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/125631
... Dallas' Golcle E,agles Hold A s Dry 0 e fI) Col ~ Col .,J .~~~**~***~****~~~~*~~****** Ji Applause leads _ jumps. 11II to biUet' and bette, ilsol Aid Pall Harber II E gla d By J1m Wilson ~~~~~******~**************** We boarded our plane in Los A.qgeles people over here in England are very Saturday night, July 27 and took of! for a very bumpy ride. After c1rcl1ng in the fog for halt an bour we landed atJobn F. Kelllledy Airport in New York Sunday morn1ng. The airline check stand was closed so we waited several bours and t1nally checked our luggage. Have you ever tried to cram all of your racing gear. personal belongiIlgs, and regular clothes into a suitcase with a max1mum 44 pounds allowed! We barely made Uby carrying our most prized ,tools in our bulging coat pockets. Sunday morn1ng we took oJ!tfor Barcelona, Spain stQpping off at Lisbcln. Fortu.gal to load and wlload passengers. Monday noon we reached Barcelona and went by taxi about ten miles to the Mootesa Factory where we picked lIP the English Ford van. It is in A-I eood1t1on. It is painted blue with wh1te top and bas a white strip trom front to back .on each side. The van bas a 11tt1e V-4englnewith 4 speeds and dual tires on back. "Ibe van is over 16 feet long and SllPer neat. We also found the two sleep!Ilg bags thatRon Nelson and John DeSoto bad lett, wh1cb we will be glad to us. Alter our pa,pers were in order we started the drtve trom Barcelona through part of Spain and France. This was Monday afternoon and we had had no sleep Saturday nl.ght and onlY about tour hours of sleeP on the plane to Barcelon. We drove all night Monday and all day Tuesday. 'IbIs took us through Paris and to Beauvais whlch is about balt way between Paris and Calais. At Beauvais we had hot baths and eleven hours sleep all for 38 pesetas, (less than 501l! We proceeded to Calais on Wednesday and had to wait a considerable time tor the ferry to Dover. All the way through Spain and France we cruised along about tI.tty miles per hour but the other traft1c on these narrow, wl.nd1ng roads was going at sixty five and seventy miles per hour. The maps and road signs here leave something to be desired as compared to 'our U.S.A.I As the van ls right hand drive, the passenger on the left seat becomes an assistant driver, since we drive on the right side of the road in most countries. If you come uP behind a big truck you need someone on the lett side to be sure no one is coming before passing. Gasoline is quite eJrPeDS1ve (about 751l per gallon) but the van bas a veryettlcient V-4 engine which keeps the cost down somewhat. Alter hassling in London to get insurance for the van we drove to Thundersley which is in Essex. The Greeves factory is located here. When we arrived their doors were close as it was six p.m. We decided to SPend the night if. oUl val. acros" the streeL The people on the continent are vel')' lUee bu1 the friendly and are anxious to help us. The next day, Friday, AtgUSt 1st, we were welcomed to the factory and shown all around.. The thing that interested me most was that they bave their own foundry where all the alloy castings are made that go into the consl:rlUction of Greeves motorcycles. Saturday, we started tor the Scrambles Races at Sudbury as we wished to travel ·slowly and see the country around us. We had no machines to ride as our A.C.U. licenses hadn't arrived. On Saturday we walked the scrambles course. It was about one 1/4 miles ar,ound and fifty or sixty feet wide 10 ,the roWng grassy hills sectinns. Part of It ran through quite heaVily wooded sections narrowing to fifteen or twenty teet between the trees. Pasts at thirty (oot intervals suPported a roPe on each side of the course. Then twelve feet .outside of these ropes'a second rope was strung to keep the spectators back. AU of this is quite d1tferent !rom our races in .the States, as you can see! The track looked very fast but like it 'IIiOuld be fun to ride. On Sunday we watched the races, four five hundred c.c. two cycle races and one four stroke I1Ce plus two for side cars. The side cars, as did all the bikes, really went fast. Each race was tour laps. John Pease fram the Greaves factory placed second in his heat race and won the main event. He also won a large cuP for the special race of the day. JoIul, at the present time., is the Eastern Center high poiut leader • Sunday night we were outsIde ofChelsfor near Braintree at the same place where we stayed FrLday night. It costs $2.70 for bath. bed.and a goodbreaktast. Tomorrow we will go to Rivetts who sell leathers and boots and get some long boots. We have aiready visited them once at which time I bought a pair at leather pants, long boots, A.C.U. ridIng shirts. A.C.iU. lWproved, stamped helmets are required 'bere. We are then to go back to the Greeves factory vibere they are preparing two 380 Greeves Griffons and one 250 Grifton which we will get Tuesday. John Pease is to take us out to an area this week where we can break them in. He has arranged for us to use his tools and spares and has aplaceat the Greaves factory where we can wash and clean our machines. The second 250 Griffon will be delivered later this week and we are hoPefui of riding in some raees on SundaY, August 10th. All the people here in England have certa1n1Y treated us well, especially so at the Greaves factory. Will try to keep you iotormed about our trip as we go along. So tar we have no real problems. We did tighten the fan belt on the van (our home) Saturday morninl;. U >. DALLAS, TEX., August 10, 1969 _ wet, 0. soupy quagmires disappeared tor the most part as the hosting Golden Eagles changed the 'natural terrain' for a moti>cross held August 10th near Dallas. Mike Johnson from Dallas rode aSacbs faster than anyone else in the 125 class. He had to lilough, to stay ahead of hefty J.B. Henry who balanced his 235 pounds atop a fast Yamaha AT-1 and stayed wi thin sight of Mike all the way. David Jones, Ricky Summers, Sam Menefee, and David Rickman all battled for third place. Hickman emerged the winner. It seems the thirds, fourths, and fifths are riding barder now than at the beginning of the season and are giving the leaders a fight. 24 very eager starters made the 250 race one to watch closeb'. AI.!. 24 seemed to reach the first turn at the same time. Actually one five motors tried to fit abreast into the first turn. What resulted was, well, 21 people in one PIle. 0Be lucky rider W3.S run ove by .oob' ODe motor. The restart was suc.--stuI I2Iougb the pit after the first jump eoJleded seRII machines at one part1cn1ar time. By Clyde Bear Abo.e, 'this Texa., eot just a liltle 0llI of slupe. We dllll'" know if be came down ietact. Mark Moore led heats two and three but missed the first one so didn't get a trophy. Mark rode a CZ. Jim Small1ng, Husky, led heat OQe but lost his gas cap in heat two and t1n1shed third in b1s class. Ed Terrel and Jack Greenstreet rode bard and fast enough to calise the leaders concern - for first and secolld respectively. During the second heat, with the temperature about 105 degrees, one bapless rider, doing without a clutch, lugged his Huksy too long and had to quit with a gurgle at the bottom of two hills - right by the 1aJ<;e. He dragged his bike of! the course and shed clothes for the fifteen feet to the water and justwa1kedr1ghtin. The 251-Open class was surprised by a visitor from the 10wlands.RoberiGrabam from Bellaire, Texas had problems in the first heat and t1n1sbed fourth. That was the worst he did all day, he bandUy won the second and third ones for a secODd finish overall. Gayle Bradley 360 CZ made like crazy as usual but there seemed to be no way to catch Graham. Don Prowse aad Sam Rogers, both on 360 Bu1tacOl5 took tIdrd and fourth. They are from North Little Rock, Arkansas and have tntentioos ol bringing the rest of their cltlb (the Golden Eagles of Little Rock) back for the next rae" to "how us how it's done, at least hoy, they do it. W" hope they do.