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Q STUMPJUMPERS GRAND ,PRIX STUMPJUMFERS GRAN!) PRIX Saddleuack Park May 18, 1969 By Maureen Lee UNOFFICIAL By Maureen Lee SADDLEBACK PARK, May 18, 1969. It was anotber Grand Prix, paying points In deSert, scrambles and motocross divtstons. '!be circuit was a long one, uslDg quite a lot of fire roads and developed some s\lP8r-fast stretches that were hard on riders who had geared for more of a motocross course. '!be actual d1stIInce around was 5,,2 miles and the forty-five minutes alloted each class gave riders about four or five laps depeDdIDg 00 how fast they were. Chuck MiDert turned in the fastest times around as he blew off the rest of the 500 class and It was neat to listen to the boom of biB BSA. Jobn Maynard (C-Z) was the man to -lx:h. though. '!be fire went out on lap one the whole hera passed by but John got 'er go1Dg again and gave chase. By the checkered flag by sheer effort and ,'- bard'riding, he'd" worked ,his 'way UP to secODd over-all, no small feat on a course such as that. He was folJ8wed In by Wayne Peterson 00 a Bee:aer and Greeves-mOlDlted Mick Feeney, who had really been going all out to stay ahead of Tom Martin's Matco. Mike Rendich built UP a commendable lead in the lOOcc Novice class, but was disqualified for signing UP as a novice wben he is an amateur. In Grands PriX you must sign UP under your highest class1f1cation, so II you're a scrambles novice but a desert amateur, you must sign UP amateur even II you wish scrambles points. This gave Steve Fortner (Hodaka) the win, and a well-deserved win it was too with low-flying Lowell Easley (Sachs) behind Mm followed by a Yamaha with Dan Dewitt aboard. Terry Clark (Hodaka) was able tohold dl Jeff Wright (Hodaka) who could have moved Into the lead In trail bike standings as Jack Morgan ended flfth. 10 third place was Claus Nilson (Pentoo). Anotber Hodaka ridden by MarkRaderended fourth. John Rice (Sachs) who got one heck of a start, stuck the engine but came back In the 200 class to do 'em In. '!be little bike really flew, followed by three Bultacos and a Yamaha. Tom RaPP took second and Tim 0' Neal third. Bruce Baron Infourth elided first Novice. After this perfor-' mance, Rice then went out and rode the 500 and the Open classes. He led the Qpen and got second In the 500, excellent performances for both John and the Sachs, but It disqualified him for the day, cost him about 100 points toward retalDIDg that number 011l! plate and could result In more stringent action by the Competition Committee, for riding more than one class. Al Balcer (Yamaha) was the guy to beat In the 250 Amateur-Expert go but no one was fast enough to come within shooting distance of the fiylng Checker, although Jobn Maynard (C- Z) and Bill Friant (Husky) tried, followed UP by Steve Bast (Husky) arid Competition Committeeman Dick Camp on a Bul. '!be Powder Puff class had their go first race out, sharing the track with the Sidehacks (all three of 'em) and Patty Domay (Hodaka) did her thing, which Is winning Grands Prix with a real lead over Mary Brooks and Sharon Wilson. Lynn Wilson (Sachs) got a good start but her fire went out five times and two of the other girls almost nailed a slower hack on the tar side of the course. '!be Bultaco of Burns and Burns won, followed by the Greeves of Mater and Mater. LeBlanc and Soteros went off the track and more excitement wasprovided for the hacks when they found a small pickUP blocking the course. This "TourIst" was removed in a hurry and the race continued! '!be gals went two laps, not enough for some of the more experienced riders and the finishers were all haPPY. Asked what they thought of the course brought mixed emotions, said Coleen Jacklett of the Endoes, "Awfu1!" said the Victors' Lynn Wilson "Beautifull" You ~ouidn't believe the poor turn-out In :the Open.·All claSSlfications ran. together and from the looks of things, half of them dido't survive the first lap,Jess Goldberg did, and from just the way he came around first time through, you knew that he was going to be the winner on his Triumph. Most of the riders enjoyed the course, although it was way too fast for some and they won't be back. "Like a road race," and "There was no cha1l&nge." Well, a course doesn't -suit everyone, and a Grand Prix Is always meant to be different than anything else. '!be Stump jumpers did an excellent job, especially In the scoring and records-, keeping department but because they ran ahead of schedule, a couple of guys missed their race, showing up on the line at the time given them on their entry acceptances. More than one rider almost had an accident because trailers wandered out on the course and that ain't funny when you cross UP and slide a turn and find a "tourist" coming at you, haPPilY putter- ing along on a trail bike. Ask John R. He stopped and made the guy get off the course, and this wasn't the ooly incident. We ran three off who were tolng the wrong way while a race was In progress I '!bese tourists even removed baybales so they could ride wherever they pleased. We realize the trail riders are what keeps the Park golDg, but we'll stick UP for the racers rights every time when the Park is hosting a race! Desert Hounds At Sadd'ebadc By Dick Wright SADDLEBACK PARK, Cal., May 18, 1969 - Saddleback Park andtheStumpjumpers combined to pnt on a successful Grand Prix MotQCross Sunday. , It was the 'best duel the·riders have.had for many a moon in the Grand Prix set UP. '!be entry price was fair, (not the $10 charged by others) and the course was rough but wide. '!bere was plenty of room to bail out II necessary. '!be 250 and lOOCc novice classes had only about sixty riders each, which Is plenty in any first turn and no one got torn up. This was unlike the more than 240 riders bunching into a tight fifteen foot muddy turn in the previous G.p. where two guys were hurt ten feet off the line. '!be course was about five miles around and had all types of off camber hills. One hill was flfty feet long and made an off camber left turn between or around two trees. '!bere also was a twisting two mUe long fire road like In the old Catalina race. The start was like an uphill fottball field, fifty yards wide Bul TIm O'Neal Sac Bruce Baron Yam Jim Dawson 250cc NOVICE C-Z Bruce Baron Mon Blll Spann Tom Harrington Bul 100cc Novice Hus Hod Sllelby KlIne Steve Fortner Sac 250cc AM.-EX. Lowell Easley Yam Yam AI Baker Danne Dewitt Sac John Maynard c-z Ken Warner Hus Suz Blll Friant Joe Ambrose Hus Steve Bast POWER PUFF Bul Hod Dick Camp Patty Domay Hod 350-500cc NOV. Mary Brooks Hod Roger FlamIDg Mat Sharon Wilson Kathy Tuesda1e Bu1 M. ChamberJainHus Hus Coleen Jacklett Hod Don Hill Phil Mailloux Hus lOOCc AM.-EX. Hus Hod Frank Russo Terry Clark Hod 500cc AM.-EX. Jeff Wright BSA Pen Chuck Minter Claus Nilson Hod Jobn Maynard C-Z Mark Rader Hod Wayne Peterson BSA Jack Morgan Gre Mike Feeney SlDEHACKS Mal Bu1 Tom Martin Burns/Burns Gre OPEN COMBINED Mater/Mater LeBlanc/Soteros Bul Jess Goldberg Trl #122 Tri 0-200cc COMBINED Tri John Rice Sac Terry Biltoo Tri Tom Rapp Bu1 Paul Adams and a huDdred yards loog. It made a left turn onto a fire road which twisted down hill and onto the main course. '!be Stumpjumpers are anexperienced competition club and rode over the course Saturday afternoon and made a few changes In the interest of safety. Where possible they separated the classes at the starting line to cut down the traffic In the first turn and In the lOOcc amateur-expert class the experts were flagged off first and the amateurs were given the green lIgbt ten secoDds later. In this race Jobn Rice 011 biB Penton took over the lead In the third turn from Jeff Wr:ight, ~ HodaIaI.. Rice blew the rlDgs on biB bl.ke and Gene Cannady tooIl: over the lead. His machine broke and desert ace Terry Clark tooIl: over the ..lead and ,stayed out front for , the win..... Wright finiShing secoDd. Rice took the next race, the l25cc event, on a Sachs over Tom Rapp's Bultaco. Al Baker put 011 a good show on biB Yamaha to take the 250cc AmateurExpert race and Jobn ~ was secon on a CZ. "Feets" Mintert did the thing he has been dolDg for fifteen years; that is he won the 500Cc race with feet-up class on a BSA single. John ~ came from dead last in the first lap to take secoDd. We were not able to ca1I::h all the action, but it was a good day of raclDg. '!be entire program was two hours behind schedule because tickets and change dido't arrive on time. '!be ambulance never moved which shows, among other things, the course was well laid out.