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/125791
By Lefty Turner Team racing has certainly hit a big snag in the southland. It seems that the ride.rs don't like the idea of being on a team that may not be the team of their choice. They also don't like the idea of being traded back and forth like poker chips. It seems to have a ring sorta like the Curt Flood incident in baseball. The promoters and the riders in the north are very interested in what's happening and some of them are chuckling to themselves about the highly organized Southland. Speaking of NorCaI, I wonder if they added any new championship races this year? The reason thay I'm wondering is that in SoCaI there is that famous National Championship to be held again at Costa Mesa. Then, there is the California State Championship which will be held again in cen trally located Bakersfield. And now we present the brand new HWest Coast Championships" being hrought to Ventura by Mantz Enterprises. All we need now is "The Rock·breaking Championship" to be added at Irwindale and we will be in business with, as the politician once said, "A chicken in every pot" or something like that. Keeping in mind the big HChampionship Series", we have come up with the "Lefty Turner Mid·Season Awards Ceremony" which will mean absolu tely nothing to someone whq BAKERSFIELD S P E E D W A Y - - - - - - - - - - - - - By Sportphoto BAKERSFIELD, CAL., July 5, 1972 Don Cullum became the tenth different Handicap Main winner wnigh t, jftst squeaking in ahead of Danny Becker at the wire when Don's mag gave up the ghost coming out of the last tum! . Steve Gresham picked up the win in the Handicap Consy ahead of Ed Williams and Sumner McKnigh t. Steve Bast wire up the Scratch Main all the way, ahead of brother Mike, Larry Shaw and Don Cullum. It was Ed Williams all the way in the Scratch Consy, in front of Jim Gresham, Sumner McKnight and Mike Curoso. S.umner McKnight led a striving Mike Curoso from wire to wire in the feature Match Race. Jim Dancause showed the Second Division Main Even ters the quick way to the checkered, followed by David Galvin, Robin Nicolaides, Ed Schweitzer, Tim Bradley and l"Ionte Valpredo. • HONDA doesn't follow speedway as a religion. Anyway, tUne in to the next saga for the complete list of "Mid·Season Awards". The idea of the roving referee for all the racing tracks was a good one. If you didn't hear anout it here is how it was supposed to work. One referee was going to officiate at all the race locations and he would answer to the SRA board. This would erase the problem of differen t rules and different interpretations at each track. It would also make the calls by the referee more consistent and the riders would learn what to expect from this individual in a given circumstance. Neat idea. The problem was that it was possibly implemented too quickly and the promoters didn't have time to adjust to the situation. Neither did the existing referees. The first trip around the circuit created many ill feelings and failed mjserably at accomplishing the task. So the next time around each track had to pick up their existing refs and go back to the old system. There is an old addage that fits here: "Haste makes waste". And if you think nothing was wasted ask the promoters and maybe listen to the treasurer's report at the next general meeting. There has been tal k among the riders; actually, grumblings among the riders abou t the track surface conditions at the Ventura Fair Grounds. What with deadlines and all that I don't know if the suggested boycott will take place but you can bet I"ll be there to find out. As one rider put it, "All we get is excuses and never a good race track." Track conditions weren't so super (Cont'd. from page 17) this week at IrwindaleJ either. There was all kinds of talk about how wet it was at the start of the evening, yet, it was extremely dry just two inches below the surface. It's a shame that only a few promoters worry a lot about the track surface. The shame of it is that the racers need .. good surface to pu t on good racing and the fans deserve "the good racing for the money they pay at the front gate. It's a vicious circle but • even the fans know who to blame when the surface isn't right. The problem is, how long can the fans take poorly -surfaced racing tracks before they just quit coming? Have you seen how Dan Becker handles that Irwindale oval? The groove that he rides is completely different from the one that all the other hot dogs use. He 'can really make that JAP work, .when it runs. Too bad he is constantly compared to Rick Woods when a close examination of his style proves that'it is completely his own. In fact, if you look real close, doesn't it look like Woods is now trying to copy Becker. Now, the latest! When bad Billy Barkfeather is done with the Pineapple Kid he will be going after Mike Bast. co > '3 .., ~ w Z w -' U > U BIG BORE MAIL ORDER 8ultaco-Honda-¥ am3 ha-Triumph-Hod.lka~Sachs. elc. Porting & Service ALI Brands Mikuni Carburetors TSS Factory Road Racing 125cc pipes • Bllllaco - Bonanza - Guazzont Parts for La Verda Pumfrey Bultaco, 21819 Sherman Way. Can09a Park, Ca. 91303. (213) 887-7696 PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS for HONDA 750 All RC Products have been dyne-tuned and race track tested on our own bikes. We don't just talk ... we DESIGN OUR PRODUCTS TO WIN I Try us We'll even send you a FREE Catalog! We feature Complete Machine Shop & Engine Building. the tabs accounts for maybe a pound or two. Finally, drain the l"fish oil" out of the forks; and clean out the tubes with solvent. ADDITIONS Now put some good ole Merkin.type 30 wt. oil in the forks. They'll work better that way. You're going to have to stick something between the frame and swing arm now that you've taken the Japanese shocks out. HPCC uses Konis for smoother courses and Curnutts for the rough stuff. Fork oil, shocks...boy, now you're really getting that suspension dialed in. You might want to go to a wider fron t tire for IT-like slippery surfaces...Iike Ascot. One thing the bike sorely needs is a truly functional anti-rock skid plate to protect those superlight, supervulnerable magnesium engine cases. It just so happens that HPCC has designed and built two - one for ITjMX and one for desett. Better get on of them. Put your new pipe on. You'll probably end up with a silenced straigh t pipe of some description. You can take care of the other end of the air flow situation either with a Filtron ween weenie or by using the stock still air box. STUFF TO LEAVE BLOODY WELL ALONE WORLD S FASTEST STREET BI E Russ Collins, with B/Altered 986cc Honda, strikes twice for oHicial records. A/Altered 10.39 - 134.76, B/Altered 10.92 152.52, Top Sp~ed for bike 139.52. The bore and stroke. Don't mess with it unless yoiJ want to run in the 500 class. The dimensions are pretty dam close to the 250cc limit. Most of the other components. Honda spent a lot of time on the bike and did m'!Jlage to get quite a few things righ t, believe it or not. The stock rims are functional·looking and very functional. No dings, crimps or flat spots after many M.X·type crashes. The stock flexible fenders are really neat and Iigh tweight. HPCC is running with the stock tank, though you probably could get a plastic tank if you have the bread and inclination. BRING MONEY DEPT. Dyno-tune your pipe with correct length attachments and custom silencers. On the left: stock earn and piston. Right: wedged piston and Weber earn. You can try to do the mods yourself (except the dyno·tuning of your scoot) or the HPCC division of Long Beach Honda will do them for you. The price for turning the trail bike into a firebreather isn't aU that bad. The price list for the parts is included below but you don't have to do everything. Some items are necessarily exclusive of each other. (You can't run two pipes at once, ['r'instance.) Any of the changes can help the. performance. _ Modifications should really be done as an integrated package, though, to take full advantage of them. After riding a stock machine, which is not all that pokey, especially in the low end, be prepared for an experience when you get on one with the mods. It's been a while since there was that kind of performance out of a 250 . Jour-stroke, if indeed there ever was. Take a bow, whichever design team turned out the XL 250. Your efforts are vindicated. The crazy Americans have - decided to go racing with your "dual purpose" machine...and it works. , .. 2920 Sepulveda Blvd.. Dept. A Torrance, Calif. 90505 (2131326·7504