Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

CLEMENTS: CLOSEST TO ZION AT CMC-UTAH MX ~ .... By Dave Swift ZION NATIONAL PARK., May 30, 1971 - Bill Clements whomped every one so bad it wasn't funny. During a race, knowledgeable spectators cross a track after the last guy has passed. On the L-D Ranch today, people would wait until Clements would come by and then cross, confident that nobody would be coming for a while. Billy is still pretty lousy on bis starts, at least for someone who wins aD the time. Out of six motos, be got only one decent start. His worst start was in the first 500 race: John DeSoto and Tim Hart put their Maicos up front but within moments Bryar Holcomb put his square-barreled monster in second. DeSoto was running away, as usual. After a single lap, Clemen ts had come from nowhere and nearly everyone backed a notch. They both disappeared behind trees and bushes for a few turns and when they appeared, Billy was right on his tail. As th ey both entered th e narrow choppy straight fuD bore, Clements sat back on the rear wheel and screwed on every horse Edison Dye could import. The pits whooped and hoDered and he passed DeSoto as if John had stomped the wrong lever. Half a lap later, John stuck a piston and went home. In an earlier clash, the 250 Experts, DeSoto and Dave Smith led the 17-year-old at the start. DeSoto never finished the first lap when his ignition puked about the same spot his 400 broke; Smith dropped his a lap later. For Billy, this race, like the rest, would be simply a matter of getting through die field and battling fatigue. Bill had his leg smacked a good one in a tangle with DeSoto two weeks earlier. Tendons were tom and it was nearly a week before he could walk. Some folks thought he was riding with a brok.en leg. The high altitude '(6,000 feet) caught most riders short of breath after a couple of minutes racing, but smart Billy would cushion himself with a big lead immediately. .rhe kid from Pasadena could ha"e sandbagged in. his last motos but he doesn't know how. Besides, he's turned pro and is planning on some tough competition this summer. Bryar Holcomb did a splendid job. If one finds it possible to put Clements out of the mind, Holcomb looks quite good with two overaU seconds. He and Lars Larsson spent the last two 500 motos side-by-side. Bryar was favored One of the virtues of the race, Stu Peters explained, was the "nice view", which was the understatement of the week.end. The ride up what humans caD Zion during their short stay on this planet was nurnbing. Gawking at Ma Nature's subtle surprises aD weekend was worth the finite hassle of getting pasture; aD that is needed was imagination and some banner. It got choppy during the last matos, and could have used more passing room, but it's quite hard to aetuaDy fault. The California Moto-Sport Club plans . to have another race at the same spot next year. When they do, I'm going to ~~~""---:ii:- The start of the final 500 Expert moto. Clements leads Jack Johnson of Las Vagas. Nev. (PP). Jim Fishback (35). Bob Hershey (361. Bob Fisk (600). Lars Larsson (97rl. and Bryar Holcomb (61. there. make sure r get an entry, and make most of the time but he dropped it in The course was among the finest the plans to stay a\\bile. the last moto. CMC has ever used. The land is a hilly (Results on p e 24 Bob Hershey put in three consistent rides for a third; including a better-than-average chaDenge to Clements in the fmal round. Rick Staten tied Holcomb for second in the 250s. Holcomb dropped it in the middle moto and had to move· from 12th to third. The consequent jumbling of the rest of the pack aDowed the much-improved Staten to gamer the points. Jimmy Beauchamp deosn't go incredibly fast on his Sachs, er, ah, DKW; but he goes fast enough. In each of his races, Beauchamp moved up to the front quickly and left himself a nice little margin for error. Teammates Murray Hoffman and Eric Crippa were constantly pummeling for the next spot but Hoffman retained the edge each time. Jim Hoover, the chap who did so weD last week at Evel Knievel'. thingie, won ... both 125 and 250 Intermediate contests, sweeping the latter. He's got a Unbeatable Bill Clements soars into the brilliant Utah sky. using a neat fourth-gear jump as Pnme ride with C·Z now, and he also has Mover. durability. Nothing New at Ascot By Gary Schmythe GARDENA, CAL., May 27, 1971 to third. All eyes were on a 10-year-old' Tonight's entry forms read like the wonder R. Kline, however, on his small Southwest's Who's Who of motocross Steen's Micro. He is putting it all and the CMC's unlisted phone number together and becoming a terror in this may have been changed to MAico class. 82-7-1 as that was the combination in A pair of C-Zers, J. Vandergeest and the 500 Senior. John DeSoto led the M. Horstman, were doing their thing for sweep with Tim Hart second and Mike the number one spot in the 250 Jr.; CJ"W) th ird. Vandergeest took the flag first. D. Those Rickman mounts, Jeff Wright O'Haver on. a lone Ossa ~arnered third. and Bruce Baroo, were at it again in the L. Quintard (Yam) has fully 125 Srs. Wright battled hard in the recovered and is back in the winning initial moto and held off Baron to take ways, 125 Jr., J. Steeber (Yam), took the win. The second face-off found second and T. Blum (Mon) third. them peg to peg, and jump for jump T. Simpson (Ric) had it locked on before both went down leaving the race and went on for the win in the 500 Jr., up for grabs in the third. In this one, D. McKee (Mai) and J. Dykes (Gre) Baron blasted to the win with Wright were having at it for second. McKee second and Terry Clark (H-D), playing a made his move a good one, took over waiting game, third. that spot and Dykes was third. When DeSoto -lost it in the 250 Those that think a street machine can Senior class, Baron took up the slack run anywhere, any time, look at that and topped Glen Lund (Ric) for the poor guy who tried to run his big, ill overall win. Scott Hoffee (BuI) led the handling, and not properly prepared charge for th ird. machine. It caused not only damage to R. Bean (Suz) was able to out run B. himself but to others. You don't ask a Doornbos (Hon) in the 100Jrs; B. Stem VW to do a Ford's job, do you? (Hod) came out of the pack to latch on (Results on page 24) - • .aJa Wins again! I HARLEY-DAVIDSON I L.A.'. #) Harley-Davidson Distributor Masterlinks Hare & Hound May 2.1971 Trailbike Class 1st Greg Hawks - BJA 100 2nd Randy Milligan - BAJA 100 3rd Jim Sumners - BAJA 100 4th Larry Roesler - BAJA 100 5th Don Olglebi - BAJA 100 "Where the price is right...the service is best ...nd we ore just good people to do business with." Volume dealer mealns lower prices! Our 50th year at the same location. Here today - here tomorrow to back the Harley-Davidson of your choice. Harley-Davidson/Los Angeles 2531 S. Main at Adams 9-62 the HaxleyDavidsoB ~~ outpBnOnBBXS '" ~ § .., ~ w Z ~ ~ U

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