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CycleNelMS North .. Polka Dots Stage Nice, Muddy Enduro For 750 Riders ~ >- ~ ~ w Z w -' o > o scores went up. F ortUDateIy or unfortunately a technical error required that the check be thrown out. We soon got to the fint real problem of the day, a deep stream crossing with a steep, muddy embankment on the other side. It wasn't really bad, but an awful lot of riders enter these enduros with frighteningly little experience and machines that are ill-prepared. When I got there three guys were trying to push a Kawasaki Big Hom UP that muddy embankment .on a dead engine. A long line'had formed behind them. All this time we had been climbing and we were soon into the snow. The By Ron SchneideIS" FOREST HILL, CAL., April 25, 1971 - A huge crowd of riders, wives, girlfriends and kids assembled in the tiny town of Forest Hill. between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe today for the 8th annual running of the Polka Dots "4ger" Enduro. Although the run was officially limited to 750 riders, by start time they signed up about 790, but of course some who had signed up didn'tshow,.so they probably had about 750 actual starters. The Polka Dots have a reputation for throwing difficult events so the fint few sections had everybody surprised and a few people rather disappointed. The run started with an easy 20 mph schedule on a mixture of trails and dirt road. Few points were lost at the first check 20 miles out. The second section started a 24 mph average which lasted the rest of the run. Check number two was really a sneaky one. It .was only about 5.8 miles from the first check and no one was expecting another one that close. It caugh t a lot of riders napping and the I 1 'C ' 15. I 0 .'·1. I 1 '= ~ cycles I q. ~ II• • .,... SPECIALIST 2594 Middlefield Road Mt. View. California 94040 (4151961-4399 II 1 I 1-----------I ::2: Kamikaze Pilot on left cleared us all out 5 seconds after this shot. . t7 Sales servIce parts Sales'" Service custom work * all makes oerunphY CYCLES SUZUKI MAICO 184 San Antonio Rd. Mt. View, Calif. 94040 941·7317 steep, muddy, rocky hill. When I got there about 30 riders were standing at the bottom, just watching. By this time only the strongest had any energy left. We were nearing the 100 mile mark. For lots of riders, including this one, that hill was the straw that put them out of their hour. From then on we were riding for fun. By the end of the run, even those who had been complaining in the beginning that it was too easy had lost enough points to make them properly miserable and quiet. The sweepstakes winner, George Newsom, even managed to lose 42 points on his little 125 DKW, and the scores went up from there on. (Incidentally, all results as of now are unofficial pending the club's check of all the paper work.) The Polka Dots used a different system of scoring their run which they call "U-Check" and it really works great. Each rider is given an individual score card before the event. When he gets in at night, he takes all the check receipts that he has been given and elevation was about 4600 feet. Fortunately most of the snow bad melted but in the shadows of the hills there were lumpy patches bisected by slippery, rutted tracks. 1-----------. sonn" I I I kenyon's I IIUL.Ti=lCO There was no noon stop; we simply arrived at a gas station and fu~led on our own time. If you wanted to eat something or get a drink, great, but you . had to make up the time when you left. The gas station was actually part of a little town named Iron Hill I think the entire popul'ation was either helping to fuel the bikes or watching the riden leave. The club obligingly ran the bikes over what seemed like a section of motocross coune right outside town. It had a short but steep downhill and a couple of jumps to provide some thrills for the spectaton and anxious moments for a few unsuspecting riders. The run started getting tougher right after the gas check. Suddenly the trails were wet, muddy and slippery. Before long it started to rain lightly. There were more logs to jump and if you hit them at even a slight angle your front wheel suddenly was going at right angles to the direction of your body. Ouch! Water crossings got deeper and deeper until we crossed a pair of them that ran to ltllS tank level. Believe it or not, he's kicking vicious trout. Cow TraU Y.r a a EllDUIO SPIOCIfTS the wont feature for most people was the mud. There were about 30 mud holes varying from not-too-bad (deep gooey ruts that were messy but not hard to get through) to godawful (a combination of mud and water about the consistentcy of thin pancake batter, gas-tank deep). Two of these monstrosities put almost everyone late because they were decidely unridable. It was grunt, groan, push, shove, help one another, and curse. Mostly curse. If you managed to make it through the mud holes there was a ridiculously 12TOOTH CZCounter Sprockets 59.25 Cal. res. add 5% sales taK. C&M SPECIALTIES-P.O. BOX 111 MOUNTAIN VIEW CALIF. 94040 (Continued on next page) OOL- MOST ENTHUSIASTIC DEALER Pipes, Barrels, Cases, Brake Hubs. SELBY MOTORS Heat Dispersant Will not wash off Orangevale Distributors 9198 Greenback Lane Oran Ie, Ca. 95662 (916) 988-4125 writes the time in the proper box on his scorecard. Then he goes to a large board where the key times for aU the checks are listed and he copies his key time onto the scorecard. He can then subtract his time from key time (or vice versa) and compute his score. He tums his card over to the officials who set aside those with the best scores. There is a deadline for turning in the cards of two hours after the finish. Thus in two houn all the trophy winners are known. It's really great! Scores, however, aren't official until the club can check its own record against the scorecards and make sure there aren't any cheaten. The campground used by the club is absolutely beautiful with tall trees and a dense pine needle floor. Right on the ground is a large hall where ladies fixed a fine breakfast for the riders. Would COLISEUM CYCLE 346 EI CAmino. R~ 14151369-4112 City MAIL and .ACCESSORY CO. ORDER ~KAWASAKI ~ MOTORCYCLES 3958 E. 14th ST., OAKLAND, CAL. (415) 534-5461 94601