Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Bergquist Makes Up For Recent Drought from the usual dust. The Turtles really were cooperative...and generous. Thanks for the beer, George. By the way, the Checkers would like . -- to know where the Turltes got all those nice rocks. They want to borrow some for Check Chase. (Results on page 28) " '" ",' u o ~ w Z W ...J U >- U From under the freeway the racers passed several times. e By Alice Rhea BELL MOUNTAIN, CAL., Oct. 10, 1971 - Larry Bergquist hasn't finished a race in about six months but he made up for it today by taking fIrst overall on his 250 Bultaco PurSang. Bergquist, who professes to have been racing desert for the last 23 years, was all smiles when I talked to him after the race. "It was really a nice coUrse," he said. '7here was a little of everything...rocks, sand and good old open desert." Wearing a big grin, Larry admits that he always likes the course when he wins. Second overall was Tom Clodt, who also took first Amateur, followed by David Trib and Terry Clark, in that order. The Orange Streak, Rich Thorwaldson, was less than enthusiastic about the course. He hit a road crossing before the bomb and got off hard. When he stook up, his Suzuki lay 50 yards off in one direction and the fuel tank laid 50 yards in the other direction. By the time Rich found all the parts and got his bike back together the rest of the Experts were out of sigh t. j.N. Roberts fared a little better. He led the pack around the first loop and into the pits, but seized his engine shortly after his pit stop. (Did somebody grab the wrong gas can?) Tom Brooks (Carabela) spent the first half of the race vigorously chasing after j.N. Roberts. Across the desert, under the freeway, across more desert, back under the freeway, down a fireroad and into the pits.. After Roberts seized up, Tom took over the lead and maintained it until about a mile from the finish. When Tom's throttle cable broke he started pusbing and managed to finish fifth overall at that! He sure can push fast. George Walker and jack Knebel held a heated battle for first Open Expert righ t down to the finish line. They came thundering across the desert on converging courses, tenninating in a collision right at the finish line, with Knebel ending up sitting on the ground. The Turtles broke the tie by giving the win to Knebel, as they figured the points would help ease the pain in his bruised, uh, ego. Bone tired and covered with grime, Sharon Wilson still managed a big grin when she learned she was first girl. I understand the reason the Novice start was delayed for 30 minutes was that several of th'e Am/Ex. riders mixed it up out toward the bomb resulting in a couple of broken legs. At the end of the first loop they flagged the trail Novices off and first in was Kevin Hamblin, followed by Ray Morrow. First female t;rail Novi.ce was Lori Struble aJ:\d the youngest finisher was II'year-old Charles Freeman. First prize for sheer guts goes to R.L. Willeford, who finished on "a bare rim. Did you have a tire at the start of the race, R.L.? Back with the Novices, A.C. Bakken was first Open Novice, followed by lightweightjirn Freeman. Riders were still dragging in to the finish line when I called it quits around 3:00... It really takes guts not to just give up and cut across the course when you know you are that far behind. All in all, everybody seemed to have a good time. The course was said to have been a lot of fun and the weather was as close to perfect as you can get, aside Bogner Blossoms Into Stardom By Alice Rhea From last place at Los Coyotes' Hare Scrambles, june 27, 1971, to first overall at Cactus Cats' Hare Scrambles September 19, 1971, Big Bill Bogner really looks like a man to reckon with. Shortly before leaving to participate in the ISDT, j.N. Roberts said, "Bogner is really coming on strong. He is starting to look like real competition." To those who have recently been seeing Bill Bogner finish in first, second or third place it may seem that he and his CZ just materialized from behind a Yucca tree and started winning, but Bill has b~en racing the desert since 1964. "I had a friend who talked me into coming ou t and I just jumped in and started racing," Bill recalls. Bill continued to race off-and-on until last season when he dropped out of desert racing to study. "This is my best season so far and it is getting better and better," he said grinning. The Cactus Cats' Hare Scrambles was Bill's first overall win, although he has been getting a lot of second and third place rides lately, and we asked him how he did it. "About half the secret to finishing a race is your mechanical ability," Bill explained. "The bike has to be Primo. You have to get it in perfect condition and keep it there. It doesn't matter how fast you are; if your bike won't stay together, you can't win. Second, you have to be in good physical condition." Bill is a strong believer in natural foods. "I'm not a complete health food nut," Bill told me, "But I do eat a lot of wheat germ and fresh fruits and nuts and I try to stay away from 'junk food'." Like several other desert racers, Bill is a surfer. "Surfing, water-skiing and desertt. racing are parallel sports," explain.ed Bill. "To do well at any of them you have to be healthy and alert. You learn to read a wave the same way you read the terrain during a desert race, and you know what to expect from it. I go surfing every chance I get," Bill continued, "It gives me such a complete sense of freedom and at the same time helps me keep in shape and sharpens my coordination." An iron worker by trade, Bogner does keep in shape. You can make a lot of mistakes racing desert and a lot more mistakes surfing 'or water-skiing and all that happens most of the time is you get bruised or wet and you don't win. But working on the iron skeleton of a 700 foot building you can't afford any mistakes - it is too far down. Currently carrying heavyweight Expert plate No. 886, Big Bill Bogner thinks he has a good chance of getting a much smaller number for his CZ; maybe even Number One someday. "But I doh't have a race strain," Bogner was quick to add. "There is no sense getting moody if the bike breaks or you get off. There is so much more to it than just the racing. Winning is the main reason for all this, of course, but it is the fun and companionship, too; the Saturday night gathering around the campfire, catching up on what everybody has been doing all week, the fresh air and sunshine and the trail riding with friends. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I would like to be Number One someday, but I'm not going to kick anybody in the teeth to make it." ?~

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