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/125690
... 8, ... o r0- O> ~ ~ I!l S ~ ~ LJe n W C ~ .. I ~ U ~ "American's No. 1 weekly motorcycle newspaper. You'll always see it FIRST in Cycle News'" 'IOS'E(10IS 1101? My family and I have attended many well run and well organized desert and motocross races in the past. We have been impressed by the friendliness and good atittude of all we came in contact with and just lately our son has been entering some races. My son was entered in the Motocross race at Bay Mare, sponsored by the Prospectors, Sun., 9-13. All seemed well until it was announced that only the top lO riders in each of the 3 Junior 250 divisions would be permitted to run in the 3rd moto. I checked and was referred to the !tarter, a Prospector. Meanwhi~ at Ie-dst 1 Publisher Charles Clayton Business Manager. . . . . Sharon Clayton General Manager Tom Culp i~~~~~i~i~~.~~~~. : : : : : B~~~~~~~ Assistant Editor John Bethea I Circulation Manager Rh~ Sm.ith Art Director Llil Laklch Lab Technician Diane Sosnoski Advertising Asst Bruce Braly Bookkeeper. . . . . . . .. Dorothea Lang Bookkeeper Eleanor Duke . . Ch' Pra tt Receptionist ns Circulation Asst Dorothy Apple '101011011 GII'E Mr. Harold E. Murrell Kearney Bowl 505 West Kearney Blvd. Dear Mr. (Harold E.) Murrell: Please find enclosed two (2) reserved seat tickets for the Half-Mile National Championship race which was to have been held on the evening of August I, 1970, in Tulare, California. As you are well aware, I was unable to get much use out of them. In addition, I am sending the cover of the "Offi~ial Program" costing me one dollar which was equally useless. My first inclination, after hearing the offer to trade the Tulare tickets for equal value tickets to either the Sacramento or Ascot Nationals to be held in California later this year, was that I had suffered through the last AMA sanctioned motorcycle abortion that I was able to without the possibility of developing some of the same attitudes exhIbited by some of the more demonstrative fans on that most unfortunate evening at Tulare. I shudder to recall some of the events of recent years as I watched and compete~ in races which were so poorly organIzed Cycle News (West), P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, California 90801. (213) 427-7433 - L.A. 636-8844. I and inefficiently operated so as to create a virtual criminal act of ignorance of the safety needs of both riders and spectators. The feeling of disgust I had for the manner in which the Tulare non-race was handled was well primed from the beginning. My wife and I atTived in Tulare at 4: 15 pm and were at the track at 4:30 pm blissfully awaiting ticket sales which were advertised to begin at 5:00 pm. We were inf6rmed by one of the men setting up the two ticket booths that both general and reserved tickets would be sold from both booths. As we had previously decided to take a chance on reserved tickets one more time, (in the past my luck with reserved voice. one rider whom my son beat in the first 2 mo tos was allowed to run in the 3rd moto. Upon protesting to the starter, he said it was his decision to eliminate the balance of the field for the 300 moto. 1 told him that we paid our entry fee and had come to race 3 motos and that it was not fair and hell of a lousy way to run a race, al\d I wanted our entry fee back. I was then slugged and knocked to the ground by the starter. While trying to defend myself, several Prospectors joined the abttle and proceeded to beat me in the mouth, scratch my face to a bloody mess, gouge my eyes, kicked me in the head and ribs and knee and some rugged Prospectors pulled approx. 3 square inches of hair from my scalp. My wife and son-in-law finally managed to pull enough green shirts off me to allow me to retire from the field. After this Hell's Angel type beating, . many other entrants came to me and said that they, too, were very unhappy with the way they had been elininated from the 3rd moto. It seems that the bike people have enough problems with their image as it is, without this kind of treatment from a sponsoring club. Needless to say, no more Prospector events for us. Name withheld in Fear Cycle News East, Dixie Cycle News, and National Advertising information: Tom Culp. National Advertising Dir. seats had resulted in being assured of an assigned seat behind a post or some other such opaque object), and as we were among the frrst of the persons arriving to purchase tickets, we proudly took a position at the head of the line at the nearest ticket booth. We stood in line in heat iii excess of 100 degrees until after 5:30 pm (remember the advertised 5 :00 pm ?) when it finally appeared that someone was going to start to sell tickets. Imagine, if you can, two lines of people who have been waiting for up to one hour to buy tickets of unspecified nature from either of the two booths (remember the nice little man who said we could get either ticket at either booth?) and try to feel the shock of seeing another little man put a sign in the window of the booth on the right which read "Reserved and "Box Seats". Imagine yourself wanting a reserved seat and being at the head (first one at the track) of what had just become the general admission box. Thank you, little men of the world. Through the compassion of a man in somewhat the same position as me, I was able to trade lines. Others weren't so lucky and found themselves at the end of the other line. One would think,' or at least hope, the overwhelming lack of consideration for people who support races and race promoters would ease up once the focal point of their concern with us (our money) came within their grasp, but we were forced to stand outside a locked gate in that same 100 degeee heat for another hour while no one was able to straighten out the confusion concerning just who had enough guts to make the decision to open the gate and let some 250 perons get some relief from the extreme heat which caused at least one small child near me to vomit. I won't go into the little inconveniences as the evening dragged on but I have to thank the announcer who had the foresight to get the hell out while the getting was good. Had Mr. Agajanian been seriously injured, he as would owe much of the blame to same announcer who managed to keep 7,000 race fans in the dark about what was going on. He must have set a record for silence as we didn't fmd out what was holding things up until 9:30 pm. That was my first inclination, but after thinking about it for these two weeks, I have decided to try again. Please exchange these tickets for the September National in Sacramento. Motorcycles and the sport have improved at fantastic proportions in the last ten years, would that the craft of promo ting follow suit, ROBERT BORZELLERI Sacramento Subscription: One year 2nd class mail Single copy price $7.50 $.25 Published weekly except the first and last week of the calendar year by Cycle News, Inc., Post Office Box 498, long Beach, California, also publishers of Cycle News East, and Dixie Cycle News. Second Class Postage paid at Long Beach, Calif. Editorial stories, cartoons, photos, etc. are welcome. Write for information. Addressed, stamped envelope assures return of editorial matter. Reprinting in whole or in part only be permission of the publishers. Advertising rates and 'circulation information will be sent upon request. Pressgrove Dies In Crash LOUISVILLE, KY., Sept. 12 - Ken Pressgrove of Topeka, Kansas, youngest member of the BSA racing team, died of injuries received when he was unavoidably struck by another motorcycle in the first lap of the $6,200 AMA Race of All-Stars at Louisville Down. An extra large field of 18 riders started the feature race on the half-mile track, where ABC-TV was fUming for Wide World of Sports. Dave Sehl also suffered a severely cut leg in the crash. BelgiuDl Wins Trophee KNUTSTROP, SWEDEN, Sept. 13, 1970 - Rain and mud took a drastic toll on many of the- teams competing here in the Trophee Des Nations, a motocross event for the team championship of the world which was won by Belgium. The heavy downpour resulted in many teams and individuals winding up DN F on the scoring sheet including the American trio of Bob Grossi of Santa Cruz, Dick Robbins of Pontiac, Mich., and Mark Blackwell of Santa Monica. The American team had engine troubles which, coupled with the weather, forced them out of competition. Sponsorships For Stars LA MESA, CALIF., Sept. 10, 1970 - Inter-Am enterpriser Edison Dye announced today that five American motocross racers chosen from the top finishers in the curren t Inter-Am and Trans-AMA series are to be offered f~ctory backing from five different brands for a full-scale assault on the Motocross Des Nations in Europe next year. The top three Americans in the Inter-Am and the National Champion and runnerup in the AMA series would each be offered sponsorship, transportation and a works bike. The LAGP is now accepting entries for the event set for Nov. 1. Because of the large number of entries last year and the time allowed for the event, all entries must be pre-entered. There are 27 start positio!" opened f~r the Weste!" State~ Experts or Senior professionals in the 500cc SenIOr InternatIOnals. Juruor entnes are also limited. The 27 best entries and factory entered teams will be chosen for the 500cc Senior International. Therefore, factories and factory distributors are requested to apply immediately as there will be a starting field of only 40 machines. and riders. For more information, contact International Motocross, 4790 Palm Ave., La Mes~, Cal., 92041 or phone (714) 460ยท1281. Bailey Wouldn't Pay Off CARSON, CALIF., Sept. 9, 1970 - Bob Bailey, whose Cycle Land was recently voted down by the city's planning commission, has alleged that the special use permit he was seeking was refused because he would not pay a bribe to several officials. The allegations of soliciting bribes came to light Wednesday in a letter to. the city of Carson from Bailey. Bailey alleges in the letter that Fred Ex, a former Carson parks commissioner, approached him for a payoff to assure approval of a permit allowing development of a motorcycle racing track on what formerly was a 13-acre golf course. In his letter, Bailey says: "The' evening of Aug. 25, when our hearing was to come up, during the recess, Mr. Fred Ex came up to me and said that we had not paid off therefore our permit would be denied." Ex was one of four persons arrested on charges of bribery and soliciting a bribe for whom a preliminary hearing has been set for Oct. 27. Also arrested were George Coloma III, an environment commission member, and Councilman Dan Spence, whose younger brother, Tom, surrendered last Friday on a warrant for the same charges issued while he was vacationinl1: in Hawaii. Knievel JUDlpS To H-D LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - Evel Knievel, the number one motorcycle dared~vil of the world, is now trusting his life to the number one motorcycle, Harley-DaVIdson. Knievel completed two successful jumps .in New Jersey re~en~y ab?ard the stock 750cc XR which-he has painted red, whIte and blue. A thrrd Jump IS scheduled at Lancaster Speedway in Pennsylvania. H-D will be the featured-bike in the new movie of Eve!'s colorful life, titled "Color Me Lucky," starring George Hamilton, scheduled for release June 30, 1971. Trojan Benefit Race SOUTH GATE, CALIF., Sept. 14, 1970 - Trojan Speedway has declared the races for Saturday night, Sept. 26, to be a benefit for Bill Rich, a racer who was injured here several weeks ago. Three complete races including minibikes and min st~k cars will begin at 6:30 p.m. with all proceeds going t? ~ich, a father of five c~ldren. Gates will open at 4 in the afternoon with a $2 admISSion plus any other donatIOn. Hope For The Indian GARDENA, CALIF., Sept. 14, 1970 - One. of the few r~al. hea:vvweights of motorcycle management, Joseph Hope, has jomed the new distrIbutIOn com~any handling Indian motorcycles as Sales M~ger. Hope was one of those chIefly responsible for the sales comeback of BSA m the west when he managed that brand s marketing in 1967 and '68 and helped put Norton back on the .charts last year as sales manager for Norton-Villiers Co. Lately he was WIth Steens, Inc., Rickman{Ceriani Distribtuors. Besides its well-known line of minibikes and the popular "Boy Racer", Indian has a new 100cc motosport model here and a 175cc Enduro on its ~ay. Address of the new Indian Motorcycles Inc_ is 1535 W. Rosecrans, Gardena, Calif. (215) 532-1574.