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/125644
The AMA Circuit this season was unusual in many respects. Beginning in February, it included a record number of National Championships-28 in all. Right away it began with a surprise with Ronnie Rail taking a first time ever win for Bultaco at the Houston Short Trade. The next day Skip Van .Leeuwin's win at the TT was expected, but the surprise was the debut of Marl< Brelsford, taking a second in the second race of his Expert career. With Daytona and the beginning of the half mile series, the expected favorites-Rayborn, Lawwill, Markel, Nix-began to take over, but Reading was another surpriser with Larry Palmgren winnin9 his first Championship in eleven years of racing. And the season of the first time winners continued with Wirth taking the santa Fe TT, Rice winning Santa Clara and Sedalia, Brelsford garnering the Ascott TT, Chuck Palmgren triumphing at Santa Rosa and Sacramento, and Larry Palmgren coming back again at Indianapolis. Also, Dick Mann, whom many thoU9ht riding from force of habit, proved himself again a serious threat with wins at Santa Fe and Peoria within a weekend. It was a hard year and a year with more deaths and injuries than anyone wanted to see, but the new motor limit has revived the competitive spark, and we look for next year with anticipation. • Montage by Don Woods. Information and photos In part provided bv the PNfA News Service. NO. I-MERT LAWWILL: CUMBERLAND CHAMPION, COLUMBUS CHAMPION, CASTLE ROCK CHAMPION. world chilmpions. A nd his touch for pavement hils not diminished with his marked improvement on dirt over the last three yet1TS. Col is 28, started riding ar the age of leven, and tUITIed professioNzl in 1961. This seaj/()n he has been Mert's consistent chilOenger fO{ the Number One plate. ridden professioMlly since 1955, was al_ys one of the best in the eIlst, but surprised all this year by coming on as one of rhe mttior rhreats on the National Circuit, winning his first Chilmpionship on rhe half mile, rhen backing ir up with a mile win. His swift appearance on the NatioMI scene helPed Triumph abJOl'be the dUappoinrment of Gary Nixon's unfortunate accident. Larry is married ro Dagny von A hrens and hils a son, Lance. No.4-BART MARKEL:, TERREHAUTE CHAMPION, LOUISVILLE CHAMPION. A r 29 M!rr iAwwlll is at the crest of his motorc:ycle riding ct1I'eer, and thilt crest shows no sigr. of Orellking for some time. He hils been a consistent campetitor for several yetlrS now, and is becoming one of the all-round racers. His best talenr is ar hillf mile and IT, but his roadracing slcills bring him points-paying positions on pavement. Tn 1964 he WQS ninth in the nation, and has beim rising stetzdily since. alwaYs p1Ju:ing in the top ten. Now he is at rhe top. Mert _s born in Boise, 1dJJho in 1940, and his thirst for racing took him to Cali[orniD SO he could compere weekly ar Ascot. He hils been man'ied for about a yetlr, and apparently it hils done him good, for his big clutrge toward Number One began late lasr seoson. Cal is married with tiro childTen: Colvin and Jack, and works as a mechilnil: those rare moments he is nor racing. He am, and one day will, Ct11TJI the Number One plate if he does not tUITI to professicnlll ct1I' racing first. NO.3-FRED NIX; NAZARETH CIA! PION, LOUDON CHAUPIO T undisputed best alkound rider in the nation. He has won each type of Championship sanctioned by the AMA, and his rides in the InterAm motocross series last fall firmly establish his versatility. 1966 and 1968 were the onJ:y yean he did DOt win at least one Championship since 1959. He has been Grand National Champion once, and his record is all the more impressive becau.se he is one of the few top riders who does aD of his own race preparation and tuning. Late in a long career DicIc Mann is as strong as ever, and the powerful BSA twin will assure his oontention as many mare year.; as he cares to ride. BaTt Markel, a tool and dk milker in Flint, MU:higan, is 33 and hils established a truly unbelievable record since he begtln Professional racing in 1957. He hils held rhe Number One plate three times ('62, '66, '67), is close to Oretlking rhe all time win record Mirh 26 Chilmpionships to his credit, and fws won on every type of track except the road racing course. He is married to JoAnn Overton and has Q .son, BaTt, and a daughter, Stac:y. Fred Nix was one of the best liked, most talented, and fastest rising stars on the AMA Circuit, He had already achieved his goals of improving the sport and being a popula:r rider at the age of 2S, but his career had really only begun when he was kiDed in a dune buggy accident June 18. The onJ:y rider ever to win mcxe Championships in a single season was Joe Leonard. Fred was one of the most fabulous miJers ever, was an expert at short tnclc, and always good on the half mile, But no one reaHzed his true versatility until he won the road race at Loudon, the last win befcxe his death. . Fred is survived by his wife Carolyn, and an infant daughter Cynthia Lynn. No 5-LARRY PALl\1GREN: READING CHAMPION, INDIANAPOLIS MILE CHAMPION. No.25 CAL RAYBOR•. DAYTONA CHAMPION, HEIDELBERG CHANPION, • DlrlNAPOLIS CHAI .PION. Calvin Rayborn is rhe besr AMA road racer in competition, perhaps one of rhe besr ever,and many feel him equal ro the FlM t~r' o 52-RONNIE RALL: HOUSTON SHORT TRACK CHAMPION NO. 38-CHUCK PALMGREN: SANTA ROSA CHAMPION, SACRAMENTO CHAMPION NO.2-DICK MANN. SANTA FE SHORT TRACK CHAMPION, PEORIA CHAKPION DicJc Mann is at the end of his seventeenth year on the Championship Circuit and is the I( Skip was born in 1938 in Orange aty, Iowa, but now resides in HollylroOd where he works as a mororcycle !lQlesman. He started riding in 1955,likesProfessionaiIT best, and no doubr acquires much of his fme sense of balance from his hobby, snow slciing. He tUITIed pro in 1959 and rides on the streer eoch day. Skip is married and hils three children: Curtis Ray, Mark Kent and Eric Shad. lr hils been opined thilr Ronnie Rall oould be Number One any seoson he cared ro pursue the whole circuit. He seems to win at ieJzst one Championship eoch yetlr, and this year he kU:ked off the seoson by winning in the Astrodome. Ronnie, a dairy farmer from Mansfield, Ohio, WQS bom in Upper Sandusky, Ohio in 1938, and starred riding at the age of 10. On his _y to the National Circuit he rode scrambles, short track,. endUl'Os, poker 1'lUU, and mororcross. He beCilme a professional in 1960, and when not racing likes flying and skin diving. Charles Palmgren, with his Orother and Jim Ril:e, WQS one of the first timeTs this yetlTWith double wins. He _s born in 1944 and now resides in Baltimore, home of the machine he ride.. Chuck began riding in 1958, prefers dirt trIlcks, and turned professioNzl in 1964. He and Larry hilve been the most valuable rid6s on the Triumph ream this yetlr, and together they comprise a brother act thilt seems determined to keep the mile track in the family. When not involved in professioMI competition, Chuck rides in the woods, hunts and fishes. No 71 (Road Racing)ART BAUW.AHN: SEARS POINT CHAMPION o ;'9-SKIP VAN LEEUWEN: •IOLSTON TT cm .11'10} SHIP Larry Palmgren, of Freehold, N.1. WQS born in Colby. Kan!IQs in 1937. He hils Gordon Van Leeuwen, called Skip, is <'ne of the top IT riders in rhe Nation. He proved it '!gain this year ill rhe A strodom£. (Continued on page 28)