Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Ol Sea BreezeAcclaime,d MX Sensation . 8> "- o By Maureen Lee Photos by Gene and Maureen Lee SAN CLEMENTE, CALIF., Sept. 20, 1970 - There's a new motocross circuit in Sou thern California and is it e~er a go04 one! The Jackrabbits held their motocross at Seabreeze Park on a course that no-one has used before. The circuit has a lot of off-cambers to it (which makes for a tricky riding if you're not going fast enough), and a couple of good downhills, including one long one terminating in a left hand hairpin into a wash. It's a tough one but a good one. How tough? Harder than Saddleback most riders thought, One said, "I hope to tell you it is," but most of them liked it. It's very wide so passing isn't a problem and it doesn't develop a groove, even with watering between races. The spectators have excellent conditions induding almost a full view of the track from a hillside and from off course. The wind from the ocean keeps things cool and the dust blows away from the pit area and the spectators. On behalf of thc Jackrabbits, we aplogize to the riders. The club promised, but didn't come up with any results so we can't identify a lot of the riders who should receive credit. This was' the clubs' first motocross and they pulled it off smoothly, using a rubber band start which certainly eliminated any cheating. The rounds were gotten off in time and everything ran smoothly except for those results. Please guys, you know by now the papers are going to be present and need resuolts for a Monday deadline! We wish we could give credit by name to the Open Novice rider No. 463 on a Maico. He really had a day for himself. In one, round his kickstand was banging around under his machine, he had the lead several times and always dumped it somewhere, usually on one of those off-cambers but got back up and into the running again. We've got a feeling he's going to win it next time out there. John Rice (Sachs) won the 125 Amateur-Expert class in spite of goind competeley over the handlebars at the bottom of the long downhill. There was a girl riding in that class too, finishing all three rounds. Joan Wilson (yep, she's Jim's sister and it shows in her riding) was out putting some miles on her new Puch and she did really well. The 250 Expert class was a wild one. lYavid Aldana (Ossa) put in some motocross practice for the up-coming AMA motocross series and entertained the crowd with a series of crashes from which he bounced up and kept on going. The Ossa's thTottlecable came adrift in the second round and it was into the pits for him. Roger Fleming (C-Z) could be the eventual winner, and Steve Goldberg was always right up there but he got involved with Aldana a couple of times. Motocross steward' Dick Camp rode his Bultaco to what looks like a fifth place, and he too liked the course but admitted it was hard work. Pieplate rider "B" also did an excellent job. John Maynard on a 500 Maico lost his gear shift lever in the first round but luckily it was found and he was able to co'ntinue. That bike of his is ferocious but he says it's easy to ride. We think rider No. 59 on another Maico is the winner (sorry we don't know your name) because he was flat flying and has to be right in there in spite of dumping it on the third round. Still another Maico with Jess Goldberg aboard was running third or fourth so it was a good day for the German machines. Once again, our apologies riders. Maybe some of you can lean a bit on some of these slow clubs because they too have an obligation to you to get the results out so everyone can benefit from the publicity. Anyway, it looks like Southern California has got a very welcome new addition to its motocross circuits, and we'll guarantee one tliing.... ride 'this one and if you didn't know how to handle fast off-cambers, you will after riding a few laps! I_H_ill_Ki_lIed_l_nD_es_er_1R_ac_e_·1 By Ron Schneiders and Invader Vickie Although most people like to forget it as much as possible, the fact is that motorcycle. racing is a very dangerous sport. This was brought home with shattering impact this Sunday in the desert when nineteen-year-old Checker, Don Hill was killed while racing to the smoke bomb at the Cactus Cat's first annual' Hare Scrambles. As far as can be determined the front axle of Hill's motorcycle sheared in two places, causing the bike to go end-for-end. The young expert was riding fast but apparently was not on a dangerous stretch of ground. He died very shortly after the crash. This was the Cactus Cat's first race and, except for the freak accident in which they can in no way be faulted, the race was an unqualified success. They chose a wide 'open area of virgin desert and used the increasingly popular LeMan's type start. It was delayed a few minutes by the rider's reluctance to get more than 6 feet away from their bikes but when the banner did drop the bikes were off very evenly. One observer 'reported that, half way to the smoke bomb there was an even line of about 100 bikes abreast of one another, and that a rider with a number in the 400's was leading! This didn't last long though. Potent Tom Poteet soon took the lead and stretched it to something over two minutes by the end of the first lap. Second into the pits was Rich Tho..waldson who mistakenly thought that he was leading. When told that this was not the case, he left hurriedly in a cloud of dust and determination. He finally got the lead when Poteet left the course temporarily. According to one of the Rescue Three workers, who was sitting by a truck., Poteet didn't see the ribbon stretched across the trail markinga change in the direction of the course, and he continued in the same direction he had been going, traveling very fast and trailing ten feet of ribbon behind him! ,Poteet soon discovered his mistake, but by then it was too late. Thorwaldson was in the lead and not about to get caught. The trailbikes were started almost a half hour after the big bikes but even so, many of them managed to catch the back half of the pack. First to the smoke bomb was Jack Stonesfier, Novice No. 898, but first to the flag was young Terry Clark, barely ahead of his arch rival Jack Morgan. The course itself was tough and demanding. As Thorwaldson put it, "It was a rider's course." Several hills that looked like masses of crushed and broken rock soon had a new surface of crushed and broken motorcycles. Fortunately, speed was, of necessaity, decreased and few riders suffered mishap. At the top of ooe hill was what was called a "flying check", (meaning that the riders did not have to stop for it) but some riders took the term literally and flew over the top of the hill, missing the right turn at the top. They had an exciting trip down through the jumbled boulders on the other side. There was an interesting sandwash about two thirds of the way around the course that was heavily danger-marked. The trouble was that it didn't look dangerous, so many riders (including this one) didn't slow down. There was a nice little one-foot high rock ledge that blended right into the la'ldscape and it was very hard. One rider tore a good chunk out ot his leg on that one. Two riders managed to find the wrong trail coming into the P!ts (in spite of excellent marking) and came to grief. One suffered a couple broken ribs while the other broke his ankle. The latter rider was outfitted in street oxfords! While on the subject, it seemed to this rider that this course was one of the best marked this year, although there were dissenting opinions. Near several dangerous spots on the course (such as a couple of mine shafts) there was so much ribbon that they looked like Christmas trees. Rescue Three did an extremely good job of extricating those riders who did get into trouble. A member of the Bureau of Land Management was at the race as a guest of the sponsoring club. According to club official, Jim Honeter, the man was extremely helpful, not only in pointing out to the club which type of terrain to avoid, but in showing them ways to get around it. According to Jim this B.L.M. type was happy to have the bikes in the desert and only wish to see that they didn't do irreparable harm to some of the more fragile areas. Looks like you can't even stereotype Bureau of Land Management officials. This one, whose name is Mario Lopez, works in the San Bernaridno Office and encourages all clubs who are interested in preserving the desert to call upon him for assistance. The Cactus Cats boast that their race area is now the cleanest area in the desert, thanks to the efforts of many riders and their families. Their own club members, while cleaning the course, tore down not only all their own ribbon, but ribbon on adjacent trails left by other not-so-conscientious clubs. That's quite a boast. Maybe we could get a little competition going and let District 37 donate a trophy for the winning club at the end of the year. It's one I'd like to see my club win. (Results on page 22) MOTOCROSS - 9/3/70 Ascot 250 EXPERT' 1st Bob Messer - MAICO 500 EXPERT 2nd Joh 3rd MOTOCROSS - 9/7 /70 Calgary, Canada 125 EXPERT 1st Norm Kopp - MAICO 250 EXPERT 1stjimPa 5 CANADIAN NATIONAL MOTOCROSS - 9/6/70 Lethbridge, Canada 125 EXPERT 1st Jim Pamearoy - MAICO 2nd Norm Kopp.- MAICO 250 EXPERT 1st Jim Pamearoy - MAICO 500 EXPERT 1st Norm Kopp - MAICO Alter Week••• Wp-stern Distributor: Cooper Motors 110 E. Santa Anita Ave., Burbank, Ca. 91502 '" '" gj E. " I/) ~ w Z W ...J U >- U

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