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/125702
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HUNTINGTON RACING ASSOCIATION TT STANDINGS
Last Thursday (appropriate date) I was invited to a thing called a Press Trials, put
on by the Western Distributor of Norton and AJS motorcycles. It was to be a fun
outing on dirt bikes at Southern California's famous. Saddleback Park. There'd be
riding contests and silliness and all of the many neat thmgs that make dirt ndi,:,g ~uch
a ball. This apparently works out very well m England, where such a shmdJg IS an
annual tradition. But here in California, I don't know.
The thing is, we are rather highly competitive around here, when it comes to group
motorcycljng. I, for example, have this compelljng urge to always be the first to, and
away from, every stop light. As a result, I'm usually out there alone, explammg to
the officer, when the rest of the group strokes on by.
Riding trials, of course, is a different kind of competitive ·situation. The o~ject is
to be the most balanced, controlled rider at slow speeds. Hence y.ou compete m your
own category. Mine would be the Publishers Under 40 class. .
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The chance to show up my only competitor (unless Mr. Zlff or Mr. DaVIS IS still on
this side of the age at which life is said to begin) was tempting, I admit. But the
prospect of waging our Httle duel at the end of a racm!1 season so choked With
superlative performances by the real motorcycle competitors that we report on.
seemed ill-timed. Better for us lardbound pIcture pIckers and pencil pushers to start
the season with our inept attempts to ape the heroes that we pontificate, if we must,
rather than cap the season with fjvolity. It is the season to be Jolly, but not
ridiculous. One doesn't bri'ng on the novices after the Expert main events.
1 don't believe that one should begin seriously participating in motorcycle
competition at all if he is already in control of a motorcycle public~tion, not me
anyway. What I mainly learned in my brief career as a racer was that It was as ha.rd
work and as low-paid as writing, and a lot of guys can do It a lot better' and easier
than 1 can. However, very few can write about the exploits of these Hnatur.al~" as I
call anybody who rides better than I do. I fear that if I became too profICIent at
motorcycle competition, some of the admiration I feel for even the names way down
at the bottom of the results, might get lost in the swelling of my head.
Perhaps it is illusion, but 1 like to think that anyone who rides well enough. to get
his name in the paper is some size of a superman. At least he's supenor to me m that
respect. The only time I ever got my nam~ in ~ rac~ report was when I wr?te it there.
So I declined to nde the first Press Tnals In thIS country, but I don t want the
Norton ViWers folks to t1Unk I don't appreciate the spirit of their invitation.
If there is a second annual P.T., I predict that the richer public ations will be hiring
as staffers Sammy Miller, Mkk Woollett and Pedro Pi. If we become involved I can
promise secret training and racerly cheating will become the rule and who'll put out
the newspaper?
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Despite these forebodings, I confesS" I'd like to enter the next Press Tn,,:ls, but for
,now, the dealers are saying business is slow, so I'd better get bu~y rem!ndmg the
people how great this motorbike sport is, and leave the demonstratmg of It to those
who do it a lot better than L
Ted Malnini
Jeff Cesmat
Tom Abcouwer
Richard Drake
Steve Okuda
Don Chambers
Fred Wells
Mike Perez
Terry Morairty
Jon Ahlrpth
Ron Christner
Chipper Fernandez
Bob Farmer
R.E. PhiWps
Jim Barnes
Bob Roberts
Robert Potts
Jay Dalton
Jack Morgan
Jim Maupin
Mike Dailey
Ted Schamel
Mjke Cunoso
Dick Maccormic
Randy Bailey
Doug Wallace
Tom Heard
Richard Sweaney
Dennis Schoesson
Wayne Rutledge
Merle Stoner
Rod Parsons
300
300
Gary Brugh
Keith Heuth
290
Larry Gatov
290
Dick LeRoy
280
Russell Burch
275
270 - Roy Jarrett
Richard Gann
265
Ray Wunno
260
255 Jim Miller
Elmo Nonh
255
Paul Sintes
250
Steve Gerhke
245
Bill Gray
245
Mike Arrambide
245
Bruce Stevens
235
Vernon Maxwell
230
Ralph Porzelt
220
Norm Fleece
225
215 Jerry Thomason
Mark Mathis
205
Carrol Altman
200
Verne Hill
200
Chris Mud
195
Gary Tanner
190
Bill Burton
1..85
Charles Summer
185
180
Gary Wells
180 Jim Talbler
175
Mike McGarvey
175
Gary Chapman
170
Mike Van Acker
,...
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165
155
150
150
145
140
140
135
135
130
130
130
125
120
115
115
115
115
110
110
105
105
105
100
100
100
100
85
85
85
85'
Bob Ledford
-J im Peterson
AI Smith
Ron Moreno
Ron Cummings
Ron Bell
Lance Vallery
Roddy Qualls
Greg Mosley
D.C. Ralph
David Krol
Tom Johnson
Tony Herrera
Sterling Goin
Tracy Bright
Jeff Overley
Charles Larson
Larry Dixon
George Miller
James Paulllott
}ohn Searock
Robert Potts
Mike Shaw
Ron Proietti
Bill Rchylik
Bill Wright
John Rudolph
Gary Campbell
Denny Nelson
Gary Scroggins
Monte Del Solorey
75
75
70
70
70
70
70
65
65
65
65
65
65
65
65
65
60
60
60
60
60
60
60
60
55
55
55
50
50
50
50
III
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