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/125743
T-shirt. Tony Nicosia, the Kawasaki drag racer, unveiled one of Jack Murphy's new 350 th ree cy \inder drag bikes with a new record of 123.167 on gas. Murphy swears he hasn't even had time for tricking the engine and that it is basically stock. Wednesday qualifying was rather light and only six new records were set on Thursday morrung. The most ou tstanding of these had to be Robert Isley's of Gresham, OregonHe went 137-532 on a Kawasaki 500 in a drag frame to set a new record in A-C-500. The big story Thursday was Don Vesco, who took his liner out in two classes. First in the 250cc class he went 185.4 7 against H-D's record of 176. And after some engine swapping he wen t 212 in fourth gear of his six speed box with two 350's against a 192 record. Don stated afterwards '"The salt is a little rough for the big record attempt, so we will concentrate on the 250 record and go for the _big one later in the year." George Kuntze was back again this year and bagged the Kawasaki. The next morning at record runs Don couldn't get the 250 to run on both cylinders and the run was aborted. Friday was the final frantic day of qualifying and the nitro fumes were heavy around the start arOil. Nicosia went 117 unstreamlined with the 350 three on gas. Mel Nichols went 94 on a Kawasaki 100 on fuel. Grant Hannah wen t 143 on the most sanitary 750 triple Triumph seen on the salt. Not half bad for a class C engine on gas. Vesco practiced swapping engines again and went 184 with one 350 then pulled the engine out. Twenty-one records were set the final morning which.was Saturday. The big story that day was Vesco going 182.278 with a 250 on gas in his liner. Another busy week on the salt. The legend grows and the record book fills even further. A prorrUse of more activity .... Ol ~ w Z W ..J U > U Don Vesco is captured cussing out his 350cc engine since his 250 ran faster at 182.278. "If 1 only knew that at Daytona." ~S·AG-500 record at 125.369 with his Don Gerry & crew (Whites not required in pits at Bonneville). Don had problems and couldn't get over 93 mph all week on his Yamaha 350. for the big record if Mother Nature is kind to the salt that remains. Kaiser Chemica! who has no interest in racing is pumping valuable salt brine away ftom the race area at the rate of 100,000 tons per year. Figure it ouL If the ecologists (and reacers) don't do something quickly about this rape of nature we may be setting land speed records in Australia. If you are in a letter writing mood it is the motorcyclist friend, the BLM, who manages the use of the salt along with the Dept. of Parks and Recreation of the state of Utah. Seventy-one new AMA records, three tubes of Swedish Tanning Secret, one chap stick and countless rolls of film. A busy week just to sit and watch. But keep watching because Vesco isn't through and what about this secret Honda? Don Sliger tiptoeing through the salt flats while tuning his 160 mph Royal Enfield. Warner Ailey made the 200 mph Club on his Sportster 1148Occ) with a c1ockingat200.298 with a road race type fairing. Bruce Flanders is hydraulically measuring the piston displacement with Warner he4Pifl9!c I,)J.., ,.(,,-U ."0)/ • Ir[:~Jl 1I..... :.J lI. ,)'J1"1