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/125687
CI') :t: r.:I Z r.:I ..,J U G SALINAS, CALIF., Aug. 23,1970- Nearly 700 riders· and an estimated 7000 spectators converged 11) fiesta fashion here Sunday..··as Triumph mounted, Rick otto, for the second time In four years, band1ly won the featured 650cc Expert Class at this town's 9th Annual Benefit TT Scrambles. Tragedy struck the event this year, however, as Clifford" Bud" Kneass, 39, d1ed late Sunday nlght from injuries received in a .crash during the second 650 Expert heat. Coming off the extremely fast sweeper and into a sharp, dusty, left bander, Kneass became entangled 'wlth another bike, and crashed. Kneass is survived by his wife and seven children. Crashes and ambulance trips were hardly the exceptions to the rule at this fast, dangerous course, with conservatively 100 riders unIoad1ng during the day, and the ambulance taking eight people to nearby Monterey County General Hospital. Almost 50 races were run around the once-a-year course at the local rodeo grounds that included a very long, very fast straight, sonie tight left and right banders, a bump jump, and a high, tapered, Ascot-Park-type TT jump. Jointly sponsored by the Salinas Elks Club and the Salinas Ramblers M.C., proceeds from the events are used to help young Cerebral Palsy victims. Festivities started shortly before II am, with presentation of the colors, a riders parade and selection of "Best Dressed Man and Machlne." Wayne Weggars won the honors, but not before the judges asked him to remove his fullcoverage helmet, apparently to ascertain that his hair and whiskei-s Were of proper length. And then came nearly eight solld hours of racing; a lot of It good, some of It not so good, and most of It. dangerous. Class after class, heat after heat, the riders, many coming several hundred miles to attend what is billed as "The World's Largest Motorcycles Scrambles Race," fought for positions In the heavily trophied Mains. At about 3:30 the flnal heat was conclUded, and the crowd was entertained by a wheelle contest,' won by last year's winner, Gary Dillard of San Jose. With the officials opting to run the MaIns in reverse order, the crowd Early morning action provided the message of things to come in the hack class. Rider's parade and line-up preceeded presentation of the colors. , .~ • .A,.... pleasing sidehacks werefirstoffthellne. Last year's champs, Southern Californians, Dave Roesch and Tom Rtnyard, powered their orange and black Harley Davidson ~ a wlre-to-wlre victory. Two other Southern Californians, Karl Krohn and Tony Masella grabbed the llghtweight honors in the sidehack class aboard a Kawasaki. And now, lad1es and gentlemen, it w!s '"tl" II'. '\"c',) w) .;l111t ' .... oJ feature time, with the big 40 Inchers taking their positions. The race, how: ever, was far from the best of the day, as Otto i'!lmediately grabbed a large lead which he refused to relinquish for the entire six lap event. Bob Boaz, who along with otto, had won his heat, finished in a comfortable second spot, while Bruce Andersen was third. All three were Triumph mounted. .