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/125717
.J:: " :;; ::< ~ w Z W ...J U > U It's a special kind of world ... a mixture of skill and courage, sound and fury, pure joy and excitement. It's an experience to share. See the four challenging ~.>:. events that "turn on" the . "'~.:' '. . ." ~ ~~~.~ ., . amateur motorcyclist. ...J",~ ~~."' ..., - ~ I -...". ~ •• • ~ wOrld Of two wheels First cycle to break the nines, Joe Smith and his Harley·Oavidson 991 the satisfaction, but no official record. Smith 'ret/Its IntD 8's, TDny Tt/ltes Street On Red Lilht IN COLOR TIME 9:30 p.m. CHANNEL Channel 9 DAY Thursday STATION KHJ T.V. Since 1887 Brought to You By Yamaha And These Yamaha Dealers Sport Time Sales & Service 18440 Ventura Blvd. Tarzana, Calif. Bill Krause Enterprises 1257 So. LaBrea Inglewood, Calif. T & 0 Yamaha Sales & Service 24020 Narbonne Ave. Lomita, Calif. Crescenta Valley Sportcycles 7139 Foothill Tujunga, Calif. Granada Yamaha 17622 Chatsworth St. Granada Hills, Calif. Ted Evans' Motorcycle Sales 13347 W. Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, Calif. home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, By Dave Swift were he's been reb~ding the engine. He BAKERSKFIELD, CAL., March 5-7, loosened a ring a t Irwindale when 1971 - Famoso Raceway sits beside an Murray pulled that upset. As brilliant as obscure country road some 20 miles he is dedicated, Campos battled fatigue, north of here. It's the type of road that , traction problems, and a sour bike. drag racing was born on two decades Sonny Raslawski managed to lift ago. This weekend the National Hot both cylinders Saturday and Ed Rod Association hosted the 13th McDonald, holding the dubious honor Annual Bakersfield March Fuel and Gas of being the only Top Gasser, is the Championships, an extrav'aganza in alternate. ,McDonald does it in 10.64 which, for the first time in several years, but is no match for Campos, who goes motorcycles were welcome. 9.6 I with his fron t end popping up Oddly, the record books were closed sharply at the three-quarter mark. for the bikes but opened wide for the cars. To add to the irony, not a single In the second round, the semi-finals, Jeff Gough stages with the usual four-wheeler broke an existing record while no less than four of the 20 bikes amount of showmanship. Gough drives the push-car while owner-tuner Carl en tered ran under the national times, Morrow bump-starts their needle -nosed one of them smashing the 9-nine second H-D. Jeff, shrouded in black leathers barrier. The 102-cubic-inch Harley-Davidson and a Bell Star, makes a long, dramatic walk to the rumbling dragster. Females of Joe Smith became the first found it most appealing to their tastes. motorcycle in the history of the Gough admits to his own inexperience, universe to enter the eight-second "Sheesh, I've only ridden this thing, bracket with a qualifying time of 8.975 what-- a dozen times? - and we're still seconds. The standing national record is just experimenting." 9.14, set by Dave Campos two weeks On this run the Carl's Speed Shop ago at Irwindale, Cal. special got very wobbly. Joe Smith had Smith simply had a good weekend; cured all his handling quirks by tagging he never stopped grinning since he made ten pounds of lead weights to the front. an off-the-trailer run of 9.12 Friday. His characteristic rock-steady run was In the first round of Top Fuel well over a second quicker than Eliminations Smith trounced Bob Ables, Gough's, which is a city block at speed. who never did solve his Harley's Boris Murray once again out-did handling problems. himself with a 9.027 to knock the ailing Bill Chambers' H-D was having Campos out of contention. Campos trouble, getting into the nine-second holed a piston coming through the traps category bu t appeared to have it solved and at the same moment Murray when he found a leaky head gasket. He developed an oil leak the size of a golf and Jeff Gough squared off and while ball through on his front engine. Gough rocketed towards the traps In the pits, Boris stared blankly for a Chambll:rs walked his bike away from moment at the gaping wound and then the line. "I sheared the clutch hub key," lunged at the toolbox. In a matter of Bill smiled later. "1 was hoping the hub would freeze to the mainshaft, but.. .... seconds the chain binding the two Next up was the sole non-Harley: Triumphs together was unleashed. He Boris Murray's twin-engine Triumph was going to meet Joe Smith with 750cc's! versus Rich Sackett's '47 Knucklehead. Murray, like the others, was having Meanwhile, Smith was sweating his difficulty coping with the sooper-tacky clutch. There was some doubt cast whether or not it would take another Famoso asphalt. Saturday, he did a giant wheelie off the line, backed off, popped I run. When the two finally staged, it looked as if it would be an endurance it up again a few yards down, and did a run. Smith went ahead and dropped the third one entering the traps at 140 mph. hammer hard for a smoking 9.22. That night, the tall, lanky Murray limped down the field three frame-builder lowered the front end and second later but scored an outstanding changed the gearing. It turned out to be 'top ptd of 129.87. the hot set-up; th'is time pulled the quarter in 9.11 ~ith a whopping top All the bike riders had to wait eight end of 167.59, the fastest of the meet. hours before they could begin Sackett pulled a respectable 9.87, but it eliminations Sunday and all found a was time to pack. way to relax, except Tony Nicosia. The 80inch Sportster that Dave Young Rick Blake of Bakersfield Campos built is not only quickest, ISrought along a Honda Four punched to officially speaking, but also is the most 886cc's with, a Powroll kit and Web er "sanitary", toquote current vernacular.. cam. Prepared by the House of Honda, The package consists of a Boris Murray Bla"-e was running consistently nearly a frame, that amazing mill, and a few half-second under the national record essentials. It doesn't even have a seat. for B/Street bikes. He beat the C/SB Campos just arrived Saturdayfrom his winner Mike Blake on an innovative