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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125703
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By Maureen Lee
Photos by John Bethea
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GARDENA, CALIF., Dec. 13, 1970 Ascot Park saw its last TT of the season
Sunday with the running of the
California State Championships. Two
new champions were crowned and a
new track was christened, so you could
say the winner of every event is also a
record holder.
The new layout caused problems for
the riders, but the spectators loved it.
It's been tightened up so that after
negotiating the righ t-hander after the
jump the riders don't have so far to go
into the infield before turning sharp left
to get back onto the half-mile section,
and the famous lake esses are gone.
Any time a familiar track is changed,
watch ou t! The men get used to running
full bore with previously programmed
track plans in their minds and forget
that this-away is now that-away. We've
never seen so many Experts run off the
course, fall down and do things that
only Novices are supposed to do. Even
Mert Lawwill went down, easy slideout,
but it required some work on his pipes
to open them up so he could get back
out again.
Eddie Wirth (Tri) emerged the
champion but it was a battle all day
between him and Jim Odorn. In the
second
preliminary
heat
Lloyd
Houchins and Odom crashed and there
was a re~start. Gene Romero shot into
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Merry X-Mas
to all of our dealers
(and those who aren'tl
Barry Briggs Racing
2834 Colorado Ave. Santa Monica, Cal.
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34198 Coast High~y
Dana Point, calif. 92629
(714) 496-1001
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2021 Via Burton Anaheim, Calif. 92B06
(714) 635·1450
(On State College Blvd.
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Has'tis 'Eddie's
.....
tlie lead with Odom right after him. but
Jim lost some time by partially missing
one of the turns and then he and Paul
Bostrum and Romero really went at it
with Odom emerging the winner.
Fastest qualifying time went to
Ralph White on the Long Beach
Triumph Triumph, but his heat was won
by Eddie Wirth, and their heat was the
fastest of the three.
Mark Brelsford won the third heat on
his Harley-Davidson in a good one that
saw David Aldana (BSA) shoot from the
back row to the front spot until
Brelsford nailed him. Aldana's recent
motocross experiences showed up in a
more skillful handling of his machine,
especially in the one bumpy section.
Yet another Triumph won the semi
when
Larry
Wilburn
took
a
commanding win although he seemed to
fade in the main. Dave Bostrom came in
second and Mike Haney, who was really
letting it all hang out, took third.
The Trophy Dash was all Triumph
alJd all experts. Again it was Odom and
Wirth in a good one to watcn, with
Odom emerging the winner. Inst'ead of
kissing a bird in a bikini, Jim ended up
shaking hands with Parnelli Jones, who
presented the trophy.
Eddie Wirth took the main event lead
from the pole. But Odom was in full
cry. Toward the end, Wirth slowed
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Wirth
On the turn toward the jump it's Eddie Wirth on top, a position he never lost. •
down and started taking it easy, not
realizing that Odom still had it full on.
When Wirth looked behind, he turned
the dial on full and got going again in a
hurry!
.-
sure made the two-stroke fans happy!
Ken Roberts (Montesa) who is high
point novice for 1970, won his heat,
and just blew the rest of the guys in the
weeds, but his time was still under
Scott's. Chuck Gann and Chet Burt on
Bultacos had to make it to the main
from the semi but didn't do so badly for
themselves in the big -one with a third
and a fourth.
The race was between Scott and
Roberts. Scott won it wi th a lead he
never lost and Roberts just couldn't
come within shooting distance of him.
As usual at races like this, favorites
have troubles and can't do -as well as
expected, Aldana only bad a front
wheel brake from lap one and Eddie
Mulder blew up in practice, all this after
he'd· had a hand in the designing of the
new track.
Riders opinions were varied as to
. whether they liked it or not. It was a
refreshing change for the spectators
from the layout they've seen for so
many years; it defInitely showed up
One of the many spills on the new TT course.
how well an easy-to-handle lightweight
: ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• :
In the early laps several individual
can do against the big twins. Our roving
:
duels were going. Brelsford and Aldana
:
were hard at work. Mark was absolutely - reporter in the pits reported that a lot
of the Experts hated it and some of
:
determined to pass the BSA, and pass he
their remarks about it would have been
:
did, right down the front straight. You
"bad for the image". We hope Ascot
•
could just see all that horsepower at
leaves it the way it is. A new layout was
work. Mike Haney also got in a few
a fitting way to close the TT season.
good laps with the slim Harley rider as
(Results on page 20)
all of them tried to better their
positions by catching Skip Van
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Leeuwen, who wrapped up the third
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place.
The Amateurs also had their share of
Unbreakable front
crashes. The semi was black flagged
fender with bracket
when one guy held up proceedings by
getting his foot caught between the
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shock and the rear wheel. John Hateley
Folding foot pegs
and Rick Newby looked impressive in
$25.95
their heat and Terry Donch won his,
but Newby bad to ride the semi and the
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scrap he and Mike Posey got into was
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In the main it was John Hateleyon
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the pole, but Don Emde on a BSA took
the lead and just sailed away with it. In
a lot of the heats, once the leader took
off the rest had trouble maneurvering
around in the pack due to the new
tightness of the course. Terry Moriarity
was charging away, but as the laps
mounted, Doncb was moving up and so
were Posey and R~ck Newby, who had
been caught in the gaggle going through
turn two.
A novel. lightweight......ng _
..ond ..... win
_ _ _rty any motor