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/125698
scramllln'around· By Maureen Lee Well, as you know, we are well into the midst of the Inter-Ams and the Trans-AMA events and, now that they are being run out here in the West, if you're reading the'results or have been watching the events, you know what is happening. We're being done-in again. Never being one to duck an issue even if it does make me unpopular once in a while, these are my p'ersonal opinions (also checked out with other knowledgeable folks in the sport). One, the Europeans are just better riders because of the diversified terrain they ride on constantly. A lot of people just KNEW they were going to go down the drain at Ascot because of the tacky surface that is unique there plus the high speed sections. What heppaned? Well, if you were there you know and if you weren't, look at the results. Second, or maybe it still should be part of the above paragraph. They can handle their machines better. On the apex of the turns they were using their body weight to much more advantage than our riders to keep the bike more uprigh t. With your bike more uprigh t there is more tire surface on the ground, therefore more power going for you at that given moment. Is this just a European secret? No. Many of our top IT riders know this and one of the greatest of them all, Dick Dorrestyn did it best when he was -riding. Traction comes from having that tire flat on the ground, not on its side, sliding. At Ascot, though, one of our biggest tips of the helmet in a long while goes to Jim West on the AJS. In the third mot 0 this young man was just super.great! He didn't get shook and start making mistakes and it took Germany's Willie Bauer on a Maico quite a while to figure out where he w~ going to pass him, if he could. I'm sure by now Jim must have heard from lots of people where that tum was and what he was doing wrong so we won't go into that again but Herr Bauer had to work for it. Another problem constant in motocross in this country is that although our riders take it all very seriously, there have been so many goofs since the overseas invasions began that the Europeans don't take us seriously, and they sure have a good point. Much of the time when visiting in this country they are not riding full out. lt is the end of their season, they are on -vacation and they only ride as hard as they feel they have to to beat -Our guys and avoid being hurt if they can. They .don't ride with the ferociousness they display in Europe when riding for the World Championship. Our men have improved and are still improving but still not fast enough. We'll repeat what we put in a previous column on this, that the frrst time we really make a big mark up against the Europeans, the rider will be from the N orth·west or the East Coast, and a new observation is that we still won't develop a rider comparable to their even "second·stringers" for another three years unless we get down to some serious business with motocross. Even at Ascot, the business wasn't serious. Not to them, anyway. Various tales have been told as to why all of a sudden the International class moved out onto the track to line up when the Juniors were running and if the two leading Juniors ever hada good right to bitch, that was it•..but what do you think the Europeans thoup;ht about it all? Here sit World and National champions on the line and whoops, here comes the frrst Juniors around the bend and boring right down on them. Me, I have quite a bit of national pride and I hate to see things like this happen, and continue to happen. The rest of the world is laughing fellas, and it ain't funny! More next week, my soap box is caving in. Powdered Gatorade Available VENICE, CALIF., Oct. 25, 1970Gatorade Thirst Quencher, which rapidly has become the drink of athletes, is now invading the deserts, mountains and trails frequented by thousands of motorcyclists and other· off-road enthusiasts. Stokely-Van Camp, manufacturer of the drink, has announced a contract with Webco, Inc., distributors of specialty motorcyclist parts and accessories, for disttibution rights for a new two-ounce package of powdered Gatorade. The new Gatorade thirst quencher package features two ounces of dry mix in a foil packet. When mixed with water,each packet produces one quart of Gatorade thirst quencher. Hodaka IIIontesa Motorcycles GrH'M$ Wes,.i.s'er Spor, (,ele Guy R. Louis Tom Heininger, president of Webco, Inc., expects healthy sales of the dry mix Gatorade. "Up to now," he said, "off-the·road enthusiasts had no way to slake their thirsts, but now with dry Gatorade, a rider need only stop at a cool stream or well, mix up a quart of Gatorade, and quench his thirst fasH" Gatorade Thirst Quencher contains inorganic salts, glucose, and has a lemon-lime flavor. "When you've been on the trail for hours, muscling a powerful machine over rocks and logs, up steep hills and dunes, and through rivers and streams, you've built up a man-sized thirst. With Gatorade along, you're back on the trail, refreshed, in minutes," Heininger said. ~ scene en ailstraliah - ~ z ~ By Peter White U SEFTON, AUSTRALIA, Nov. 6, 1970 -, Proposed tour of Australia by a Polish ~ speedway test team has been cancelled It had been hoped that the Iron Curtain dirt track boys would be lured Down Under for the very fust time this summer season but the negotiations were fraught with so many difficulties that the whole scheme crumbled to nothing at the last moment. \ Empire Speedways Pty. Ltd., the major promotional body in A~tralia and controller of racing at the Sydney Showground and Brisbane Exhibition Ground, attempted to contract the Poles to a seven match Test series covering all Australian tracks. They Offered, as an additional attraction, a tour of New Zealand to fonow. Initially the Poles were keen and negotiations opened on an op.timistic note. Gradually the Warsaw authorities increased their demands. In addition to seven riding members of the team, the Poles wanted to send FIVE officials-eum-guards! Then they wanted the Aussie promoters to supply all the bikes wherever they rode and finally, the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak, they insisted the whole tour had to be over within amonth. The last stipulation brough t negotiations to a stalemate. In a country the size of Australia it is impossible to cover all the major tracks for a full series of Tests in such a short time. The whole thing was just not financially feasible. So the Poles were told: "No deal". Which was a great shame for there is no doubt they are big box office in the speedway world. But while the Poles remain at home the British are preparing for their annual jaunt and are scheduled to arrive in Perth early this month. . They will then travel Australia competing in a seVen meeting Test series against the Kangaroos: Their team, the British Lions, will consist of: Nigel Boocock (Captain/manager), Arnold Haley, Ken McKinlay, Roy Trigg, Bob Kilby, Chris Pusey and Tony Clarke. A lot depends, however, on whether current Aussie Champion Jim Airey rides for his country. Airey is currently in California riding in the Anglo-American G01d Cup series at Costa Mesa. He intends to come home for Christmas bu t is undecided if he will race here this term. Aussie promoters would not agree to pay his fare back from England this season and Airey has had to go it alone. Britain also has.an ace up her sleeve in the form of popular Scot Bert Harkins who will be based at Liverpool, near Sydney, for the season. Should injuries strike, Bertola will be a capable replacement. He, too, is riding at Costa Mesa at present and wowing the fans in a big way. . British team is rather makeshift for all sorts of problems stuck the Chooms towards the end of their season. Top dog Nigel Boocock, captain of England and a former World Finalist, crashed in the prestige Brandanapolis meeting at Coventry and sustained another fractured skull - he copped the same injury, only more severe, at the same time last year - which it was feared would keep him out of the party. He recovered quickly however, and will now lead the Lions in their quest for the Ashes in Aussie. When their hot-shot heat leader, Scottish flyer Jim McMillan, broke a leg in Sweden and was forced out, he was replaced by Clarke, the West Ham (London) teamster., . Finally, Eric Boocock, younger brother of Nigel and himself an England international, decided to give the trip a miss and spend the winter at home. Eric was an integral part of the side, being the Lions' top point scorer on his last three tours of Kangarooland. . He was replaced by Chris Pusey, a sensational young charger from the League championship winning side Belle Vue. Pusey is just beginning to make his presence felt in speedway circles and is an accomplished all round motorcyclist. He is the current British 350cc and ~500cc grass track champion and by all accounts right ·at the peak of his form at present. He should go a boinb on the spacious Aussie tracks. In addition to the British Test team, many other international speedway riders will be spending the season in the warmth of the sun Down Under. All are British League performers who have been contracted to appear weekly at the Liverpool circuit. They are Ole Olsen (Denmark), Sandor Levai (Hungary), Howard Cole (England), HaTkins (Scotland) and Gordon Guasco, a local favorite who is returning after a two year stint in the Old Dart. Olsen rode in this year's World Final and is tipped by many as the man most likely to dethrone Mauger in the next few years. He's definitely a star of world calibre. So the stage is set for a Tazzle-dazzle, booming 1970-71 speedway season in Australia. Santo Monico Frwy , . J , i <114> 893-105) ~ ~ Arl.,;" ~~ tim iC'hrom e. :K:~-/Sbliles SUddenly fJ\ 1~rt Slmlchrorne is a honey CCluns quick as a bunny Tube $1 OMP.ETlTlON CHEMICALS Can $3.45 713 Estes Street fd,,1" RI( fiN 'vlOTJR-yrl j l 8'~d , , < j 1&"hS,. "- ~ • /1."";,, 8.vd. , .. • ~ i • ~ . """" San Diego F"rwy J f,SSN RACING ST ARS * RICK WOODS * BILL CODY * STEVE BA.ST * BRUCE HAS£ROl Give your Bul. a shot in the pipe HAVE IT DYNO TUNED AT . , , . .,.... 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