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/125790
M '" .16' 41-YEAR OLD FAST KID "- ,... '" Cl > "5 .., ~ W Z W ..J U >- U 1972 Motorcycle Competition Guidebook for California (first edition published by CYCLE NEWS, Inc.) 10,000 names and riding numbers! including AMA National numbers. AMA District 36 & 37 MX, Enduro, Scrambles & Desert numbers. Plus Calendar of Events for 1972! Distrkt 35 & 38 Earned Numbers. AMA National points scoring table.. . COMPLETE CMC rider numbers to date. ACA, Trials Clubs, AFM, CERA, HRA, USMRC, Sidehack & Speedway Racing Association names & numbers. PLUS complete. California CLUB GUIDE and much, MUCH MORE. CYCLE NEWS PRODUCTS P.O. Box 498 Long Beach, Calif. 90801 Please rush my copy(s) of the 1972 Motorcycle Competition Guidebook for r California. I enclose $1 for each copy. -_IIIIIIIiI_ NAME ----.-:.---:...--=-----=--~ ..... -=-- ADDRESS CITY -I STATE ZIP -11 SATISFACTION GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK Se~d for your copy NOW Or see your nearest Cycle News Dealer- Your complete program for a111972 California Amateur and Professional races! DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED By Bill "Board" Spencer flashiest rider around." Nearly every district of the AMA has The years of racing went by 10 times some sort of an incentive system to before the black plate concept got reward its best riders. District 36 is no started and in the year that Rice was different. number 1 and Brelsford number 3, Huff In 1967, the powers to be of this area was number 6. Raymond Huff was also decided that a top twen ty system for playing musical motorcycle shops in the Experts was in order and so the top Modesto and by that time, he had twen ty poin t getters in the scrambles thing were awarded black plates, worked for every dealer in town. The numbered from 1-20. The system was reason for jumping around was more designed to elevate the best riders and than likely to find who had the hot show the world that the guys that set-up to ride and with Huff being one carried those plates were something of the hetter mechanics around, a job special. was easy to find. I t must have worked, since the first "When I started racing this scrambles number 1 plate carrier was Jim Rice and thing, 70 riders was a lot. In the last few the number 3 guy turned out to be years, you have to win the heat just to Mark Brelsford. Both of whom have go to the Main and if you didn't win, made it big in the world of professional you were lucky to make the Semi. If motorcycle racing. you didn't have a 200 Cub in those Throughout .the five years since its days, you migh t as well go home. inception ·the system is still showing His wife of 22 years, Ruby, states, itself to be a good one, but in five years HHe was too wild for the streets, so he only one man has managed to make this started riding in the races." In the old illustrious list_ each and every year. This days when Hayward Speedway was a man is Ray Huff, a 41 year-old fast kid much larger track, Ray Huff was just that hasn't figured out how to quit the about unbeatable at that track. "I was motorcycle racing game. scab on top of scab in those days, and In 1958, motorcycle racing was a Ruby used to have to patch me up after sport where the entrants rode their every race." bikes to the race track, took off Ray is just as hard in 1972 as he was whatever they had to take off, and got 15 years ago but he spends more time it on. Organization was at a minimum getting his bikes set up so they work but the racing was the greatest. The better and he doesn't have to spend as Emmicks were hot at it and Dick much time on the ground. Dorrstyn, Dick Mann and Ray Huff He works for Thiel's in Modesto now were the local hot shoes.· and they sell Suzukis. Now Suzuki has "I traded my '53 Golden Flash in on got some super equipment in its road bikes and even the motocrosscrs aren'1 a '57 Cub (Triumph), and I got talked into going to Oakdale I!-eservoir one day too 'bad. World champs is a pretty good title, but in the scrambles and flat track and somebody said I could race it if I department, they're not too hot. Plenty took off the lights. Well, ole Gary Emmick was there and he looked pretty of horsepower, but don't quite get it to good. and I kinda got it going at th~t the ground in the proper proportions track. ,. plus not handling for this type of sport. While the early days were not too "I'm working on the 400 now and I well organized, it was all to change think I've got it working pretty good. rather quickly as Pappy Ford got the I'm getting one of the new 250s and if I district together and numbers became _can get it to work, I think they'll be the fastest things you have ever seen." prevalen t. Ray Huff rode a J awa/CZ No doubt, if anybody can get them sent to him by the importer. to work, it will be a guy like Ray Huff free rides weren't at all prevalent, who just dosen't know when to qUll. but his name was beginning to become The sport of motorcycling may well known as one of the great scramblers of endure because of the likes of Ray Huff the time. and their perseverance. . "When I started running professional The thing to watch for this season sruff, my first race was at the old Alviso will be the number 10 black plate rider, track and the first guy 1 noticed then because if he gets his stuff together, was Joe Leonard. It was a short track uzuki may well have its place in the and those guys were real artists. Dick Dorrstyn would catch up to Leonard world of scrambles racing. Wouldn't but seldom beat him Ole Dick was the that be a pleasant surprise.