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CLEMENTS WAILS AT VIEWFINDERS' G.P.
By Dave Swift
VALENCIA, CALIF., April 17·18, 1971 - Billy Clements gave his budding career a
healthy boast today as he soundly beat some of California's finest riders at the
Fourth Annual Viewfinders Grand Prix at Indian Dunes.
Clements got a fine start as the pack fled to the first part of the course, the
motocross section. Not surprisingly, John DeSoto led the field with Jimmy Dawson
and Clements threatening. The incredible Hawaiian bolted from the pack as they hit
the series of sandwashes, flying over the hoops towards the first check. As they
headed for the second check, DeSoto appeared to have either unloaded or drowned
out in one of the many water crossings. Clements made a move to get around the
new leader Dawson at the top of thl! hill before Check 3 and promptly fell off. After
the first 6·mile loop Jimmy Dawson was 'way out front, followed by a
quickly-recovered Clements, desert star Whitey Martino, Ajay ace Doug Grant, and
Bill Walters. John Rice moved from a poor start to the sixth spot in one lap.
As the 45-minute contest wore on,
few changes took place in the front
ranks. DeSoto made a brief appearance
after spending a couple of minutes in
the pits. He screamed onto the course
and passed about a dozen riders in a
minute of riding before he crossed up
on a hairpin. Frustrated, John let !lis
arms hang limp for a while, straddling
his CZ which was facing the wrong
direction.
Clements finally undid his earlier
boo-boo and struck once more at the
Dawson's fine-running Yamaha, this
time with success. Battle-weary, Dawson
lost some of his. pace but remained
strong enough for second place. Grant
finished a close third after a flawless
ride. Rice continued to battle Martino
to the wire with John-R's motocross
experience proving more valuable than
Whitey's desert doings. Interestingly,
each rider is Number One in his
respective field.
Bill Payne, Gene Cannady, and Rich
ThorwaJdson were sixth, seventh and
eighth and each of them were riding one
of those spiffy new Suzuki 400s.
Gary Jones won the 250 Expert race
Saturday with a flat front tire. Jones
jumped into the lead with his Cheney
Yamaha and the only person to hassle
him was Grant. "He kept on bumping
into me out there," said Gary, pointing
off into the trees. "I think he wanted to
pass me." Jones built a lead to write
home about after Grant fell, leaving the
second spot to Gary's brothers,
DeWayne. He ran out of gas about a
quarter mile from the checkered so
second went to Grant, after all.
John Rice took the 101-200 Expert
round but Preston Petty made him work
for it. "I've never seen John try so hard
in my life!" exclaimed a knowledgeable
fan. After J ohn-R powered his Puch
past Petty for the lead, it is reported
that the amazing Preston actually fell
off and couldn't complete the race.
Dawson had another one of his quick
Yamahas on the track to make second
place, followed by Ken Buckspan on a
Bultaco.
The sidehacks rode the same course
as the two-wheelers but the effect
wasn't quite the same. There was hardly
enough passing room over most of the
circuit and the sandy hoops and steep
hills made lap times very slow, but they
loved it! The Ralph Whitney/George
Whitney team led from wire to wire but
it was not an easy win. John Palfreyman
and Marvin Tomlinson were within
striking distance the whole time but
never could pull -off a coup. On the fmal
lap, after both parties had lapped just
about everybody else. Palyfreman came
t;>ombing downhill, raising some hair in
the process, leaped his Wasp into the
stream and drew a bead on the
Whitney's. They must have been
sandbagging, though, because Ralph
screwed on some throttle and blasted
across the final'sandwash in record time.
The Powder Puffers had a good time.
After a clean start Janene Pennington
moved to the front where she was to
stay for the balance of the race. Jan
Ditson of the Desert Daisies got close
enough to pass several times but her
Hodaka just didn't have the beans that
Janene's 125 Yamaha did. Sharon
Wilson has been putting in some good
rides lately and today she moved from
the back of the pack to take third.
Top 500 Amateur was Wayne Garrett
on a Yamaha. He and Warren Burrell
diced for a lap or two until Garrett quit
fooling around. A minute and a half
passed before Burrell took the
check'ered and it was another long wait
before Marshall Jennings cr'ossed. Hot
500 Novice Jeff Robertson dropped the
expansion chamber off his new Suzuki
but went on to take second behind Ron
Dugan.
A classic drama prevailed for a few
moments during the Open 'Combined
contest as a new 501 Maico piloted by a
number 22 (not listed in program)
punched it out with the ai' reliable
40-inch Triumph of Ron Jones.
Tradition was the winner after the
Maico pulled a huge lead and quit
running. Jones won over the rest of the
pack with at least a three mile gap
between he and the next rider, Mickey
