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/125704
early pioneers of the sport were older men who had rode motorcycles for a number of years but felt that their family and business responsibilities could not be risked by a possible injury incurred by racing on tracks or cross country events. These men still loved their bikes and had a great deal of competitive and had observed a few trials. None had had any experience at organizing a Trials but were willing to give it a try and out of these early contests grew the Southern California Trials Association. Because most of the early organizers had been rid.ing the desert and mountains for a number of years before motorcycling became so tremendously foresee the problems that would be all too soon in coming. Early in the game it became obvious that noisy, high horsepower engines were not necessary. Because of the relaxed atmosphere in trials competition, mufflers were soon made a requirement. To combat litter pollution the organizers always policed themselves to a very high degree. Soil erosion was seldom a problem because of the small number of competitors and the fact that most sections were in areas where soil erosion would have little effect or had already taken place. Generally speaking one of. the beautiful facts of Trials is that terrain that is unacceptable for any other purpose is·ideal for Trials competition. Seldom is the same area used twice in a row so nature has a chance to return things to nonnal. More and more people discovered Trials and it became very popular as a family sport with classes for women and kids as well as novice, amateur and expert riders. The bikes are now highly specialized and even the sporting organization of trials is growing to a national level with the formation this year of the American Trials Association. Primarily the ATA's role will be one of establishing a uniform set of rules for the USA, aid new clubs in starting in their own areas, a standardized rating system for riders and sanctioning of events. . Despite a growing lack of available riding areas the outlook of Trials is quite brigbt. Trials already contain the ingredients necessary for motorcycling to continue, policing among its own ranks, quiteness, dust control and a high degree of competition. If you would like to find out more about this sport you may contact the American Trials A!Sociation, P.O. Box glass of time, for speedway? The answer must lie in progress. Beginning with those few motorbikes with tuners available two years ago, plus the handful of riders and few spare parts, some progress has been made surely. Criswell could see the future and himself started the beginnings of an association to bind together the riders and owners of speedway equipment. The first of this group were long time sufferers and/or beneficiaries of several organizations and were reluctant to bring the same sort of rules and regulations to bind and restrict the free growth of this infant sport. But, even as they watched, it became unruly and untamed, dissipating itseli in many directions and the need for order came about by itself. Few people knew the ~port well enough to decide its good aspects and so out of necessity the Speedway Racing Association grew; riders, owners and tuners bound by need. A rules committee searched for that happy combination of order that would satisfy both promoter and rider, and the means of enforcement. This is the law in speedway today, and as any law is snbje<:t to change, these rules will grow and mature with speedway itseli. The Speedway Racing Association has now grown to 300 members includ.ing more than 150 riders, all of which need and buy speedway equipment and so speedway has become business. Two types of racing machines dominate the sport, the Czechoslovakian ESO or Jawa and the British J.A.P. Parts and equipment are difficult to come by for either and therefore expensive. Some mechanics and master tuners like Jerry Fairchild are being forced into the manufacturing field to contend with the scarcity of parts. As the need gets larger and the bits and pieces even more scarce, so this sphere must grow and produce. The Czechs can hardly fill the needs of a much larger B"ritish market and British parts all have to be imported against their own needs. Our biggest resource, Japan, seems reluctant to enter an unknown and yet small market. So it is, an open area that remains unresolved. At this writing there are many more riders and potential riders than there are tracks to accommodate them. Oxley, as fair and impartial as any promoter can be, strived to adapt his weekly program to fit as many new riders in as wanted a chance to race. To do this he had to accept entries on a H you ride one week - he rides next week" basis. It was pure frustration for many riders. "How can a fellow learn when he can't even get on the program"? . Johnny Gibson at Irwindale ran practice sessions on Sunday afternoon, after he closed his season, until the city closed him down for new permits. Several lads have a speedway style course set ou t at EI Mirage dry lake and practice weekends there. New faces and new stars must appear to challenge today's leaders. This is sport. This is speedway. We can not develop new riders fast enough. Stars like Bill Cody, Steve Bast, Rick Woods and Sonny Nutter are also in demand from others. The field of motorcycling in Class C is more lucrative than speedway for the big stars. New talent is con.stantly being scouted. Factory star riders are always in demand, the foreign tracks are calling. Americans, champion or not, are big gate attractions in foreign circles. Our riders will be on tap for promoters from Australia to Germany, from New Zealand to Sweden. American today has four tracks whict> we can genuinely call speedway tracks. England alone has 36: 19 first division tracks and 17 second d.ivision, plus 40 years 0 f experience. English style speedway is strictly team racing, ind.ividual racing being confined to special events. Is this our future in speedway? It may very well be. But, first, we need more tracks and the spirit of challenge that would accompany them. The American restoration has been a vitalizer to several superstars of speedway on the British circuit. Ove Fund.in, five times world champion, has been here to observe. Ivan Mauger three times and the current world champion has raced and taugh t and expanded his journalistic universe by going American. And that superstar of superstars, Barry Briggs, who is a four times world champion and 16 years in the top finalists, six years in a row and the curren t British League riders champion who has won.every honor in Britain and had no new worlds to conquer in speedway, has found a whole new horizon fostered by American speedway. Business in itself is an invitation and attraction of. the first magnitude for many foreign riders and may nourish our yourth ful speedway to a healthy growth. We've seen it happen in Motocross; speedway could be next. Speedway, where is it headed? Will it continue in the same classic style of the English sport? Can it withstand the rigors of new and dominating personalities and associations? Will speedway have a new face in 1971 where d.ifferent equipment and strong personalities will play a major role? What of new tracks throughout the nation with teams of foreign riders that may come to challenge and perform? Will speedway become a circus, to exploit and rape and let collapse when the bubble explodes or will it stay a true sport of stature and dignity where the fans will not feel cheated and the riders will feel accomplished? We have it now, clean and fresh, new and exciting, a million dollar sport. Ask this gal who has been there. THE FUTURE 0 F . . . _ By G. L. Barton If the future of motorcycle sport is in jeopardy, and some believe it is, the reason would surely be related back to the politicians replacement word for mother, Ecology. Few sports have grown as rapidly in the past decade as the recreational vehicle field of which the motorcycle plays a major role. As more and more people found greater time for recreation it was only natural to try to get out of the polluted environment of the city and start exploring the fantastic and beautiful country still existing in the mountains and deserts. Along with our trips went a nasty habit of casting aside any item of trash we didn't want. In the city litter baskets were readily available and even the trash that was littered eventually was picked up by someone. But in the deserts and mountains there was no one to police the littering habits of the public and consequently fhe litter accumulated, much to the irritation of the residents of these remote areas. Add to this list the other main reasons of soreness, noise pollution, soil and vegetation erosion and it becomes easy to see motorcycling as well as all recreational vehicles are on a collision course which is going to hurt a lot of people. You may ask what has this got to do with Trials? Well, Trials competition got its start in Southern California in the -I ~ » I (I) " '" '" Q. c .., '" Ul 3: w z W ...J U >- U sl'PEG'E"'OWAyrsf," hFttiTi" lj"Rh'E':' i"hi:t' AMO'E'iti'c A By Jeannine Roccio A new multimillion dollar sport; thousands of jobs created; thounsands of dollars in prize money every week, more than $90,000 paid out in 1970 alone. Any man with guts and determination can win. This is Speedway! The most spectacular new motorcycle spectator sport to appear in American in 20 years. What is its future? Can it even survive? What makes any sport click? Promotion, proper promotion. Successful promo ters are the backbone of any sport offered to the paying public. The Orange County Fairgrounds speedway racing circle in Costa Mesa, promoted by Jack Milne, Harry Oxley and Gene Rhyne is the lead.ing exponent of speedway racing today, with two successful seasons behind them and a future that certainly looks bright. These men are the nucleus of a new promotional phenomenon offering fans a motorcycle contest of thrilling elbow to elbow competition on a weekly as well as seasonal basis. Why do some promoters succeed and some fail? This is the direct question in speedway today. Dude Criswell, the man who had the driving interest and the courage to revive the sport in 1968, was forced out of business after one short season. His operation at Whiteman Stad.ium gave us the American speedway racers of rank that we see today. Whiteman Stad.ium of necessity succumbed to the County and its need for more airport land. .That year was the beginning. There were not more than two dozen speedway bikes available and not that many tuners and riders to throw a race meeting. And yet the word g·ot around. Old bikes stored 20 years and more started appearing out of corners. Riders were practically nonexistent. As one boy remarked on that opening day "I've never even seen a speedway bike, let alone race one.," Some remembered, older pros like Don Hawley and Stu Morley. Some were- willing to try like Jack O'Brien, Paul Conserriere, the Bast boys, and the Haserot boys. The boys tried, the men relearned, the tuners shook their heads and remembered, and the sport was reborn. Jack Milne, ex-rider, ex-world speedway champion, ex-promoter, took over the hard fought beginning and with his partners made giant strides. The sport in its infancy bel!"n to crawl Orange County Fairgrounds is still the only truly successful speedway track today. Successful meaning proven. So, what does the future see, in the ...