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
EDGES DESERT'S PRIDE they were also composed of powder dUst with no base. The 100 Novices virtually destroyed the trail and the 125 Novices f1n1shed the job. Midway througb the first lap of the race it looked just as though an earthquake bad erupted on a Sundayjammed freeway. Most of the field of 200 was either on that b1l1 (going down, sideways, dolog wheel1es, walIdng, crashing, and so on) or sitting' at the bottom staring stupidly at the antics of others. For the next race, they took that-b1l1 out of the course. Jdm Rice told me that it was at his 1nst1gation that the b1l1 was removed trom the course. He said that he told the promoters that be and his motocross team wouldn't compete if the hill was left. in. Something in the tone of his voice led me to believe that he might bave been putting me on (He didn't know I was from Cycle News) but anybow that's what be said. The change made the course mucb flatter because it now followed the base line of the h11ls rather than going up on' the ridge. Even so, the course was not easy. The creek was quite deep (up to the gastank in spots) and bad to be crossed seven or eigbts times. At times through the day the first crossing (it wasn't the deepest but it was a good fifty yards wide) looked like a Husky graveyard. About two out of every three of them drowned there and at one time, by actual count, there were seventeen drying out on the bank. Most riders that I talked to felt that it was a rider's course, rather than a power course. Lon Peterson who fin1sbedfourtb in 125 Expert, commented that it was one of those courses that you bave to be on top of every minute unless you wanted to go on your head. John Rice found the coUrse extremely tiring, so much so that. be called it quits after desert- motocross sprint and dido't race the Open Expert. Any attempt to give a blow-by-blow description of the races would be sheer fiction because neither I nor any of the offtc1a1s knew what was going on in most. of them. There were very many riders on a short course and in most of the races all fivefront-runners were cbanging continuouslY. Even the flag m8.n was confused: in one race be gave the cbeckered to the (Continued on .page 37) He sti" didn't keep his feet dry. A dejected J.N. Roberts leaves the course after the match race. He came back to win the SOO.Expert race by a big margin. Reserved Seat Tickets Now On Sale At·· AUBURN MODESTO .FA I RFI ElD llBUTCH MARTIN" MARTIN'S CYCLE SALES 2020 N. Texas St. (94533) Area Code: 707/422-2675 FRESNO HAROLD MATHEWS H-D 548 Blackstone Ave. (93701) Area Code: 209/266-6688 GARDENA AGAJANiAN ENTERPRISES. Inc. P. O. Box 98 Area Code: 213/323-5055 321-5323 HOlLi STER BELLINA CYCLES 731 San Fel ipe Rd. (950U) Area Code: 408/637-4488 OAKLAND NELSON BROTHERS TRI-HONOA 4500 E. 14th St. (94601) Area Code: 415/532-3677 HOWARD SELF MOUNTAIN VIEW COLISEUM CYCLE & ACCESSORY SONNY KENYON'S CYCLE . 3958 E. 14th St. (94601) 2594 Middlefield Rd. (94040) Area Code: 415/534-5461 Area Code: 415/961-4399 GENE ANORES H-D 1208 Ninth St. (95350) Area Code: 209/522-3489 SAN FRANC I SCO SACRAMENTO ARMANDO MAGRI H-O 815 12th St. (95813) Area Code: 916/453-6888 JOE SARKEES MOTORCYCLE SERVICE 2509 Broadway (95818) Area Code: 916/457-0885 RACiNG HEADQUARTERS WOOOLAKE INN (95813) Hwy 40 E. & Canterbury Rd. Area Code: 916/922-6251 RICHMOND KARL'S MOTORS - BSA 245 24th St. (94801) Area Code: 4151235-7322 OUDLEY PERKINS H-D 66 Page St. (94102) Area Code: 415/431-5323 SAN JOSE BOB CHAVES MOTORCYCLES 676 Auzerais (95102) Area Code: 408/293-1260 STOCKTON GLEN McGILL MOTORCYCLES 1850 Cherokee Rd. (95205) Area Code: 209/466-7776 VAllEJO NELSON BETTENCOURT H-O 420 Marin St. (94590) Area Code: 707/642-0302 r;:.'::.-.'"".;""'.,,..---------------------- The kids who didn't want to watch the races had fun playing in tile water. General Admission •... S6.00 Chil*en (8 to 12\·· _. _. 51.00 Adcl,••~L 'Avail_Ie Day of Race Only) Stet. ~ ~ :z: number five man and the four leaders bad ~ to take an extra lapl It was all straigbten- (j ed out bowever, by three hard-working ;,.. women who kept the lap records. 'Ibis U sort of situation always brings a lot of protests and this one was no exception. About 20 people sbowed up at the scoring table to contest the results after it was allover. In two of the races, I was able to keep track of things fairly well. The first of these was the sprint race between the desert racers and the motocross racers. John Rice on his big Matco got the Jump off the starting line and when they came by the pits the first time it Was Rice and J.N. ""o::T--=--~"""" JIM DENNY'S HONDA 858 High St. (95603) Area Code: 316/885-6240 ... .... c;I, Z."o_ Pi....."cl••••to,"J"'cI.•• .4Iidf."ocl ........ 10'•••, ti,~.l f.h.....