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/125694
- - -CHECKERS AT CHASE ------FERRO I - - - -- PARKER, ARIZ., Oct. 10,1970 - Bob Ferro muscled a bedraggled looking Triumph TR-6 across 190 miles of California desert today in an incredible four hours flat, winning the annual Check Chase and beating second place finisher Bruce - Dunford, to the Checker's M.C. checkered flag by more than 12 minutes. Several hundred riders were on hand for the event, which started in Joshua Tree, Calif. and paralleled Hwy. 62 all the way to the Arizona border and across the Colorado River. Ferro grabbed a lead in the early stages of the race, when the initial leader, J.N. Roberts, was forced out with ignition problems. . A very large post entry, caus.ed the sponsoring club some pre-race problems, but, amazingly, the scheduled 9 a.m. banner start was right on time. The only start-line foul up occurred when a number of Trail bikers apparently mis-understood the instructions and took off with the Big Boys. Ferro, a 23 year old FUtron Products Inc. employee, said he had "no real problems" with the course, and estimated that at times he was traveling at more than 100 mph. ','The only trouble I had was in staying on the course and occasionally dodging a rock," he said. But apparently he didn't have too much trouble, as he averaged around 49 mph across the sandy desert, amply sprinkled with long, straight dirt roads. And the course was evidently '", 8 .. 11. o ..... '" o' N ri o ~ w Z w ~ o > o , Bob Ferro, won the race only because he wanted to park his TR-6 in front of Rum Runners and· go in to get a class of milk. At the end of the race, riders and crews got a chance to relax beside the Colorado River. ll'l Arizona. there were riq poflce'Pl'~ . with .road erOSSing5'. , . well marked, if you are to believe the general rider concensus. Checker's M.C. secretary, Skip Barth, called the race "an act of God", not seeming to believe that his club could throw such a fun, interesting and successful event. "it was completely out of control". Bartha ~id, "But somehow, we swooped it." And, indeed, 'they did. Bartha added that the collection for the U.S. Marine Corps, "Toys For Tots" program was a huge success, with the Checkers and the Corps being more than pleased with the generous donations. There were four gas stops and an alternate along the course, and literally hundreds 0 f people waited a teach check, gas on ready and binoculars scanning the horizon, looking for their rider 'or riders. At one club's pit, at the second check, a young lady would query each club member when they were filling up with gas and Gatorade, "What are you doing so far up front?" And then as they'd leave, "Well, hang in there." And her string of Bronson's would take off again to tackle the sagebrush. Mitch Mayes, aboard a Harley Baja 100, took Trail Bike Honors, while a yet-to-be-named 250cc Novice finished eighth overall (Complete results will be available as soon as the Checkers ~et off of their much deserved pink cloud). One of the reported highlights of the race occurred shortly after the third gas check, with the nrst 40 or so riders being treated to 'a boy-girl "Naked Check" (She topless, he totally nude). According to one report, Ferro lost 40 seconds at that point. But festivities didn't stop with the -final wave of the checkered flag. The race ended on the Colorado River at a piace called Rum Runners, where booze, music and bench racing flows as freely as the waters of the river. And flow they did, for the next 36 or so hours. A few years ago, Ferro was a regular Hare and Hounder. But ne's recently turned his interests to four-wheeled, off-road vehicles and is entered in the forthcoming Mexican 1000. Bartha said he wanted to thank everybody fot "putting up With the hassle and helping .us sW0Dl! it." You're II II wekome,S~. (I