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
-,I WORLDS· LARGEST ,---SA_LlNA_S .~. A,',~~ ',\\ .. ~ . ~¥t;.u;,*~.~(411 There they are, folks ... all 619 of northern California's finest motorcycle sportsmen athletes. The naval color euard broueht the country's flae to By Chuck Clayton the California Rodeo Falrcrounds. Enormous trophies may be seen on table In backeround left of center. Perfect weather eraced Ihe show. lIotto III the Salinas Scrambles Is ·We race lhat others may walk.· SALINAS, CAL. AUG. 24 - "The SaJ1nas Elks are number one in California, thanks to tbe Ramblers Motorcycle Club," said publicist Joe Johnston. OVer the years the SaJ1nas Elks Club donated $100,000 to the fight against cerebral palsy. Most of the money was raIsed through co-sponsoring the annual SaJ1nas Rodeo Fairgrouods Scrambles along with the local Ramblers M.C."A lot of handicapped kids owe their lives to the motorcycle racer," Johnston concludes. This year 689 riders lined up In front of the pit gate before dawn, their vans and pic~s, cars and trailers stretching around the fairgrounds for nearly a mile. Preliminary races began at 11 a.m. and weren't completed until nearly 4 o'clock. Then came the mains. Cut to 4 laps eacII because of the huge entry, the main events all resembled -~;. gigantic trophy dashes as the cream ~ California's Dlstrtct 35 and 36 competitors screamed around the smooth, 9/10 mile, two-jump TT track. A crowd estimated at 5,000 got their dessert ttrst as 19 sidehacks led off tbe post-intermission program. Dave (Crash) Roesch and Terry Benge of Tujunga and Glendale, Calif. tar outclassed the three-wheeled competition with their H-D rig. But Northern Californians Richard Brown and Dick Baton brought their 500cc Matchless unit in for first "lightweight" honors. , Then Allen (BSA) Kenyon and Rick (Tri) otto met to do battle in the 650 EJlP(!rt Main. Kenyon had won the giant perpetual trophy last year and Otto owned it the year before. This time In was the blue-clad Kenyon and his silver bike in front all the way, with otto riding almost tandem on the slick, narrow groove. Local boys made good 10 three classes, to the roaring delight of the hometown partisans. Gary Smart, riding a motocross Montesa cappra-tured the 500 Amateur main, another Montesa with Steve Pestrone aboard nabbed the 250 Amateur and Ivan (Bultaco) Sh1gemasa took the 200 Amateur, all from Salinas. With top northern Expert Paul Johnson recovering from an injury, the 250cc Expert class was up for grabs. Al Kenyon grabbed it tbe first running. But two riders had gotten off in the firstturn,outof Starter Dick Dolan's sight. A protest was lodged and the eJlP(!rts agreed toarerun. This time Yamaha pilot Harry Dring of 0ak1and led the pack with Kenyon pushing hard, trying to crowbar an opening. Kenyon got off in turn two and remounted to finish dead last. It was one that Salinas fans wt1l argue for months to come. Fleshing out a program that offered something for everyone, tbe wheelie contest was a clo6e battle between Russ Powell (BSA Victor) and Gary bwanl(Honda). First Powell rode the rear wheel the length at tbe stralgbtaway and baltway around turn one. Then D11lard topped it with a trip 3/4 at the way through the turn. Powell remounted and un1cycled nearly all the way around tbe turn and D11lard nearly matched Pele (77) Marchand and Sieve (56) Loyal mil it up in some of the close racine thai Salinas Is famous for. Bolh were trophy winners In Ihe 250cc Novice class. it. Every year the Salinas Scramblers grows a good deal bigger and the track and offlc1atlng gets just that much better. Next year tbe Elks have announced that "Wide World of Sports" wt1l cover the event. It's gotta be tbe biggest closed-course sportsman sb1nd1g since Catalina. (Results on page 27) Sieve (4d) Spence Irophied In the 650cc Amateur final. Allhoueh Ihe track was fast and a IIltle bit dusty, the ambulance only moved twice (nolhlne serious). Bruce (6) Tnlera trles Ihe difficull outside groove around Kenny Roberts In Ihe 250 Elperl lIaln. He made II, loo!