Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

TEIAS SCEIE .... '" lSi > :; .., ~ w Z w -' U >- U Motocross Growth Seen in Last Two Years By Pete S.zilagyi It hasn't 1?een too long since the Texas bike racing scene was just another hot, dusty Sunday at the bumpy oval or adobe-hard scrambles track. The morning.heat would already be stifling as the battered pick-up trucks started showing up at trackside. They bore Matchless and BSA ,singles, Honda scramblers, Harley 45 's, Triumph Cubs and the usual proliferation of stripped street bikes of uncertain vintage. The lack of sophisticated machinery didn't prevent anybody from having a good time. Man, just hang your leg out and screw it on. Come Sunday night...maybe some bad raspberries, maybe not, but lots of sunburn and a light head from all those after-race frosties. The scenario has not changed; race day dawns brigh t and hot. The track is bumpy, but now it's supposed to be. But the hardware isn't the same. The old pick-up has been replaced by a Volkswagen bus or domestic van; practical conveyances that are brightly painted and covered with decals advertising machines built by Orientals, Swedes, or East European comsymps. Their cargo is usually equally divided amo.ng motocross racer, motocross racer's race bike, and ice. Huskies, CZs and Maicos abound, along with plenty ofYamahas, Suzukis, and Kawasakis, most of them sporting accessory handling equipment and crackling expansion chambers. The riders and spectators seem to be a little differen t now. The under-30 hip-sophisticate crowd seems to be attracted to motocross racing. College towns in Texas generate the most interest in the sport. The pits are usually filled with eight-track tape players attempting to make Led Zeppelin heard above the cacophony of exhaust noise. On any given Sunday, there are miles of mm exposed by spectators bent from the weight of all the precision photo gear hanging from their necks. They are knowledgeable fans who understilnd and enjoy motocross. And if the promoter has played his cards right, they come in droves. Texans were first introduced to motocross racing about three years ago by enthusiasts who had been to the east or west coast and visited the fledgling tracks in operation there. Pretty fair coverage in the national media didn't hurt either. It has taken the promoters and track operators a while to get their heads together, but now the Texas motocross scene has come of age; it's alive, healthy and growing. It's still plagued by an occasional promoter who calls his races motocross, runs them on a TT track, and scores them by a method that seems to be a combination of SCCA and rugby. Fortunately his ilk are few and far between. Thanks to a lot of hard·working, farsighted folks, the tracks are real motocross, the riders real motocross, and by God, all the aches, bruises, and seemingly endless motos are real motocross. Texas is a large state with fairly scattered population centers, but a rider who wants to moto can usually f'lOd a race every weekend. The sumlTfer sun in Texas is brutally hot. In July, August and September, the mercury usually hovers around 100 degrees. The heat takes its toll on race day. It adds an extra dimension to a sport that tests stamina even under ideal climatic conditions. There's just nothing quite as exhausting as riding three 20-minute motos on a balmy 102 degree Sunday. The combination of heat and rare summer rainfall creates a big dust problem. Very few tracks can afford water trucks. When water is needed the most, in hot weather, it dries so quickly that all you notice is a brief increase in the relative humidity. Winter racing is a lot easier on both the riders and spectators. Texas winters are fairly mild except for a blustery 20·megaton storm every third week. Temperatures generally don't stay below freezing in most of the state. Afternoon highs are just warm enough to allow comfortable spectating and cool enough to keep the riders happy. If only the wind wouldn't blow_. Motocross riders coming from the West Coast will find that Texas trac,ks run shorter motos than they do back home. Promoters don't want to scare away riders who aren't in good enough shape to hold on to a machine for a total of one or two hours. The earnest non-professional racer is the bread and butter of Texas motocross. He usually finishes behind the guy who takes it more seriously, although he outnumbers him two to one. But there wouldn't be any motocross in parts of Texas without the weekend racer, so the promoter courts him. Smaller rider turnouts are also the rule. An average Southern California motocross migh t attract two, three or four hundred riders; in Texas we call 175 a big crowd. With fewer motos to run, race day is a lot shorter than the sun-up to sundown Coast extravaganzas. Activities usually begin at one in the afternoon and leisurely progress until 5 or 6 pm. The freshly kindled interest in motocross is certainly a boom to the local motorcycle retailers. Dealers specializing in motocross bikes and accessories are falling all over each other trying to give the Texas dirt-biker the goodies he needs to go fast. Husky and CZ outlets can sell every machine they can get. Thousands of dollars are spent every week for protective clothing, go-fast accessories, and replacement parts for last Sunday's crash. The equipment is easy to find, as is the experience. For most riders it's easy to locate a place to practice. The majority of the motocross tracks are conveniently located and open for practice all week long. Texans are faced with few land closures or restrictions. They can ride on just about any undeveloped land as long as the noice is kept at a reasonable level. Unfortunately, Texas riders will probably expansion chamber themselves out of a place to ride if they don't learn from the mistakes of their California friends. So there you have a brief look at the Texas motocross scene, pretty much the same as anywhere else, but with that unique Texas style. In two weeks, a look at the tracks in the area. Rush Pair Tags Foes j()r Four Wins By Johnny Warren HOUSTON, TEX., June 13, 1971 David and Peggy Rush of Baytown, Tex. copped four firSts at the beautiful ultra-modern Clovefield Raceway Sunday. The short track and scrambles was sponsored by the San Jacinto High Rollers Motorcycle.Club. With this isslte, SouthweSt Cycle News becomes a regultJry by-weekly feature irt Cycle News West. b&cluded in this section will be reporis from the AMA Districts 20, 21, 25 and 26, covering all of Neb_lea, Ktmstu, OItIaJwmtl, Te:cflS, New Me:cico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah and p.rts of Nevad4. R~1ar correspondents are being souglat in these lIreJU and queries should be sent to Editor, Cycle N.ews, P.O. Bo:c 498, Long Beach. QUif., 90801. Advertisers, wishing to secure space on a regultJr basis in this section are advised to contaet Tom Culp, c/o Cycle News, same address. David, 17, was 1968 State Champion and '69 Regional Leader in the 125 and 250 classes. He rode hjs Yarnaha to an easy win in the 125 class short track position race. In the fmal he gained the lead in the first turn and coasted to victory. He had trouble in both 250 events, however, in his heat David's bike stalled on tbetine but he had a 2nd-place finish. Richard Dillard of Beuamont, Tex., another top young rider won this race, also on a Bultaco. In the 250 scrambles heat David's engine trouble forced him to the sideline after one tap. Dillard won the race. In the final David corrected the engine trouble and piloted his Bultaco to an easy victory. Peggy Rush, David's 15·year-oJd sister, geared her Yamaha to first in the 125 scrambles f'lOal, a first in the powder puff, and sixth place in 125 short track after her engine stalled on the line. Peggy won the scrambles final after David had trouble that forced him to the sidelines. Nine·year-old Russell Gourley, riding only six months, powered his Yamaha 60 to first in the 9-100 short track position raced, fifth in the final scrambles and won the mini bike race. Kenneth Carter, a young and upcoming rider won both the 100cc Main Event of both short track and scrambles on a Kawaski. SoutbWestl aJII~ .W. NMMC 4th FEST SET The New Mexico Motorcycle Club have scheduled their Championship Motocross to highlight.a gala Fourth of July program. The race will be on a brand new course at Bearcat Raceway, 13 miles south of Albuquerque on Highway 10. Top riders from four states will be competing for $2000 in cash and prizes, getting underway at II am Sunday. After the final race, there will be lots of food and be-bop music by the Lewie Wickham Trio. A fireworks display will climax the weekend. There will be free picnicking, camping all week, and pleasures only cool mountain land can offer. Gate fee is $4 a person, $1 for under-12's. For more info, call (505) 898-{)528 or 299-1257. '.1a:..~ Some wet and wild motocross at Friendswood. Tex. Photo by Johnny Warren; results on page 28. UL.T== MAIL ORDI!R BIG BORE 360cc to 410cc. 100cc to 133cc 125cc to 250cc to 327cc 3Jo1 gal Sherpa S-T/PurSang tanks & skid plates Blank cylinder sleeves, all sizes (do your own porting). CUSTOM ENGINE WORK STOCK BUlTACO PARTS SPEED EQUIPMENT WRITE FOR FREE PRICE LIST "Home of the fastest dirt bike in the USA" Call or write for details - mail order O.K. PUMFREY BULTACO 21819 Sherman Way, Canoga Pork (213) 887·7696 MX CHAMPIONSHIPS, The New Mexico M.C. announced its scheduled events for the big Fourth of July weekend. This is the designated time for the NMMC Championship Motocross Race. The best riders from four different states will be competing for nearly $2000 in cash and prizes. The race will be held on an entirely new y- SCRAMBLER MOTORCYCLES 40"nto 60"" 1801 W. Burbank Blvd. Burbank, Calif. 849-5901 or 845-8138 Ex. 7 off track at Bearcat Raceway, 13 miles south on Highway 10. The Amateur classes will begin at 11 a.m. and the Experts at 2:30 p.m. At 3 some of the best BBQ beef ever will be available at $1.75 a plate. As a special attraction the Lewie Wickham Trio will give a concert beginning at 6:30 p.m. Then at 9 there will be a fireworks display. Admission of $4 per person will include the race, Lewie Wickham concert and fireworks display. Those under 12 will be admitted for $1. This is the biggest event the New Mexico M.C. has ever sponsored. Free picnicking and camping is offered all weekend with water and toilet facilities on this cool mountain land Come out and bring the family! Fo, further details caII..5Q5/898.Q528 or 299·1257.

• Cover