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/125671
An Inter,iew Wit": 808 GROSSI By Dave Loop Bob Grossi i s a wi nner. Watch him during a race and you' ll see that while the pack of Senior riders f ight with each · other f or position, Grossi Is way out in f r ont and alone. He dances the bike, going scary-fast on the straights and hardly slowin g for the turns. You can tell r i ght away he is made of championship quality stuff. Bob started on a Honda 55 Trail bike when he was thirteen years old. " I used to go riding with my Dad in the hllls, " says Bob, "and gradually I came to the conclusion that I'd like to try racing." So Bob went scrambling. He kept going faster and taster on the smooth track, stopping his career only once or twice for r easons of Injury, He unloaded at the Lodi scrambles and broke his jaw in two places, but as soon as he could get going agatn, he was back at the races. His own discovery of m otocr oss was made at the SaIlnas sand track after he had been scrambling t or some 'tim e. " My friends · and I went riding on the property around the scrambles track, and we started going fast in the rough. Racing on bad te rrairi really began to appeal to me as · a challenge." Bob has answered the challenge well. In early 1969, Bob opened a lot of eyes by leading Dick Mann and European ace Olaf Persson in an AMA EvenUn Marys ville. Then Bob went to England for four months last Spring, and when he returned he was more polished and quicker than ever . " Th e Europeans can teach a rider a lot about style and technique" says Bob. " Some of the best lessons a rider can learn come from racing with those guys." He plans to go to Europe again early next year for more riding sessions with some of the world's best. Bob's achievements are piling up rapidly. Ri ding a Husqvarna for Moore and Sons, his Santa Cruz hom etown dealer, Bob and his tuner John Preston have been very busy i n the past few months. Bob ~WEXCITERS! (415) 687·7742 AT fRANr CRANE , (41S) 686·6814 YAMAHA MOTORCYCLE INSURANCE FOR SAL E 581 MONUMENT BLVD., CONCORD , CALif. recently won CMC North' s' C Z ser i es, holding off Nor ther n California's best r iders to take the prize. When the Nor th and part of the South met at the Dir tdigger's Hangtown event a few weekends ago, Grossi showed stars such as John DeSoto and Hans Hansen the way around the track. In last Fall's Inter-Am series Bob rode all of the California races. He was the second best American at SaddIeback and Salinas, third best at China Camp and fou rth at Westlake; an enviabl e record for a fellow who is not qui te twenty years old. Bob speaks of his plans: ' I want to ride as much as possible and keep trying as hard as I can. Hopefully we can get ~ ...-""" to Europe early next year and pick up a few more tricks and get more experience. With some help, we will follow the InterAm from coast to coast the next time it com es around." Bob may get the help he needs from MED-InternationaI, Importers f or Husky in the U. S., as he has a contract pending with that fir m • . Bob Is still in school and asserts that m1xlng motorcycles and school doesn't leave much spare time. And it is in motor cycling wher e Bob 15 going to leave his mark. He Is fast and smooth and consistent. Just as important, he is dedicated. And most important of all, Bob Grossi Is a winner. COLISEUM CYCLE and ACCESSORY CO. MAIL ORDEl< ~ KA WASAKI ~ MOTORC YCLES 3958 E . 14T H ST . OAKLAND, CAL . ,<415) 534.5461- 5462 94601 Uft -aCycle \ $16.9~ PORTABLE CYCLE WORKSTAND TilE IIANDLE DOES TilE LIFTING 3 model s available - use at home. hi lls , or shop - IIeavy steel construction-Build yourseU plans $2.00 Got elll Engineering & Mfg. 1571 Heron Av enue Sunnyval e Califor ni a 94087 A&A A&A A&A A&A AM * A & A MANUFACTURING Tlffen Mullenax, winner of the 650 Ex. event, hustles to victory ahead of a slightly aut rI shape rider. 378 riders performed for mare than 1000 spectators at the regular Saturday night event. Large Turnout Bears ,Cold At Hayward Club Scrambles HAYWARD, CALIF . May 9,1970- With over 1,000 spectators to watch 378 riders, the Hayward M.C.'s second night was as much a thriller as the first. The abundance of r iders was not substantially affected by the extremely cool temperatures and for the most part everything ran smoothly. The 650cc Expert f eature event went to Titfen Mullenax, who led from wire to wire. His biggest competition came from Joey Iacobitt1, and Dan Hughes, as both dogged him throughout. The 250cc Exper Main was won by John Genna!, no newcom er to the winner's circle, but, by the same token, not quite a normal thing to beat the likes of Paul Johnson or Al Kenyon. Phil Ray, led off the 6- lap affair, with Genna! and John Alebo and Kenyon r ight up close. After three laps it seemed as it Ray might hold on, but as fate would hav e it, he got wide in the sweeper and was nailed by all four riders in one fell swoop, Paul Johnson, tried to move in but couldn't 'It * * * * JOHN SMITH * ~ '* 11 : _: MOTORCYCLEPARTS : 'N ' STUFF ,. It It It It GOODIES JAWA-CZ DEALER, 5 YEARS YOU CALL - WE SID ? MAIL ORDER 2S12 Franklin (916) 452·2622. Sacramento, C alif. 958 18 t * ... and Alebo did the same on Johnson with the same result. The decision of the referee to run ' two tna1ns in the 250cc Novice race was a welcome one and many newcomers will not only get more riding but will also get a better chance to get near the trophy table. The A Main went to Gary Hytton who rides much better than his Novice plate indicates. The B Main went to Pat McCaul with Gary Vanderpool second. Lee Seidel ran away with the 250 Amateur Main ' and his beating Dave Pes ton, puts him in the lime light of that class, as Peston is a hard man to beat. Steve Hernandez put together a fast lap or two with a great start to run away with the 200cc Amateur Main from the likes of Ivan Shigemasa and Barre Lov. (Results on page 26) Need /ll()fe low end TOf'lue ' 12,TOO THED CZ COUNTER SPROCKETS $9.25 C&M SPECIALTIES -P.O. BOX 717 MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. 94040 ... ,. It If *** YOUR AD THIS SIZE ONLY sonny kenyon's CliD cycles B BullieD • ~JIl4 SPECIALI ST ~. 3594 Middlefield Road Mt. View " California 94040 ( 415) 96 1· 439 9 MAIL ORDER Sf;~stt ' Call Lyn at (415) 934-1995 1470 Broadway, Walnut Creek, Calif. ~UL.T=C= NORTH SA YM/Cs G (415)681·9300 ~~~::. - 6 p.m. . of FREMONT ~ Sales -Service -Acces• • 37318 Fremont Blvd. (415) 192-1949 atF'::~a~~ 2120 Concord Ave. In Concord, Cal.lfarnla WE TAKE CARS IN I :RADE ON MOTORCYCLES - -- -- - - - - - -- -- - - - - - -