Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Rugged Gold Rush Enduro Runs Riders Ragged Story and P hotos by Leonard Sipe MOJAVE, CAL., Feb. 1, 1970 - Some or California ' s top desert riders were on hand today to compete in the P r ospectors annual Gold Rus h Enduro;The event was the first of seven AMA sanctioned enduros to be held in Dis trict 37 this year • The 100- mile run began at a "town" consisting of hundreds of motorcyclist's campers parked in back of Tokiwa's restaurant and s ervic e sta tion. It's a beer-and-gas oasis 15 miles north of the desert town of Mojave on Highway 14. The cour se included rutted sandwashes , steep embankments, arroyos with rocks strewn by the devil hims elf, twisting gullies, the infa mous Pr os pectos Hill , slick fir er oads , and choppy razorbacks. . Add to that a posted average speed so demandi ng that noted enduroist Dick Smith had to push his new 8-speed Husky on uP to 90 mph...well, let's just say it was a lively day 's riding for all 800 plus entrants. Utller seasoned · Upper and Baja Califor nia veterans included Eddie Dayand 'Buck Smith, who between the twooftllem combine over 106 years of off- road motorcycle experience. Buck suffered a flat tire only six mile s fr om the cold and windy start; an ignoble fa te. He then concentrated on coaching his son, Gene and two other young worthies in the fine art of enduro timeliness at the various check points ; Eddie Day, Buck's Mexican 1000partner, did the unbelievable by fini shing close to his calculated time on a 250 Triumph. When asked just how close his averages were, Day answered, " Not too well . I only zer oed .s even of the eight check points. I was one minute off at one of them." Although Day has an undeserved reputation for tall tales, he claims this is gospel. Key starting time was 8 0' clock Sunday morning, with the fifty mile first loop snaking its way through the rugged western hills of the Mojave Desert. After skirting the edge of Sequoia National Forest, r iders swung back toward Highway 14 again. They took a 52 minute noon check at another wide spot called 'Ar mi s tead. Prospectors president Jack Lund, by ' the way, wishes to apologize to everyone who had to pay an unexpected fifty cents a car for parking behind Ar mistead's •• The hastily s cr awled sign for the parking fee tended to bear out Lund's allegation that this was a last minute, unauthorized fund raising manuever by the busines s owner and was not agreed upon by the Prospecto r s, After the noon' check, riders passed under the highway at Freeman Gulch to begin the s econd flfty mile loop . They and gr avel depos ited by torrential fIashfloods. Baja notabl es were on hand, evidenUy already wor king towards the Mexican (Texas ?) 1000 In November. Steve Hurd, a Kawasaki dealer in Montebello, didn't s eem too concerned with times and ave rage speeds. He just rode in his usual tremendously fast '" ..;.:;,;. ~ ,,:

• Cover