Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

.... '" ~ w Z W ..J U >- U aJI~1 I ••• "America's No . 1 weekly moto rcycle newspaper. You'll alwa ys see it F IRST in Cycle News!" LEE L1KER Pub lisher Charles Clayton Business Manager Sharo n Clayt on General Manager Tom Culp John Bet hea Managing Ed it or David Swift Assistant Edito r Circu lation Manager Rheba Smit h Circu latio n Ass't Marla Tarbet Product io n Manager Ed Drechsler Prod uct ion Assistant Phil St ranske Advertising Assist ant . . Barb ara Richard Bookkeeper Doroth ea Lang Boo kkeepe r Ass't. . Eleano r Duke Lab Techn ician Larry Groves Circulation Promotion Mgr.. J im Broo ks Cycle News East, Dixie Cycle News, and National Advertising information: Tom Culp, National Advertising Director. Cycle News (West). P.O. Box 498, Long Be a c h , Ca l if o rn ia 9 0801 . (213) 427 ·74 33 - L.A. 636·8844. TELEX NO. 673-474 Sub scription : One year 2nd c lass ma il 2 years 2nd class mail 3 years 2nd class ma il 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 publishe rs of Cycle News East, and Dixie Cycle News. Seco nd Class PoStage paid at Long Beach, Calif. Ed ito rial stories, cartoons, pho to s, etc. are welco me. Add ressed stamped envelope assures return of editorial matter. Reprint ing in whole or in part on ly by permission of th e pub lishe rs . Advert ising rates and circulati on informa tion will be sent upon request. See S.R. D.S. (~]~=================~=~~=~====~~~=========~====: Your interview with R ob er t E. Lee was a masterpiece. An amazing piece of insight. The attitudes and thoughts of professional racers are so seldom tap ped, and so often speculated upon. LELAND R. HOUSE JR., M.D. He rmosa Beach, Calif. With that kind of course preparation, a schedule of events so well executed (20 minute motos all classes) and competition so keen and sportsmanlike we felt the need for a public acknowledgement. E.C. BIRT Precision Cycle Racing Team Lawndale, Calif. UNTHINKING KID As I started th e second loop of the Slo-Poke Enduro today at Fout Springs, I was ri ding on a graded road with a h igh bank on both sides and was hugging the right bank, doing about 35 mp h . Some un th in king kid (about 15, I think - there wasn't time to look closely) hugging the same bank but going the other direction, cam e around a corner and froze at the controls when he saw me bearing down on him. I climbed the bank, did an endo on a large roc k, took a sizable chunk out of the top of my helmet on another r ock, and came to rest with my bike settling o n top of m e. If I had not accepted a crash by m y sel f w e wo uld h ave met at a . comb in ed speed of n ear 70 mph . How heartbroken his parents wo uld h ave b een if th ey had gone home m inus a son today. The youngster was wise in not turning back to see if I was alright, because though I picked up a mild concussion and bruised shoulder, I'm sure I was well enough to shake some sense into him. He was probably too embarrassed to mention the incident to his parents b ut I hope they read this. All people who h ave kids who ride - p lease tell them not to ride too fast for conditions, to b ear to the right (especially o n blind co rners), and that bad things hap pen when you ignore th ese common-sense rules while goi ng the wrong direction on any competitive course . GA RY GRANATH Oakland, Calif. TO EVERYBODY INVOLVED : It happened again Sunday ( 11 ·2 1·7 1) at the Dunes' Shady Glen course - at the start of one of the Open Expert motes. Some nut was riding the start area backwards, righ t when the rubber band was released. Two of the riders hit him - fortunately none of them we re h urt. I've seen this happen at a desert race and at another motocross track. Another hazard alo ng the same line is spectators h oppin g the fe nce and cutting across the course. Most all of the m o t ocr oss co urses in Southern California h ave grown and really gotten to be out-of-sight places (especially Indian Dunes) . Track safety and spectator control has improved quite a bit at all of the tracks - but if everybody; flagmen, racers, starters, spectators, etc. could get together a little more to keep incid en ts like this from happening - it would keep this great sport a little safer and more enjoyable for all! J IM TAYLOR Co ntem p o Enterprises Racin g Division GOOD SHOW In the Barstow to Vegas ru n, I, as an h on ora ry memb er of a District 37 club and motorcycle buff, was riding clean up for them. I was picking up names, numbers and helping get some scooters t o run. Soon the San Gabriel M.C. caught up to me. They were in my opinion, doing a unique job in their clean up work. So I just p ulled out and went on my merry way. Helm e ts off to the San Ga briel Valley M.C. clean up crews. A MOT ORCYC LE BUFF ACA-MX TH ANKS We at Precision Cycl e say th anks to the A CA, Bill and Wan da Jon es, and their person nel for th e 1 1-28 -71 MX at Sadd leb ack Park. T hanks also to Sa ddleback Par k an d the other rid ers. T HE PETTY TOU CH This past Sunday we ran our first m o t ocross race at Beardsley, Arizona. It was a brand new track and I feel a very good one. But what happened on the second moto of the 500cc Senior class is something I've never seen yet and I sincerely believe that no one else has around here either. Preston Petty was leading as usual, and a rider righ t behind him dead center. To make sure Horton would go down McCaul gave his Ossa a quick turn to the right. McCaul, a true sportsman, tried to do the same thing to Shigemasa in th e south turn but was unsuccessfu l. All . this n on -pro fessional conduct on McCaul's part was announced over the P.A . system while it was happeni ng. C om e o n, Sw ift - ca ll t he m right! Or better yet, n o t at all! PHILLIP W. SMITH Lynwood, Calif. FAN PIT FIT Attending the T rans·AMA eve nt at Puyallup Raceway Park on Nov. 21, we saw the great riding style and speed of Joel Robert, 250cc champion. The whole Suzuki team put on quite a show. However, the show didn't end on the track; it continued in the pits. T he Su zuki team manager was very rude to the spectators as was R ob ert . The crowd gave them p lenty of room but were still shooed away and cursed at. Whether the team isn't all "one b ig hap py fa mily" or th e series h as ta ken its toll , I believe the fans were c heated out of seeing a real world champion. BILL H. HUGHES Redmond, Wash. PAY ATTENTION I can't help b ut wonder when Dave Swift is going to learn how to report events as they actually happened - no t as he might imagine they happen . Case point : the California State in Ch ampi o nsh ip at Ascot; race in point: Novice Main. Swift sugges t th at Sh igemasa won th e race because Horton could n o t stay in the groove, thus, lost it. Not so! As annou nced b y the announcer, Tom Hort on was center-p unc he d in th e n orth turn b y Paul (sic) McCaul. Mc Caul to ok a b an zai bead ' o n Horto n an d smacked We're back again and in business with the "BABY PRO" contest and this week's contest is double trouble for you - as you see below. One of these twins is the one we're talking about, b ut we aren 't gonna te ll you which one" . JUST STEPPE D OUT I ran an ad in your paper and had a lot of response. Due to the effect of the response I received, my bike was stolen right out from under me. The so called buyer called twice Thanksgiving nigh t. First to ask for the address a nd while I was waiting for the buyer to show up, I VOICES OF THE WEST him ran into his back tire and flip ped en d ove r end a couple of times. Preston lite ra lly jumped off of h is Maico an d let it fa ll. He ran b ac k to the fallen rider to 'get his machi ne off of h im , which could h ave save him serious injury. He then stayed w ith t he rider until t he ambu lance arrived . Then and only then did he leave. In d o in g this generous act he lost $100 first place prize money. But in my opinion , he sh owed the rest of the riders, and the spectators, that we aren't all a bunch of win-happy maniacs, at any price. From all of us in Phoenix, a very big "Thank You" to Preston Petty for his contribution as a super star in motocross racing and as a truly great idol and inspiration for many up and co ming young motocrossers . DELL OWENS Dave's Kart & Cycle Phoenx, Ariz. NAME THE BABY PRO was in the garage working on the bike. About I'h h ou rs later, h e called agai n and I left the garage unattended t o give h im th e directions again. When I went b ack o ut the bi ke was gone. I suggest for anyone who is se lling their bike to be more cautious t han I was . When they call get their name, address and p hone number and call them bac k. The bike that was taken was a '71 CZ, engine No. 9804000123 and I will pay S150 to any information leading to the recovery of this bike. JOHN LUNA 213/542-4283 HI ru n -rno re races in th e Southern California area because that's where I live ...Next year I will be riding the AMA National Circuit - at least as many as possible - as an Expert (which doesn't mean 1 was a Junior this year, or does it?). Despite riding down here, San Jose is very dear to me, and so is Triumph. I'm a M.O . R.E. member by mouth only." There you have it ; some nift y clues about this week's "BABY PRO". Correct en tries, one nam e per card or letter , received prior t o Dec. 18, will be gen tly dumped in to our huge vat loca ted so me where in th e office and a Gra nd Dra win g will b e held Mo nday, Dec . 20, to arrive at th e name of the winner , wh o will receive a nea t little check for $5. Send as man y guesses as you wish , but remember only one to a card or letter, to BABY PRO, c/o Cycle News West, P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, Calif., 90801. We suggest you do it early because the Post Office may think it is a Christmas Card (which they don't deliver until Dec. 26, it seems). Next Week in DO YOU HEAR TH E BEL LS? It's that ,t im e of year again (in case you d id n' t know) and Cycle News, too, has to get 10 on the act so next week will be our Annual Christmas Issu e with some of the following items of interest to plan for: ...MOTO-GROSSI So!"e b ~ ef looks at perhaps America's finest young motocrosser, Bob Grossi. Despite: being forced out of competition for a total of six months in 1971, Bullet Bob still ma d e more money th'?' c:ver.before, ~ncluding .$1 8 0 0 at Knievel's biggie and $1000 at Hopetown, Bob s sidelined again but stil l as determined as ever and he is eyeing '72 hopefully. ' . ' ...TRY PORTING P.ar t I of a tw~·parte r re.gar d !n g p ortin g principles by Cycl e News ' resid en t cyn ic, R".n Schn eJd e.rs. Taki ng tII'.'e out from his D is tri ~t 3 7 hassles , R on peers ~nto th e: in ne r wor~mgs of machin es and co mes up WIth so me h ints, tip s and m terestlng o bservations . ...THEN RON AGAIN ....WiIl be o ut in t,he fiel d at Escape Country keeping a watchful eye on the tn~lers a t ~e .EI TrIa!s de Espana, a promotional fund -raiser by the American Trials ASSOCIatIOn which hopes to trek two of its top mem bers to Spain next year for some first-hand international experience. ...DEPTHS OF YOUR PAST Pete Szilagyi has just accum ulated a vast amount of racing slicks (mags) from the past decade and he takes you on a tri p with h im through their yellowing pages. He has some whimsical and profound views of what motorcycling o nce was, and you can quickly see wh ere it, and h e, is leading to. ._PLUS T HE REGULAR Columns b y bi n ocular -eyed Karl " Papa" Wealey and the Xvmas minded Maureen Lee will to uc h u p your h oli day spirits, ge tting yo u in the m o od for Ru ss San ford's personal gif t t o you from M.O.R.E. Do n 't .fo rge t Rod Brea ker 's Home Worsh op wh ich y ou 'll d efin itely b e thinking ab o u t wh en yo u brouse th rou~ th e " Ne:w S tu ff & Thin gs for Cyc~es:' section d oin g yo ui last m in ute shop pi ng. All th is , p lus the re gu lar news which shapes the industry . Don' t miss . this issu e, on sale Dec. 1.5.

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