Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

.; " o !@ w Z W ...J (,) > (,) IYIII I ••• "America's_ No. 1 weekly motorcycle' newspaper. You'll always see it FIRST in Cycle News'" ---_ "j(o '...... ',1' Publisher Charles Clayton Business Manager Sharon Clayton General Manager Tom Culp John Bethea Managing Editor Assistant Editor David Swift Circulation Manager Rheba Smith Circulation Ass't Marla Tarbet Production Manager Steve LeHuray Ed Drechsler Production Assistant Advertising Assistant .. Barbara Richard Bookkeeper Dorothea Lang Bookkeeper Ass't. . Eleanor Duke :. Larry Groves -Lab Technician Cycle News East, Dixie Cycle News, and National Advertising information: Tom Culp, National Advertising Director. Cycle News (West), P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, California 90801. (213) 427-7433 - L.A. 636-8844. TELEX NO. 673-474 Subscription: One year 2nd class mail 2 years 2nd class mail 3 years 2nd class mail Single copy price .$9.00 . $15.00 . $18.00 $.30 Published weekly except the first and last week of the calendar year by Cycle News, Inc., Post Office Box 498, Long Beach, California, also pUblishers of Cycle News East, and ,Dixie Cycle News. Second Class Postage paid at Long Beach, Calif. Editorial stories, cartoons, photos, etc. are welcome. Addressed, stamped envelope assures return of editorial matter. Reprinting in whole or in part only by permission of the publishers. Advertising rates and circulation information will be sent upon request. See S.R.D.S. '.~' ......J A·L1TTER·ATlON BEAR THE STANDARDS The curren tly conspicuous conglomeration of "cutie" cycle clubs .. certainly calls for capable conscientious curtaiJment, calculated compression, and compulsory consignment to concentration camps of these capricious cliques, composed . of consummate clowns! (Roget, pp. 728 et seq.) THEREFORE, BE IT KNOWN that T.O.M.C.A.T. M.C. is now organizing to resist the onslaught of these bird and mouse oriented groups, who have recently' received much valuable editorial time and space. Our By-Laws speak for themselves as scintillating examples of clear thinking and efficiency, to wit: 1. Requirements for Membership: Old enough to know better, but will try it anyway. Kinds under 45 may be known as Kittens. 2. Dues: Paid by one member to another, alternately,. during meetings, at the rate of one can per half hour, or sooner if hotter. 3. Meetings: Whenever two or more members unavoidably come face to face. 4. Competition classes: May ride anything (associate membership for I HP -4 leg models). Any member entering any event not sanctioned by T.O.M.C.A.T. will be fined one pack when caught. 5. Points: will be awarded to each member, by himself, arbitrarily. 6. Numbers: Competition numbers from zero to two may be used. 7. New members: In place of the 10 dollar initiation fee, new members wanting a card or decal showing their affiliation with such an exclusive organization are requested to submit a drawing of our emblem: A bandaged, scruffy old tomcat, jauntily waving a can as he chugs off into the desert sunset on his equally beat-up old bike. (Sorta gets ya here, see whattamean?) 8. Search and Rescue: Search for members will continue intermittently thru the pit area, even as far as the smoke bomb. Rescue may include soothing liquids (or even a Medicard!) supplied by 01' Patrol. As we have done nothing to rate equal time with these other upstart clubs, we do not expect to have this published - Please? T.O.M.C.A.T. M.C. (Thirsty Old Motorcyclists, Cranky And Tired) Sun Valley, natch! I migh t be speaking for myself, but I don't like to be kept awake all night before a race, either. However, more than being kept awake, I dislike being old how I must conduct myself at a desert race. If uMartie" and "Bruce Mattmuller" must set standards, let them do it in their own neighborhoods. "Personally I go to the desert and the races to get away from people like them. CHUCK BILLIET 42lx La Puente, Calif. Pst! The Editor isn't here so I'U try and sneak it in for ya - Gus the Janitor. MY TURN The Lost Angels M.C. guys are still . mixed up. I do belong to a club, the Sled Riders M.C., which you could take lessons from. They have had successful desert runs in which I helped at Saddleback Park; I know about the work in it. All you would had to have done was to explain about the trophy company or, like other clubs, have a referee or telephone number listed on the results. GUS PAULL Newport Beach, Calif. CLUB PLUG A new motorcycle club is being formed for people in the Pomona Valley area, from Kellogg Hill to Fontana. Many people in this area feel that there is a need for a motorcycle club which is primarily concerned with off-road activities, trail-riding and competition. The club being formed will attempt to bring these people together for sport, friendship and family participation. Further information may be obtained by caUinl/; Dave Martin, (714) 624·5800. MARTIN A. ffiLDRETH 632 W. La Deney Drive Ontario, Calif. 91762 4 ACES GET WINNING HAND An open letter to the F our Aces M.e.: I rode your Grand Prix at Willow Springs, you put on Oct. 2 -3 and I chums decided to go south of the border for the weekend where they planned to do a little riding on the beach and hills of Mexico. They set up camp approximately one ADd a half miles south of Half-way House on the beach. This is about 30 miles north of Ensenada. After spending Saturday enjoying a day of riding on the beach and surrounding hills, they prepared for the night, but no.t well enough; they fOJ;got to chain up their bikes. "What? Chain our bikes up down here, surely no one will come in to camp and take them." The following morning on awakening and looking around the camp they found someone had come into camp and stolen the 1970 BSA Victor and 1969400 Maico. What a bummer! Reports were f"lled, but you know how Mexico is about stolen motorcycle NO THANKS I would like to commend the Sacramento Racer's Association for a fantastic job of notifying riders that the race scheduled for October 3 at Cal Expo was cancelled. . You go through all the preparation and expense of planning to race on Sunday and then drive aU the way to the race just to find a closed gate with no explanation whatsoever. It's always fun so spend two hours waiting for someone to open the gate. I am sure it wouldn't have killed one memher of the SRA to get up early Sunday morning and at least leave a sign on the entry gate explaining why the race was cancelled. Let's hope that other clubs don't follow the poor organization of the SRA. Keep up th ood work, SRA! MRS. CRAIG GILMOUR MRS. RAY ATKINSON Napa, Calif. THE DUEL IS ON VOICES OF THE WEST would like to tell your club a thing or two! It was great, one of the best. All the club members that I came in contact with, were most pleasant and very helpful. If they talked badly at you, you had it coming, they were only doing their job. My race was at 1 p.m. and that's when it started, not early or late; all the races were like that - righ t on time. The crowd control was the best ever. Not once did I have to play miss the spectator. Take note fellow racers: If you missed this one don't miss next year's. The course was rough but fun, and isn't that what it's all about? BOB SHAW Desert 597 MX Van Nuys, Calif. ... AND WORDS DISCOURAGING I'm disappointed in the Four Aces' Grand Prix this year. A Grand Prix should be just that, "GRAND". You would think with the $8.25 entry fee you would get a lJIap of the course as advertised at the sign-in, but you didn't. You had to buy a program for $1.00 to get a map. This is probably "GRAND" for program sales but not for the riders. It was also stated that no Mini-Bikes would be allowed on the grounds, but they were running all through the camp area. The gas pits were a disgrace because they were full of spectators. A rider could harldy see his pits. A Patrol did come through and say no spectators altnwed in the pits. However, they didn't leave and should not have been allowed to stay. To begin with I think a stronger hand should be taken with spectators at big races like a Grand Prix. When you don't control them the rider is the one that always loses. Let's hope the Four Aces learned something this year for a better Grand Prix next year. DOC YORK Redondo Beach, Calif. LITTLE SOUTHERN COMFORT Recently a couple of my ridinl/; reports - no big deal. Being in the law enforcement profession, I made a couple of calls to my police friends in the San Diego area and found out that this is a frequent occurrence at that particular section of the beach. There is an organized group of thieves who prey on careless gringos who leave things unguarded. Their specialty is dirt bikes. To all dirt riders who are planning to do some overnight camping in Mexico, chain your bike up at night or you too will be riding memories this winter. J.E.M., INVESTIGATOR Orange County, Calif. Please be advised that to the extent of what I've read, I have publicly accepted your recently issued 'challenge' to all comers in a match jump. The details in such a undertaking are obviously many and need to be worked out. I would like to hear from you or your representatives as to when we can begin working on stich particulars as location, dates, etc. I am sending copies of this letter to the major weeklies as proof of my seriousness and in the hope it may accelerate your receiving my message. Awaiting your reply, 'SUPER JOE' EINHORN Richmond. Calif. 'Super Joe' successfully cleared 18 cars in a ramp-to-ramp jump last weekend while practicins for his world record attempt. Joe m~e the jump at his pnctice site, an mandoned airstrip n~r his home. "I'm rudy to jump 20 cars," claimed Joe, "I think I've got it down pretty well now." No safety ramp WH used for the iump, one of the conditions that Knievel stated in the chaUenge he issued a few weeks .1.10. "1 ' m still waiting for a response from Knievel, either through the press or through my manager's reprding our 8etting together for a match jump...... Ed.

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