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/125632
SPORTSMAN SCRAM8L£S~ ~ llo'I 2: llo'I ...::a ~ u Gtel (127) Rondy won lhe &5OCc Allllleur class with a VlrY ,apld ,Ide, Sp....wl1 Motorerele Races move 1t..loors for Sports Arena SIIow LOS ANGELES, CAL., Aug. 30- Speedway motorcycle racing makes a determ1Ded try at becoming "big league" Saturday nlgbt, August 30th, when a 24 event racing card w1ll be presented indoors for tile first time at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Speedway racing, known in pre- World War II days as "short track", bas experienced a phenomenalrmnlinSoutbern Caltforn1a during tile past year encouraging the American Legion and Great Bear Enterprises to sponsor races for three weeks. Mo'orcycle STRONGI' wi'. Cycle News II' 5 Sloan AI Kearney Bowl Harry Drlnl crosses II up on way 10 wlnelna the 250 bperl ,...... Two reigning chamPions, Rick Woods of Huntingtol) Beach, who is the U,S. Speed_y Champion and Sonny Nutter of Culver City, Caltfornla Champ, are both entered along with a strong field of veterans from other fields of motorcycUng sport. "We have witnessed the tremendous popularity of Speedway racing at Orange Fairgrounds and Whiteman County Park," declared producer Peter Palmer of Great Bear Enterprises, "and feel that tbls is the time for the sport to move into the realm of a major attraction." Roster of entrants w1ll include Stu Morley and Jack O'Brien, Tapanga.;Sammy Tanner, Wilmington; Swede Savage, Santa Ana; Larry Heinselman, Culver City; Mike Konle, Granada HIlis; Johnny Carter of Woodland HWs and many more Speed_y aces. The first event will be on Saturday night, August 30th. The second showwlll move to Sunday nigbt, September 7th, returning to Saturday night. September 13 for the f1nal show at the Sports Arena. All races start at 8:35 p.m. Tickets will be $3.00 and $4.00. By Tim Thomas FRESNO, CAL., Aug. 9,1969- The Pathfinders races on Saturday night seemed to be run in mass confusion. The d1tferent size classes were not only m1Jred uP but so were tile rider classes. This, combined with the less than excellent Starter, bad most of the riders in an uProar. To get on with the races, Uttle Darrel Smith caucht the early leaders of the 100cc Amateur clus, Steve Baker and Gary Maulden, sleeping to sweep them both in one turn and go on for tile win. The 250 Novices ap1n got to follow TIm TomUnson's Montesa home. TIm should be an Amateur before long. They bad better _tch out because tbls boy rtdes Uke anytb1.nr but a Novice. Steve Solder brought his Bultaco home firstfor the third straight time last night in the 250 Amateur. He should be an Expert soon and shouldn't have much trouble adjusting to It. One fellow who dldn't have mIlCh trouble adjusting to the Expert class was Ken Hale. He's taken a first and two seconds in his first three Expert rides. He took a close second behind the nation's top Class C Novice, Tod Slosn Saturday nlgbt. Heat race winner Mike Middleton could only manage a fast closing third after a poor start. Mighty Mike Lane made one of his rare lIIlpear&nces here and took a tblrd in the 125 Expert and fourth in the 250 Expert. Jon Schaffer ran into tough luck in the 500 Amateur. Jon won the heat race decisively only to have the main started with the starter standing right in front of him. It wasn't Jon's night as while he tried to make uP lost ground Stan Sibley fell in front of him and Jon had to leave the track to avoid him. Meanwhile back in the race, Don Harrel moved uP from a bad start to take the win. Wayne Sumner rode a borrowed BSA to an easy heat race win but got a bad start in the main. Tod Sloan took an easy win with Wayne working through the pack to take second. Sometblng bas to be dnne about the starter here. Sometimes there would be a rider three lengths in front of the others when the race was started. John Green Joins Sacto Winners By Steve Rooney SACRAMENTO, CAL., Aug. 16, 1969JolIn Green, of Carmichael, entered the exclusive circle of wlnners of the 250 Expert class during saturday niCht's Sbort Track Motorcycle races at Sacramento Raceway. Green becomes the fourth man to haTe won a main event in tbls hotJ;y contested class. RalPh Waldman, of'Fa1rf1eld, bas taken every main event he has participated in much to the sorrow of the other 250 Experts. Wald· man bas a total of six wins. George Carter of North H1&hlands-.is the only other multiple winner, with two vic tortes • Ron Davies, of M1ll Valley, bas taken the main event one time and now Green w1ll join him at tile five yard hand1Cl11l line. Milan Vickers, Sacramento, made his best showtng of the year in the class rtding to second place ahead of Dan Davies, San Rafael. Green, had a lead of almost a straightaway when he received the checkered flac. George Carter and Tim Fitzgerald, Sacramento, rounded out the top five riders. Paul Minor Jr., Sacramento, won both his heat and the main event to overcome a field of thirteen riders and take home the first place trophy. The win assures Minor of maintaining his current point lead in the 250 Amateur class. Rich Dashiell, Santa Rosa, had to overcome a fourth in a heat race and just made the main by virtue of his placing in the semi, to take second behind Minor. Hal Johnson and Ron Materi were third and fourth. Other main event wlnners were; 250 Novice, Wayne Davis, Santa Rosa; 200 Amateur Expert, Steve Lazzarini, Martinez; 200 Novice, Bob Leamenr, Fairfield; 125 Amateur Ray Barnh1ll, Folsom; 125 Novice, Bill Byrd, Carmichael; and 100 Novice, Bill Trumbull, Fa1rf1eld. Racing wlll continue next Saturday night August 23rd. (Results on page 20) PROFESSIONAL RACES SET FOR SAN JOSE, PETALUMA AND DIXON IN SEPTEMBER. AMA professional racine w1ll be held at the San Jose half mile Labor Day with Petaluma FairgrOWlll$ set for Saturday night September 6 and then to the Dbon Fairgrounds September 13. Petaluma and Dimn are short track events. i!SA'lIounled, T,ackmasllK tra_ Allee Kenyon lot his nallll on lJIe enorllous perpetual trophy acaln. Once more and II's his for keeps. FIRST ROAD RACE NAnONAL AT NEW SAN FRANCISCO COURSE The first time Sears Point .. time) road races w1ll take place on the Nor1II side of the San Francisco Bay area 011 Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 6 &0 7. ACA SlIor' Trac' Poin's Race Wide Ope. EL TORO, CAL. Aug. 20, 1969 - With Mark Kruse lISlIllU'ently outlor the season with a cracked shoulder blade after his tall last week in the 250CC short track main event, it looks as though it migbt be a tnss- uP for the championship tbls year • Last year's Champion, Randy Ellis, is coming back strong, and he is a constant front runner. Jimmy Raymond also bas a good chance of wlnn1ng tile 250Cc short track championshiP tbls year. Randy was able to take a double win Wednesday in the 250Cc short track by taking the trophy dash and the main event, but not without some real compet1tioo from Devon Sowell. Devon led quite a bit of the ten llIIl Main Event andhad trouble only on the last COuPle of llIIls in the west turn, letting Ellis pull ahead for the win. Jim Peterson is back in good shape ap1n after healing his pulled Ugaments and f1n1shed in third place, with fourth spot going to Jimmy Raymond. The 500cc short track Main Event winner was Al Smith. Al is a top contender for the championship in tile TTbutonhis first outing in short track came away with a pretty easy win. Randy Ellis, Triumph mounted, took a second place from a dead last start, but the ten llIIls weren't quite enough to present a real challenge to Al Smith on his BSA. An uPset was seen in the 125cc short track main event when Carl Nyersonhis Hoda1Ia pulled out in front of the pack on the last llIIl just barely nosing out Gary Scott on his Cimatti. Third place went to ScottAutreyonhis Yamaba. Tbetropby dash TT events were even1y distributed, with Jimmy Raymond taking the 1%5cc: event, Ray Vanderpool the 250Cc and the 500cc going to Gary Jones. The main event winDers did not have such an 8ILSJ' time of it. Steve Nichols on his Yamaba had a tough time beal1ng Jimmy Raymond, Ray VanderPOOl and Mike Payse in the 125cc TT main event. The 250Cc TT main event was a real lattle between Montesa man Raymond and Bultaco mounted Vanderpool, with Mike 1IanDoD also on a Bultaco giving both of tbeO'ont runners a tough time throughout the eDtire event. Riding a Bultaco his first time out, Russ Shull, an outstanding motocross rtder, really surprised some of the TT boys in the first several llIIls by running in front. However, he bad some trouble making the Ught left and right hand smooth corners. In the 500Cc TT main event Gary Jones, the trophy dash winDer, really got a bad start and bad quite afew problems f1n1shing in slxth positioo, with Ray Vanderpool and Jimmy Peterson. both on Triumphs, fighting of! the persistence of Payse and his Greeves and Al Smith on his BSA. The ACA short trackers and TT riders will have a go at it again next Wednesda,y night with the first event getting UDder way al 8: 15 p.m., and sign-Itl closing at 7:30. With only three more pointseventa left in the season and DO one w1tb a wide" spread, the competition between the top runners is increasingly keen.