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/125623
2 5 'f • I , SAN CLEMENTE, Cal., June 28, 1969Set only a few feet off the San Diego Freeway in rolling hills, the course had long fast sections with long down hills and a very steep uphill. The wild day of racing started, finding heats in most all the classes and some famll1ar faces from the scrambles, desert and motocross scene. The big race of the day ran last, the 250 expert go, witb Gary Bailey setting his Greeves asail and grabbing the lead only to lose it in later laps to hard charging Bill Sil verthome, Husqvama, with Preston Petty in third on a 200 or so Sachs. The battle for District's numher 1 scrambles plate should even be tighter now as Willie Hockie finished at least two places ahead of Larry Taylor, current leader. The other classes found wild action aplenty as Randy Lackey (Ossa) looked impressive in winning bOth heat and 250 Amateur Main. Dave Rodgers (Bultaco) with., stood the charge of Bruce Baron (CZ) to take the 250 Novice Main as Bruce almost missed the race and started dead last. Bob Sanders (Bultaco) got the 1751200 class on points with 2nd, 1st & 3rd place finishes. John Rice won the 125 AMIEX. class on his Sachs Bruce Baron also Sachs mounted, grabbed the 125 Novice class hard pressed by Bob Vacca (Bultaco). The Powder Puff had plenty of entries with Carol Davis (Sachs) outlasting the rest of the girls for the win. The 100 Expert class saw young Troy McKee push his Hodaka to the front and keep it there. Don Emler again won in usual form on the Suzuki in the 100 Novice Main. Don wins regularly at the ACA motocross events. The only thing to sour the days events was the missing of two English riders who came over to ride this event, only to be told. by Wes Cooley and the ACU, if they did they couldn't ride back at home. As for Bob Hope, he may be entertaining the troops (his own) a little early this year, (November), as the Diggers may get the last word as 606 entri es can't be handled by anything less than the Diggers style. By Maureen Lee Photos by Gene Lee SAN CLEMENTE, CALIF. June29, 1969. The cows d1dn't eat liIe course markers onrnigbt as liIey bad previOUSlY and after liIe rtders meetIDg liIe troops were readY to go. As we go to press we doo't bave tun results so we apo1og1Ze gentlemen, to tbo&e of you who deserve your Dame In priDt and doII't get it. Craie CO\'ll (Mojave) made it a two ...... In a row win In liIe 350 Norice CO lIUIl a beautiful ride, fo11owed In by GIlle lAy 011 a Hooda. It -.s & treat to ~ tbo&e four-strokes - ' t o g off after bavtng OIlS'S ears blasted by nolbInC but ring-dings for a day and a ha1fI Preston Petty bad liIe walx:hers talkInC to tIIemselves as be and b1s Malco _ tile 500 Expert class, be was going tbat fBStI Even after buI.1d1Dg uP an lm-' presslve lead he just never slowed down and !bat's bard to do willi no ooe to pace yourself wltb. Jolin Rice came In secood 011 b1s American Eagle wllb "lbe bike sbowlng a definite improvement over lbe previous weeks' perform,ance but Mlke Bast 011 a Malco wasn't far behind and seemed to be lapping faster In lbe last stages of !be race tban he was earlier. The C- Z' s were lbe bikes In the 500 Novice and Amateur classes. There were five 500 Novice heats and it's been a long time since we've seen that many riders turn out. Chuck Lunde emerged as the Novice winner beating out Husky rider Bruce Anderson and Jim O'Nell won lbe Amateur MaIn over Sam Berg (Husky). When you consider what happened to liIe host club over the throwing of the race, everylblng turned out pretty darn good. Those guys actually built that course from scratch in nine days and remember, It was a scrambles, not a motocross so needed a lot more work, and we'll give a tip of the helmet to the DIggers for all that effort. As usual there were Ilttcbes. It -.s tougb trying to keep tab1s 011 everyooe riding wilen tllere were all tbose different number plates but the club got permission to waive the rule of bavtng to buy a scrambles ownber as a lot d riders onlY ride that ooe scrambles a year. The DIgger event. For tile olber compJatots we'll agree wilb some d tile, liIe course -.stoofast fill' being SOup-b111anddOWll MJeandtlle dlBt -.s bid but we'l _ It ll8I)' CIII 8Ie grounds d liIe time llmltat1Clll tile c1ub bad to get that race CIII tile road. NlDe days isn't long to break a course In, plus bavtng to chase cows each time tIley worked CIII it and replace liIe markers. 1bere's going to be some prett;y tougb beef around In the stores wIlE lbose beeveS end uP as steak! One unhaPPY rider was a 250 Pur!lang turDed back from !be Une In tile 500 class and let's face It, there is no WI;Y you can con anyone Into believing a 250 PurSang Is a 360! Jim WI1sCIII got b1s scare of !be day too when he rode uP on bis 360 prototype Greeves which has a blue tank (same as the 250) on It and got checked, but one thing about those 360 Greeves, one look at the head and you know what you're looking atl And let's face it, if you know motors you can look at anylblng close and catch the guys who ride 2 SO' s In the 500 class! All In all it was a good race even if some guys did get confused about what type of event it was. Scrambles points onlY, ducks! And we'll give another tip of liIe helmet to the riders themselves. When we left the pits late after the last event was over, it was really policed uP. Riders had used the trash bags given at the gate to full adVantage and all over, in neat clusters were piles d lbem with out the usual mess of cans, etc. all over !be landscape. • ..