Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

81P1I&. •••••• • America's leading weekly newspaper covering the motorcycle sport. You'll always see it first in Cycle News. n l'ubli ·iler. . Chuck Claylull Editor _ Eric Ralts Calendar Editor. _ Terry Pratt Asst. lu U... I·.(htur. Gael lIuchaIHUl lIusiness Manager•. Sharon Clayton OrnCl' Mana/:er.. Gavlene Thomason Circulation Mana~er•• Bruce Easley Producuou Manager. ~Vcluli:s (irccilc Production Asst•• Dean Cunningham z z z z 7 z 7 7 Bookk,,'pl'r.•..•. Susan lI"hltela.. Lab Technician LUi Lakkh Receptionist•••••••• Irene Keith Published weekly except the first and last "eek of the calendar year by Cycle News, Inc., Post OtTice Box 498, Long Beach, California, also publishers of Cycle Neleclal thanks to Ben Bok of District 37. . We could tb1nk of no better way of showing our appreciation to Rescue 3 than the $150.00 check we gra.tefully sent. ROBERT LEWIS President, Desert Foxes, M.C. Baldwin Park. Cal. STARTING. HAS ITS HASSLES A rebuttal to Linda Anderson's letter in Oct. 7 Issue of Cycle News: Trying to start races is a lot ~der than most people tb1nk. While you are 'Waiting tor that last man to get uP to the line, everybody eise is burning uP their clutches. Yet if you start the race, the guy coming uP to the line gets a rolllng start. So what do you do? You try to time the guy comlug uP to the line. He gets a rolllng start, but it's tar enough behind the line not to give him an advantage. But the best way to find out is (and this is an invitation) come on out and start one. WHITEY LYONS Gardena, Calif. Civilized Warfare In The Bavarian Alps By Chuck Clayton Everybody travels differenUy, collecting different impressions. I have just had my first experience of Europe and am bursting to tell you of it. Motorcycle enthusiasts have the same differences the world over. Arriving in Germany it was the black clad, serious lads hunkered low in the wind making perfect trajectories through the traffic. Later, in England, it would be minlsklrts and hotrod scooters. Cloud mists, peaceful, wildflowers waving in green grass ••.Partner Sharon adjusted her brass and black leather handbag to a new notch on her arm 100 yards up a Bavarian alp. It was hard to believe that in our youth Americans and Germans Idlled each other on these friendly slopes. Now they battle more courteously via the versatile motorcycle. The International 6- Days Trial1s taken very seriously by the European governments. in many ways, it is run 11ke war, only nobody gets Idlled. Cheating is an important part of the game and some of the maneuvering would outclass Hogan'S Heroes. Certain national teams hide whole machine shops in the woods to shape uP the motorcycles which their champions destroyed in the daily battles. Europeans believe in psyching the competition heavily. It was said that the Russian and Czech pits were guarded with machine guns. Amid all the officai controis, scrutiny, checks and double checks that the 6 Days is famous for, cheating and not geti1ng canght is an irreststable challenge. Contestants were disqualified right and left for switching to hidden bikes or taldug carefully mapped-out shortcuts. One American in contention tor a Gold Medal collided with a car, twealdng his forks badly. Somebow he made it through the day without losing a point. N~xt morning as his twisted bike limped along, the rid.er came uPOn a man sitting on a fence, apparently engrossed reading a newspaper. Surreptitiously he motioned his head tor the rider to turn off the trall toward a nearby harn. There the bike was seized by anonymous workmen, levered into a portable jig and in a minute the, forks were straightened and he was on his way. "It was 11ke something in a movie about the CIA," the American said later. A Close Up or A Russia.n We had sat next to the Russian team during the tormal ceremonies opening the 6-Days Trial. They were all young, single, solo and solemn. One glared at me with obvious curiosity and prejudice - the first Russian I had seen that close. I was probably his first American, too. We "Yanks" were a clean and classless bunch. All 23 riders wore inexpensive white windbreakers provided by some thoughtful sponsor. Old guys, youug guys, all Idnds of white people made uP our team. Many of us came with wives - a real luxury. Solemnities aside, we were as.brash and open as our movies have pictured us. Unaffected, guileless and innocent, we were there tor the tun of it. SlJe whole days of fast cow-tralling and woods riding. Gee! Gorsh! I wonder if the Russians missed good sbashllk or whatever it is Russians eat as much as we missed our milkshakes already. They wanted to win the 6-Days very badly, and the right to turn us all on to the next trials in their country. And since we weren't in contention tor that honor, I hoped they would, but East Germany took it. America really set out to play the game by the rules. Our bikes were so standard it was pitiful. Bob Hicks, longbalred publisher trom Massachusetts and his partner youug David Eames shipped their old, stock Ossas from the U.S., as had the Bultaco team and others. Everything of course bad happened that could, but it didn't spoll the fun. I should say that patriotism in its highest demonstration has nothing to do with flag waving, belligerence or uP-tightness. Patriotism is Tom He1n1nger and Nell Holt in a German forest pouring green Gatorade out of a plastic jug for thirsty riders, their loyalties to their Webco busIness subservient to the team's concern. It's groantng out of bed before dawn to a tasteless breakfast so you can ride another 6 hours on a machine that wants to lie down and die. It's private enterprises 11ke Penton, Hercules-Sachs, Webco, etc. giving unlimited treasure and talent to the task without expecting anything tor it, not even publicity, or gratitude. It should make you teel proud to know of American patriotism 11ke that. Single copy pnce _ . ~~(' Subscnptton: one year 2nd class mail .. __ . _ . . . . . . . . . • . S7 50 NATIONAL AD DIRECTOR • • • • • • • • • •• Thomas R. Culp Cycle News (West), P.O. Box 498. Long Beam, CaIif.!IOIIl (213) 427-7433 L.A. 636-8844 Telex No. 61-3414 EASTERN ADVERTISING Paul Cosner Cycle Ne.s Easl P.O. BOI 13, Amhersl, Ohio 44001 Tel. (216) 984-2433 24- 3449 Telel No. I 2 7 •••••••••••••• • Guest : • : • • .: Editorial : • • • • •••••••••••••• • By Forest Wilson • Tlte future of Motocross When Torsten Hallman rode tht! Dirt Diggers Grand Prix in 1967 a newimage of motorcycling was born. On that weekend in early November the slender immaculate world champion from Sweden displayed his ability to literally fly around a rough and wet course. Heading a troupe of International Motocross stars he returned in 1968 to dazZle the thousands l1n1ng courses from east to west. The best efforts of our AmerIcan riders were lost in the s!ladows of these masters of the motorcycle. People concerned with motorcycling In America realized that we were entering uPOn a completely new era of the sport. Machines especially for motocross were imported trom Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Germany, England, Spain, and Japan. They came in all sizes and in large numbers and were seized upon by eager hands. Promoters staged motocross events with increasing frequency. Now on weekends several choices as to where he wlll ride are often open to the motocross rider. CRITICAL POINT A critical point in motocross history is now at hand. What is done by riders, dealers and promoters in the immediate years to tollow wlll determine whether motocross will become just another motorcycle event to take its place alongside scrambles and desert events or become a part of the great International Motocross picture. The firstresponsiblityfor determining the future of motocross in America is that of the riders. They are the largest majority in this case. By their actions motocross wlll nourish or fizzle. They can keep promoters straight by insisting on courses which are proper as to layout and preparation. This would mean a course with a soft surface, havlug some muddy sections, and running through rolling terraIn without "suicide" fast, level. or downhUl stralght sections of any length. Excessive dust on a course is dangerous to contestants and very annoying to spectators. Use of the water truck is as important to the rider as the presence of an ambulance, perhaps more s as water trucksproperlyusedprevent accidents whUe ambulances come after accidents. Flagmen should be present at all dangerous or hl1nd sections for protectton of riders on the course. PROPER COURSE The conditions which must be tnet.by promoters of motocross events to insure success over a period of time are those which provide a proper course tor rider and spectator. If there is no adequate public address system with which to keep the spectators totally informed of the racing program, the contestants during races, results of races etc., the promoter is driving away spectators. These people who pay to see your events are your guests and unless they are provided with ample sanitary facilities and good parIdng space they wlll not come back. We have no captive audiences in America: One of the outstanding problems facing promoters of motocross events today is that there are so many riders in the Junior class that races of sufficient (Continued on P3/i:e 25)

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