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/125721
Racer - Barry Higgins D.W. - Do you think you're still improving as a racer? Do you experiment any while you're racing? B.H. - Yes, I think I'm still improving. I only experiment during practice. I try to. do the same .thing every lap during a race. J try to improve my stamina. I know that I can go fast enough to stay D.W. - I've noticed that you don't in front of just about anybody. In a seem to get too tired while you're raccouple of Inter-Ams last year I'd get out ing. What do you do to stay ill good front of everybody for four or five laps condition? and just go until I couldn't go anymore B.H. - Well, during all the Winterand then they would all come by me. AMA's I haven't been doing much of I'm satisfied with my speed and technianything. Riding every week seems to que and I'm getting to the point where I keep me in shape. 1 may go out two or can go as fast on the last lap of a moto three afternoons during the -week and as I did on the first one. You've got to do a little woods riding, but other than keep working on your stamina. that I haven't been doing anything. Last D.W. - Would you like fO go back to year, I worked out a good bit, but r Europe and race? didn't travel much then. Now that B.H. - Yes, I'd like to, but you've there's a race every week, I'm traveling got to have help to get over there. all the time and I don't have time to do D.W. - What about the American anything. You're either driving or in a Motocross Team? . motel all the time. B.H. - It's a joke. They don't send D.W. - Do you feel yourself getting anybody worth a damn over there, as "tired while you're racing? far as I'm concernt'li. When I won the B.H. - Well, it isn't as bad now as it Inter-Ams in 1969, r talked to Dan has been. Riding three motos every Sun. Guerney .and Kim Kimball about it. day does a lot for you. I can usually They said, "Sure, we're going to be in turn it on during the last five minutes of touch with you; we're just gonna send each race. Russ Darnell over for now and during 1970 we'll send a team." 1970 carne and the only one that was over there was Russ. Now, they have Bryan Kenney to head up the team, so we'll see. My own personal feelings are, big headed or outspoken or whatever you want to call me, r feel that I go faster than anybody in this country, on any kind of track, week in and week out. I'm still here, though, and some Joe Schmo is over there racing. D.W. - What do you think oj your prospects for the coming season, when the Europeans come back for the Summer and Fall series? Do you think you can run with them? B.H. - It's hard to say. I haven't raced over there, where they are putting everything on the line iIi those Champion hip races. In the 250 class, my Ossa has motor enough. It has motor on most any of them. Now, we're down to where we're getting the handling to work good on just about any type of track. I think I can outrun about 90 per'"I feel that I go faster than anybody in this country, cent of them right now, the rest of them, well, it's debatable. on any kind of track, week in and week out." D.W. - Joel Robert, what I've seen of him, looks as if he's in a class by D.W. - You started riding scrambles himself He's kind of on vacation when when you were barely a teen-ager, you must have had some help from your he races here and it's really hard 10 tell when he's f.ooling around or really racfamily. ing. What do you think of him? B.H. - My Dad bought me a bike after I got out of grade school. He used B.H. - Of everyone that I've seen race, r guess he's my idol. There's not to race some, scrampIes and such. My Dad brought the bike home in the back anyone that can beat him. If he didn't of a truck and my Mother threatened to fool around so much he could win every disown the both of us. She hated it. race he rides in. D.W. - You're doing about as good D.W. - Yeah, he kind of dil! that as a professional motocross rider in this during the Trans-AMA series, when country can do. What does she think of there was all that prize money. your racing now? You go fast on any type of track. B.H. - She's pretty happy now, I You seem to hove less trouble adapting guess. She never really says too much. yourself to different track conditions She worries abou t me crashing and than most riders. Is this because you can getting hurt. I guess. read a track before a race better or what? _ D.W. - I guess the hardest thing about racing is the traveling. What do B.H. - It's a lot of things. The exyou think about all those endless miles perience I've had on so many different you drive? Isn't this really the hardest tracks over the past couple of years. I part of racing? guess after so long, you can look at B.H. - After you do it week in and holes and tell if they're going to get week out for a year or so it's nice to bigger or go away. A lot of guys will have a week or so off. But, I really en- _ walk a track before a race, but won't joy it. It would be nice to fly and have really know what they're looking at. somebody else drive the truck, bu t You've got to find some trick places there's no way. I drive over 100,000 where you can pass and get ahead of the miles a year and it's really the only way other fast guys. to get there. I still enjoy it. D.W. - Where did you pick up most D.W. - You went to the Interof the secrets of going fast and how to national Six Days Trials last year to ride read a track? for Ossa. Had you ever been to Europe B.H. - A lot of it I picked up in before? . 1969 during the Inter-Am series. I was B.H. - Yes, Sonny Defeo andJ. went riding a CZ and traveled a good bit with a couple of years ago. We didn't do Joel Robert and Roger DeCoster who much racing, mostly visiting factories were also riding CZ at the time. Joel and things like that. would kind of take me around a track .... N " '" :. .... down at Franklin, Ga., he saw Miroslav Halm go around a corner on the back wheel and so he started trying and he crashed, but he kept trying. The kid really has ambition, but 1 don't know where he is or what's happened to him now. MOTO IMPORTS 1274 East Colorodo Boulevord, Posodeno, Colifornia 91101 ~ MOTO GUZZI 3303 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles,Calif. 90026 (213) 662-1151 ~",e:I&~I~l'~I881 NOW AVAILABLE at your dealer or write Chain, Box 2264, Cypress, Ca. 90630. Dealer inquiries invited. LESS SOUND MORE GROUND Off RDad VHiele '.s,i','e-SD Cl M ~ w Z W ..J C) >C) and show me different things. I had a European mechanic that showed me a lot also. He would make me practice a lot too. D.W. - Motocross is just now entering a period in this country where a professional can make a living. Do you have any higher goals in racing or in any BARRY & BOB NAMED TO A.M.X.T. MARCH 29, 1971 - President of the American Moto-Cross Team Kim Kimball announced today that Barry Higgins and Bob Grossi have been selected to represent the U.S. in four Grands Prix plus the 1971 Trophee Des Nations in E.urope, along with Team Captain Bryan Kenney, who is there now. The boys are scheduled to join Bryan in August. "The team fund is healthy and the bills are paid," said Kimball, crediting the support of thousands of Americans who have joined and donated to the team fund over the three years since its founding. More members and several large AMXT-benefit motocrosses put on by willing clubs are expected to provide enough income for the fund to pay all expenses for the three U.S. champions. If it's not enough, Kim says, "we'll have to go borrowing again." other part of the motorcycle industry? B.H. - Well, I want to be Worlds Champion, that's why r want to go to Europe. 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