thursday, May 1st. We arrived Wednesday evening and looked the course over. It was all UP and down, very steep hills. The traction was perfect! There was one down-hilI that all the desert rats would have loved. It was 75 yards high and seemed nearly vertical. As you came UP to the edge it was so steep you could not see over. The first four feet was a sheer drop, then the rest d the grade leveled off to an easy 89 degree decline. Once over the edge, there was no way to stop. At the bottom, the ground went away at right angles to the base of the hilI. It looks something like this: ~ draws a crowd, and two weeks ago a newspaper took her picture while she was cleaning. Last weet, during a race, she polnted out a faster line tbroq:h some very rough sand, and I discovered I could go throngb there in third rather than second gear as on previous laps. Give my regards to all the Cycle News people. ~tU4 racing in all classes. The Lancers M.C. ought to advertise more to the general public. They have a good thing going. Fans are looting forward to their nen motocross races on May 11th and the 18th. While sl ttlng In the hot sun explaining to my body, Mike, the expertise of jumping, sliding, motocrossing In general, all d a sudden, blaring over the loudspeaker, a voice Informed US that Champion Speedway is open to the public on weekdays and Saturdays, for the admission price of one dollar. "Qb boy, Dad, now you can show me in person!" I agreed to lake Mike the following Tuesday. All of a Sudden it was Tuesday and he remembered! Gad, he's already loaded the pickup with his 120 Kawasaki and my 238. At Champion when we signed the "Releases" I was informed I'd have to go over the jumps and not around them, because re-entrY to the track could cause Injury to oncoming riders. I'm doomed, I've got to jump! I saw I was about to once again become the original" Flying Chicken". But I'm leaving something out. For Christmas my family chipped In and bought me a pair of European m~ cross boots. For some reason when a rider wears motocross boots it's like having notches on your gun. Well, anyway, untntentionally I came out of the chute onto the track crossed up, almost losing it on the loose gravel and heading at a very rapid pace towards the first jumP. I could feel the eyes of the pitted riders flxlng on me and laking my measure. I blasted past the pits, with theengine screaming, pulllng jet like, ripping up the approach and flinging my mount Into the blue. As I soared thru the sky I wondered why my rear wheel was higher than my front wheel••• Bong", my bike turned into a pogo stick. Miraculously I stayed up, throngh no fault of my own. When I pulled Into the pits, Mike informed me that I'd have to go faster In order to leave the ground. "What does he know"! What Ever Happened to 83x? Chuck Jones Will Walk Again! Mike Van Ness, professional racer number 83x from California is now a ski Instructor, local motocross and road racing "champ" at Aspen, Colorado. Good news from Australia concerning Chuck Jones: He is now sitting up In a wheelchair and the doctor has told him he will deflnltely be able to walk again. Chuck is now thinking of getting back to America as soon as possible. BEAUTY QUEEN WINS YAMAHA Kristina Nelson, a 17-year-old junior al Reseda (Calif.) H1eh School, poses with her new -Lady Yamaha" (U5L Modal), after baine crowned winner ..d qu... of the Third International Blkln~Baauty Pae-anl. The tII.-day finals ..... cOllductlld al "e Ros.lta Beach Howl In Baja ~lIfornla, Mexico. Kristina plaas on ....klll& IIIOdeline a career, was chosen from a_e a field of IIIOre Ih.. 60 cOlltllsl.. ts. The SOcc Lally Yamaha was one Of several f1rsloplace prize. offered In "e contesl, which was filmed on Iocallon by tile American Broadcastlne CompallJ" ·Wlde World of Sports". When not modellne or molorcycle rldlne, Ihe beautiful yo"'e qu.... occuple. her time with Karate lessOllS. • 1'tfllUl.dt P.S. Please publish our address: c/o Garag&-Molly De Bruyne Waalstraat7-9 Gent, Belgium I must apologize for not typing this letter but my typewriter blew a rod and I am having it repaired. Russ When you came to the bottom there was a neck-breaking jolt, then a right hand cover, and up another hilI. I loved the downhill because it was so hairy. It rained all nlgbt, so nen morning the track was a mire rather than the beautiful traction of the previous day. During practice they cut out the big down hill because the promoters said it was too dangerous. 10 the race you had to hit the four big uphills in low gear, and drag both feet to stay upright In one of the ruts up the hill. It was so difficult that even Joel crashed several times, got stuck some places, and had to push over the top a couple of times also. The first leg turned out to be my best performance in European Motocross so far. I got nlnth In a field of over forty d the top European riders. I was very pleased. I am learning every race. I think I will be doing OK by the end of this season. Cheri, my wife, has been a great helP to me here. She does most of my typing and letter writing. If you receive letters with lots of mistakes, they are from me. We live in a fourteen foot house trailer and as you know, fourteen feet is not very much living space. Cheri puts up with it all quite well. She makes our little home very comfortable. At the races, she sometimes cleans my Husky between races, while I rest. This usually Coo, HotAt Trojan TT SOUTH GATE, CALIF., May 8 - Don Cook won his first trophy dash In the Z50Cc class at Trojan Speedway's Thursday night TT. Cook was up against two TT veterans in the main event, however, and was unable to equal his dashing victory. Track-wise Grey Cunningham took the prize, followed closely by Irwin Moon. Hundred class honors again belonged to wily Paul Wlldeandhisflerce Yamaha. Ron W1ll1ams, on a Hodaka, was second in the main by ooly two bike lengths. Trojan Speedway sportsmen were getting ready for the big 50-lap TT championship this Thursday night at the speedway by the freeway. First rider toflnish wearing a sticker from Cycle Products West will get a cash prize. Pick up a free sticker by stoPping in at the new CPW store at 11900 W. Picoin WestL.A. (near Century City). For close, rapid action, be at Trojan by 7 p.m. this Thursday. Parking lsfree and tickets won't break you. It is a refreshingly cheerful track, thanks to the new lights and decorations installed by the owner, and it's all over by 10 p.m. Pit gates open at 5:30. (Results on page 20) ABC'S Wide World ports