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/125624
OIl * Wes-Senice Barney Tillman's SPORT CENTER . , . 1lIdtUer Bhd., Eo Los M.,eles (2131 723-3:123 TRIUMPH • SUZUKI lall Axthelm's Triumph - Suzuki Motors (11G ~-a, C.IIf. 629-8642 I.s,••o. & I.r•• IIIt1r"ellS Tira DIIt.IIr..........t1. . . 47!1 ~.I.Aft. La 1Iua. c.J1f. '2113 . 8J Er1c Ratts TIIree - a qoatAsc:ot wbeIl DUJDber llx PIl1I*I out lD troot r1 tile pack dur1IIC tile expert maJn event and stayed tIIere for tile du1'atioD r1 tile race. aIIDost .eftrYClDlt was utIDC "Wbo Ia llx?"Tbe fol1owlDC week wbeII ' - did It acalD. s mh~lY willi _ . most r1 tile tans mew tbey were ,,""'Ing ttrst·year expert Daft Smllll. Tbe tb1rd week tile QlR8tioo __, "WODder wb7 Dave dldD't nm lD tile maiD eYeDt?" Daft k.t . . bottom tlIId out at b1s bot Crawford Cblm'olet sponsored Nortoo lD his beat race and "tIU preYeDtlld from t:ry1Dc for an excltlDg tbree lD a row. Tbe persoaable teen from Lakewood. CaJJforD1a performed aD amannl feat at Ascot coosidertng be ft.S about ready to quit tile on! track. "I just lot dlscourapd from not winning and almost cave up racing altoptber. I wanted to ~k to road raclDl but Tommy Rockwood cave me blsl_lIIers and said to try It ap.1n. I woo tbat ttrst time and I can't very well back out DOW," said Dave. Daft'S ttrst Ascot main wID came in ooly b1s secood ride tllere tb1s year. He got starlled r1d1III a HODda 50 lD tile dirt and rode lD competitioo for six mootlls before b1s ttrst wID. Dave ft.S a Prado Park and Perris regular lD tbose da1's. In spite r1 his receut wlDs, Dave Is more Intereslled in road raclDland las taken a faDcy to sports cars and formula V rac1DC. Be ..,., "I lib road raclDl beca_ r1 tile t8lltasttc speeds and It's III.,.,~ 1Ale W.at 511I St., Dave Smith Tell How' It Is so clean. You've lot to be lood tbough. to go really faBt. About !be cars, be feels It would be easier to ride on four wheels and, "There's more money in cars'" Dave constantly talks speed and be says be wants more out at tbe Norton, tbouP !be Harold EW80D macbine miPt be Ibe fastest bike at Ascot. Dave Is !lappy wllb tile bike. be says 11 feels just right, though the cases ctrae when be pushes 11 real bard tbrOUlh a turn. "Tbere are a lot of people wIJo 10 faBter !baD I do around a corner but no one las it lib my machIne for pull1ng down !be stralgbtaways." Dave feels be las developed JI1s own style tbouP be Is anadmtrerr1Dewayne Keeter. He says Keilll Mashburn Is as good and as safe as many r1 tile experts. "Kellb Is Ios1ng 1Dter8llt in local racing and will probably tour tile NatiooaI circuit. Tbat's wbat I want to do. I lib to travel and hope I can make tile entire circuit next year." Dave wants to win a national number, "If I can win just one national, I'n be lD a good pos1tlon for tile number and maybe get a good deal willi tbe Norton people." Dave says bls blQest problem Is getting tired. "I never ride between races and lbat's a baDdlcap. I'm st1ll stiff from riding !be Twe.lve-bour at WIllow. I'm learning thoIch, for instance,lt took a lot r1 guys falling lD froot at me before I learned to pua an accident on tbe inside and also not to look at It as I 10 J;y • You tend to turn lDto wbatever you are looktill at. I am less nervous before a race now tbat I try DOt to tblok about what Is gotng to blIppen. No matter wbat you do tbInk." be expla1ned. " It's completelY different out tbere on !be track." Dave says bls Lakewood ne1Ibbors batoe blm because be tuDes b1s b1kes and t:beD tries tllem out on tile street. "'!'bat Is. all but a few wtIo I bave cooyerlled to motorcycles and wtIo are bike owners Ibemselves." Dave Is shoot:Ing for Ibe track record be mlsaed two _Its lICO by a fract100 at a second and believes It wtll be b1s 8001I If all goes well. We believe be stands a bell at a good c1ance. IHAALEV-DAVIDSQN l California Sweeps CI ...... . -~.~~ a.. - -.._ r.-....-.£WOOI ~~~o_iiiiii_ ClliIIIII""'" $.~6 , ... DRACO'S MOTORCYCLES 162' So. ~tIlInl A.... Cal. '2107 (714) 543-HII sate Au. 12 Pili·. CATU The,II ... ,9&8 WIbc:o , , _ IS the IllOSt COiiijN;IN'lIM ill tile motoIcyc~ ltCftIOI'in lniuIt', 92 ~ ....... of IIltlsm1iolB. of the IIIOIt -_-_. -...... w..... 1IlDtDrqdt ansorils ....... - ~,_1lQIlIa 11 _ _ _ flf ......... ........ ZlI _ •CO 6.C. ""•_ ._~_ ;,rs!en Hallman Racing, Inc. w t Coast DlsL lor •• PENTON Motorcycles Ascot TT Natl. This Sat. Torstsn H.IIo.... n speci.1 desip I....... • r.clnc equipment U~ DisL lor Trelieborclloto-Cross tire. For de.ler inlo. write or c.n 5345 Tlmken Sl., L. IIesa, C.I. 92041 (714) 4&0-1402 to.,rA HONDA Sales· P.rls • Service . COtIIPI.ts lin. of Speed Equipment I:ustom P.1ndnc. Fr... Works, Fr... Dulplac.8u1ll1nc DiSC8unt Pnces on AI! Sales .r 2073 P.clflc 325-3816 _ _____ 325-3810 Coost HW)'. _' " ~~ NICK NICHOLSON MOTORS 1:573 Van Owen, No. Hoi:ywood 212, 764--8'i74 - 20 Years Experience Bob ••ynarel' s OIAIGE CO. CYCU Moto-Cross ....dqu.rters for Drace Co. Haty· CZ • Pe... • V__a ~ Maica ... 205 I. IUrllor Blvd.. SaJdo Au • By Dick Wright ZUNI, NEW MEXICO JUDe 28-29 - The Prr1esslooa1 TraIl Rac1ng Assoctation's malden race was beld on !be Zuni 1nd1an Reservatloo lrilb a 200 mue courseover some of tbe roughest territory ever covered 00 motorcycles. CaJJfornla riders won all at tile money, taldlll !be first five places. The course cooststed r1 two 50- mue loops each day, willi three extra trla.1s sections tbrown lD on Sunclay. Al Baker on bIs 125cc Yamabatookthe lead on Saturda1' and never gave It uP. Right bebInd aDd pusll1nl bard was Jolin coots 00 a Tracy-tuned 125cc Penton. 'Ibtrd place was taken by Jeu Creager 00 a 125cc Yamaha, 41b by Norm Benbam on anotbef r1 tbe same brand tuned by Yamaha at El Montoe. B1U Dick took 511I 00 a Steens ~ Hodaka and was tile ooly l00Cc bike to f1n1sh tile grue1l1nc race. Tbe 100'sM.C. did a good job r1 p1tt1ng all at tile california riders. Pat Kelsey of Zuni and bIs group produced a well laid out, tough course and tile country was" great to race lD. The next race at tile P .T .R.A. will probably be held In Old Mexico and should be a real 1OodY, with more money betne PlI1d to tbe lDtrepld wInDers. KAWASAKI SPEED KITS l2Dcc • 175cc writs • call New Mexico 200 _ 'ne) !l31""'~"!",,,,!!,!!!,,_,!!!_:~ .• One of Ibe most lmportant motorcycle races at the year, !be annual $'7,5OOU.S. 50-lap Steeplechase Cbamplonsblp will be beld at Asccl Park Saturday uight (July 12). There will be reguiarfiat-trackacUon on Friday evenlDg. J. C. Agajanlan reports the race bas drawn perhaps the finest field In Its blstory, includllll nine of the first 10 riders lD !be current American Motorcycle Association standings. Adding spice Is the fact the U.S. lead will be at stake. Gary Nixon of Baltl· more, Cal Rayborn r1 San Dtegoand Bart Mar kel at Flint, Michigan, all are closely enough bunched so that !be Ascot resuits could swtng Ibe lead. But !be man tbey'll all bave to beat Is S1dp Van Leeuwen ct Sherman Oaks. who'll be looking for bls tblrd straight over the tricky flve-elgbths-mile r~ course at 183rd and Vermont Avenue. other standouts in Ibe action will include Mert Lawwlll. Gene Romero, Fred NUt, Mark Brelsford, Charles Palmgren. Dtck Mann and Dusty Coppage• CONNECTICUT GOVERNOR VETOES HELMET LAW The legislature of Connecticut agreed !bat Ibe stale's compulsory belmet law, in effect for a year, was dlscrlmlDatory• unconstitutional aDd unsafe. But Ibe Federal Transportation Dept. tbreatened !be legislature !bat repealing It" could je0pardIZe $9 m1U1on In Federal blghway funds." Thus blackmailed, !be lawmak· ers amended 1be1r repealer to keep In Ibe compulsory regulation. State Senator George L. GUllther, alarmed over what be terms !be "blackjackllll" of the state by Ibe fedS, wrote to Secretary of Transportation Jolin VolPe in protest. "The state of Connecticut will now bave a law whicb, in the studied opinion of members of our Assembly, Is against Ibe best interest of !be people of our state," Ibe Senator wrote. What makes the sttuatlon even more of a farce, Sen. Gunther continued, is tbat not only Is !be compulsory helmet wearilll by a cyclist the ultimate of paternalism, but It also compels the motorcyclist to operate bls veblcle at greater risk. The senator told VolPe be would l1ke to know what the status of Michigan's Federal highway funds wtll be. "Will Ibe national safety standard superced the courts of Michigan?" be asked. Fortunately, the Governor of Ccxmecticut vetoed !be law and now tile bikers of Connecticut may wear tIIeir belmets for reasons of common sense. ratber !ban criminal compuls1on.