Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

By Deml1s Greene ORANGE COUNTY INTL. RACEWAY, JUNE I, 1969 - Foreboding skies shadowed the AFM's monthly road race at Orange County International Raceway this past Sunday. Don Vesco, the current small bike land speed holder, showed that he and bis team of racers still know how to turn it on. They came In first In more than twelve different events. Don came In first in the 350 Sr. GP on a Yamaha, and ran 2nd in the open class on a new machine that he bad just put together: a BSA Three in a Steen-Rickman road racing frame. All the 'big iron' shows went to the Nortons. Jack Simmons and George Kerker ran away with the open production tiUes. Jack also took a first in the 500Qpen Sr. GP. It was Ron, Ron, and Don in the 250 Sr. GP just as it bas been all season. Ron Pierce got off to one of bis fine starts, went to the lead and stayed there. Ron Grant didn't get all the line until the last man was out of Sight in turn one because of mechanical problems. When he got under way he ran one of bis best OrangeCounly Squeeze Per Simmons ~ races In months, working all the way uP to second. He took the longest time to pass Don Emde who ended uP in third place. With the production class growing day by day and more money being put up for this class, the competition is getting much hotter than it has ever been. The 500cc class inproductionlsdomi. nated by the new Kawasaki Three. They ran one, two, three and the parade was • led by Jerry Chrtstopher. Point leaders Kelly Evans and Pat Evans showed how they got in the lead by taking the Jr. events. Kelly won the 250 class and Pat took the 100 class. The Kawasaki Mach III is showing uP in all klnds of places. Auer and Cummings stuffed one of the potent engines In a sidecar and took second place on their first trip out. Hummer and Gllbransen were first in their HarleyDavidson. (Results on page 26) Wlnnlnl sldec. tum of Hummer-GllbranMn Is closely followed by the e""erlm.,ul Kawasaki III chair lIIat finished second. JACKRABBITS GO SCRAMBLING AT ELSINORE Abo .., Jack (88) Simmons and Geor.e (90) Kerk. driving throue/l traffic. Below rle/l!, Don Vesco rode this BSA Three In a St. . ~Rlckman fram.. otherwise, the gals would have run witli the guys. Ted Longwith (Ossa) wrapped up the 250 class in the three motos in spite of a beautiful crash. Larry Taylor ended second alter a very fast ride in the third moto with Willie Hockle Jr. (Ossa) third. Chuck Soderstrom on a 'Bul took the 350- 650 class beating off the efforts of Tom LaFortune (Triumph) and Perry Armstrong (Triumph), proving again that a ll1ll 650 on same tracks tsn't capable of beating a smaller, nibbler two-stroke. It was Triumph all the way in the 650 Novice class, with Danny Taylor wlnnlng, followed by San Diegan Ellis Bole, and DuffY Hambleton taking the first three. ElSA rider RalPh Pozzelt followed in for the fourth. Dave Lunar on a Beezer took the 500Open Expert class by flat flying. He knows Elsinore like the back (1 his own hand. Over 900 people came throogh the gate, proving aga.ln that night scrambles are popular. The Jack Rabbi ts did their usual beautiful job and our tip of the heimet goes to the starter. He was greatl (Results on page 26) By Maureen Lee ELSINORE, CALIF. May 31- The Jack Rabbits M.C. decided to make their scrambles a night and a good one it was. Elsinore offers much better traction at night than during the day. A "conspiracy" was aloot among the big callbre riders not to show. They call each other UP to make sure one of them won't go out and get points while the others stay home boycotting. Some of them don't like Elsinore and this weekend the Jack Rabbits even ran the big bores first so they wouldn't have to walt around while the swarms of little bikes were run off first, but still they didn't show. Ab, well•••• In the 100Cc Amateur-Expert go, Ron Powell on a Kawasaki got the win. Following fourth place Doug Fields (Cimatti) was the only 50Cc rider Jay Lewis (Yamaha) proving that on some tracks a 50 just ain't that much slower than a 1001 The Powder Pull class bad a poor turnout with only two serious riders showing. Eventual winner Sheila Talbot (Honda) and your reporter elected to just run by themselves when two other girls on larger machines expressed Interest in riding, By Len Sipe MOORPARK, CALIF. June 1- Ron Rondell, Movie stuntman and a member of the Viewfinders M.C. of Hollywood, won three motos in a row for first place gold at the Bay Mare TT scrambles lastSunday. He rode a Triumph- Metisse to victory in the 500 Expert class, winning out over Mike Chamberlain and Mike Tlllman. Then Randell was presented acase of beer for best time in the impromptu billclimb held alter the races were finished. In the open Expert classes, talented Terry Dorsch stayed UP in front to take the win from George Stirbon and Fred Corley. Dorsch also hammer-and-tonged it with R.W. Ring of National City, Calif. in the 250 Expert round, presenting some of the day's most exciting clashes. Dorsch rode a Triumph Trophy, Ring a DT-1 Yamaha. Dicing equally as hard for the third place slot as the front runners were for lirst was Mike Tlllman, Bultaco, and Randell, this time Malcomounted. The results show how matters were resolved. (Results on page 26) Patrick Adds To Wins by Dick Wright Rogers Wins Again At Orange Stan ROI.S. (Vardeman Photo) Stuntman Wins 2 By Jim Vardeman ·EL TORO, CAL., MAY 28, 1969- Stan (theman) Rogers ~n the 250cc Fiat Track Main, for thl sec;ond tune thls season. Wed. night. Most of the action was between Randy Ellis and Jim Peterson in a. battle for second pace with Jim Raymond dOlOg an excellent job movin g up from a bad start to finish 4th. The 125cc Fiat Track Main was a heated battle between Mark Kruse and Carroll Heiland. WIth Kruse the first to take the check ered flag. . IT events were crowd pleasers. as always MikePayse wOn the 125cc main,Jim Raymond the 250cc. Jun Peterson fiOlshed first In the Open Class Main event. Tom La Fortune and Randy Ellis put on heated duel throughout the evening in the Open Flat track events, with La Fortune winning the Main and Ellis the heat race. The line-ups for all classes looked much iike those at Ascot. Shorty Seaborne Ascot winner, t;ook a crash with the wall, was out of it for the Olght. Shorty received no injuries but the cycle did. See you n.ext Wed. night! 7 P oM. practice 8 P.M. Race. ADELANTO, CAL., May 30, 1969-Mlke Patrick mounted bis 250 Yamaha and drove to the lead at the smoke bomb and then built up a five mlnute margin over his nearest rival at the finish line to take the San Bernardino MC hare scrambles. Terry Clark started twelve mlnutes alter the big bikes on a Hodaka, moved up to eighteenth overall and took first in the 100cc class. Four hundred entries were ready to go at 10 a.m. The big bikes took off at the drop of the banner and Patrick led to the smoke. The race was set UP as two loops on a thirty-live mlle course of two rut tralls, a few sandwashes, a rocky up-bill, and a long rocky down-bill. It took Patrick lllty minutes to make the first loop. He got a quick gas check from bis San Gabriel Valley MC members and was on bis way. Gary Conrad took second on a 360Cc Husky. He was bothered with plug fouling or might have given Patrick more of a battle. John Bailey took th1rd on a Yamaha. First In the Open class was Tom Maxwell on a Norton while Duffy Hambleton charged to take first amateur open gold. Jack Morgan and Terry Clark bad a battle royal in the 100cc class. Clark came back to the pits in the lead, r sixtieth overall. Mark Rader was third at this point. At the fln1sh it was Clark, Rader and Morgan. Morgan said, "These young riders are really getting hard to beat, harder each week." (Results on page 27)

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