Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

..... "" ~ c... ~ ~/ ~ · , - . Lost. riders seemed to typify this year's race. Here, Max Switzer (second overall behind J.N. Roberts) has the general direction of the next check pointed out to him. are and houn.d. This year's finishers can be counfed success. Club members spent every weekend since Easter laytng out a course, " and some spent the entire week precedtng the race worktng 'on the event. . The Juab County Sher1fl's-Jeep Posse :J 'WaS on hand to provlde rescue servtce u r and radio contact with isolated parts of the course, the Intermountain Ambulance ".J • Service provided an , ambulance, and ,g h "Yamaha' International' contributed to. wards th.e trophies. , All these efforts seemed to be leading, uP to .!:he best Cherry Creek yet. The biggest turnout ot riders In the race's history responded to the challenge, with racers trom ntne states and Canada -pr esent. But then thtngs went wrong. What exactly went wrong has been a heated topic tor discussion among racers, spectators, and particularlY among Salt Lake Motorcycle Club members. The common 'conclusions seem to be that the course was not marked well enough. In a number of areas the course did not tollow the natural paths and riders missed the turnotts. The course wasalso drasticallY revised this year and many experienced riders were misled by their past experiences. In addition the weather turned hot and the heat combined with the fatigue which comes quicklYat Cherry Creek made the necessary concentration dIttIcult. . The Club wasalso hurting tor workers, particularlY experienced workers. Sev- 0'; fhe fingers of one hand. eral members dropped out during the past year,li:iid the tasks they normallY would have performed had to be taken over by members unfamiliar with the jobs. In addition, the tasks of the club were more than doubled by the many inconsiderable spectators and pit racers present. Cherry Creek Is "the big one" "- the "must attend" event- of the year, although the ' d1tticulty of the course discourages many riders trom participating. This year the pit area was not well laid out, but any layout would have presented problems due to spectators crowding Into the area, crossing back and torth In tront of the racers, riding around the pits trytng to look like racers, and even getting out on the course and riding one of the loops. It is d1tticult to describe, but not hard to imagine, the frustration and dIsappotntrnent generated by this race. Riders drove hundreds of miles to participate and struggled over some of the most dltticult terrain 1maginable, onlY to be defeated by not being able to tlnd the check pcdnts, Cherry Creek, 1970, was not the race It has been In the past. There will be a Cherry Creek, 1971. Ten years out of eleven have seen good races, and the Salt Lake Club Is determtned not to have a repeat of this year, (Results on page 31) ,

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