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/125794
.... .. & 24 HOURS ON A BLEEDING MOTORCYCLE·' :!. CO< .... C> ai g. « ~ w Z w ~ U >U The pace never seemed to slacken. The New The winner, two years running. MONARK MAVRICK of Sweden WITH BEAVERS ON THE CAROUSEL.. A SWAMP THAT SWALLOWS MOTORCYCLE PARTS. AND CHUCKHOLES ON THE STRAIGHTAWAYS. 140 R ACE R S SUFFER THE BLEARY-EYED WEARIES IN A 24-HOUR PRODUCTION ROAD RACE. By Tod Raffety & Joanne Smakula NELSON, OHIO, July 23,1972 -Once a year swarms of Amateur (and a few Expert) road race.rs gather at Nelson's Ledges for a 24-hour test of skill, durability, nigh t vision and sanity. The Moto-Sports International/ Amazing Pavement Rashing Team got its Suzuki 750 off to a slow start. Buddy Locke hit some loose gravel and broadslid across the track. The obese Suzuki plopped down on its left side and. broke off the footpeg. Locke muscled it uprigh t and rode the first leg resting his dhow on the exhaust pipe. The Kawasaki 500 of Smi"th / Rech tenwald/Gehb/Deringer took the lead followed by the Canadian team of Sturgess and Sales on a Honda 810, and the Bartram/Belnap/Swegan Honda 750. The BBS team won last year's event on the then brand new Honda 500. That machine is now owned, and guarded, by Crash Clayton, publisher. The earliest spectacular crash came after three hours, when the Hasetrot/Sill/Powers/Kanner 750 Triumph crashed and burned at the hairpin. Its owner was to ride in fourth slot and never got his chance, and it was his ride-to-work bike. The Locke/Bushor/Gaal/Rafferty Suzuki came in for a new footpeg. But it was running well. Skeet Bushor had installed spacers in the fork springs, and, once the steering stem was tigh tened down the machine handled adequately. As daylight dwindled the two Honda fours, a batch of Kawasaki threes and the Stark/Copley/Dacosta/Mankamyer Norton (second place last year) had stretched out on moSt of the field. Curiously, the lap times decreased only sligh tly in the darkness. Regardless of all the practical intentions to cool it and pace themselves to finish, most everyone was on the thorttle. The pace was steady, but it was fast. In the wee hours the swamp claimed some victims. One chap was unable to find his gas tank. One Suzuki spit its carburetors off in the trees somewhere. A Yamaha is said to be still lurking in the underbrush out there. One Norton developed a chopper front end, and a Kawasaki came apart irl every possible place. AI though steadily being lapped by the go-fasters, most of the small bores just kep t moving along the 22 hour mark. About 30 machines were still running at dawn. The two big Hondas were still among the front runners, as were the 500 Kawasakis of Bloom/Coffeer/Pemberton and number I, the early leader. Also well up on the morning roster were the class winning Honda SL350 and a Suzuki 500 ridden by Rowell/Kling/Weldonrrhrasher. Three of the four Nortons had gone belly up, and the remaining English steed, had seized an alternator. Later some valve springs called it quits, but the N orton wen t ahead on to finish second overall, running at a 5500 rpm redline. The remaining Honda 750 now held the lead·, though tire troubles had slowed them in the early hours. The rear Dunlop was finished after a th ousand miles, and they pitted for another one already mounted on a wheel. Not many miles later it wen t flat, and they had to come in again and mount a new Bridgestone on the original rim. Then there.was this dude on a BMW 750, motoring along smoothly as you please. Sitting bolt upright in the saddle, he'd beep and wave at the spectators. Once he removed his hands from the bars on the front straigh t and opened his jacket to admit some cooling air looked like he was crusinR for burgers. The lone Bavarian f"mished third in the Open class, 95 laps over Amazing Pavement in fourth place. Everybody looked a little goofed in the forenoon hours. Pit crews slouched and stumbled. Riders worked the knots out of wrists, backs and butts. So after a day in the race the aforementioned B/B/S Honda 750 took the checkers after 822 laps, roughly 1700 miles. Second year running. The SIC/DIM Norton was second with 814 laps; second place for the second year . running. The odds against that happening can't even be considered. The Honda SL350 was third; fourth and fifth wen t to Kawasaki 500s, and sixth was a Suzuki 500. At the end of 24 hours, mind you, the three 500s finished within one lap of each other. The winning Honda, from Ashtabula Cycle Sales, was essentially a stock machine. Low bars and rear set footpegs were added, and about two inches of seat padding came out so they could get down to it. The gearing was shortened a bit, and the carburetor jetting was enriched. Over half the field finished the race, but nobody else made 822 laps. They averaged just over 70 mph. Long haul road racing is a genuine kick, if only because there's nothing else quite like it. There's a lot of traffic, like all the time. You get to see a lot of other machines, either going by them or as they go by you. Eventually you pick up a good match and race with one guy for awhile. And with constant rider changes, a bike you'd been beating soundly comes out with super leaner aboard and smokes your shoes. Everybody should do it once a year. Credits for work well done: Scarlet Rangers MC, Malioning Valley Region SCCA, Ashtabula, Ohio, Soichiro Honda. may now be purchased at .. "'~~+ -~ Cal Competition Products 7233 Deering Ave. Canoga Park, CA 91303 q;;'+:;;'+~ The West Valley's Only Dealer. ...;,....,~~.~ :of" ~ • ~~ ,,-"t<,," OYNAMOMETERS Hanson Engineering P.O. Box 2354, Canoga Park, Cal. 91306 +0S' oG~O ...s;:.4IIII"~ .~~~. , ,' ~ t<,,'t' '. ~ .~. . (213) 882-2667 '. PORT.G - $15.00 and up HACIENDA SPORTS CYCLE 1114'1. HACIENDA BLVD. LA PUENTE, CA.1213j 968-6971 Boring - Wheel TrUing & LaclngPorting - Competition Tuning . 10-6 Tues·Sat ... Closed Sun. & Mon. BODY FUEL BY EIIDURa Tested and used by the following Disl. 37 riders: ERIC JENSEN .. BOB McLAUGHLIN' LARRY BERGQUIST. ED SCHEIDLER • WALT AXTHELM • LARRY HEARN' GEORGE MAGALLON M.D. MORE ENERGY AND ENDURANCE ~~~GU~USCLE STRAIN AND HIGH POTENCY MULT1.VITAMINS Endura Vitamins are manufactured from the finest raw materials. High In e-Complex essential for QUiCk energy. $8.50 for 3 month supply (Calif. residents add 5% tax). 400 I.U. VITAMIN E-NA..-URAL $7.50 for 3 month supply (Calif. residents add 5% taX). Send check or money order to: Endura Vitamin, Dept. A 1 638 S. Glendora Ave., Glendora, Ca. 917"'-0. AMA '. Phone: I.29.9 $ (1051 824-4261 MOdel $34.00 pa ir , Deluxe ." travel w/60·90 proeressively 5w:~;r springs Sprine Ratios from 65t to U5t in stock Shocks co. . with 78t as standard spare sprines S8.00 pair. • Complete rebui Id kits SS.OO ea. 1\2" Eltensions S3.00 pr. Seals $1.S0 pair Please specify motorcycle make & model. Mount type required. E~ at each end or e~ and clevis type. Now in stock the NW "Mavrick" 5-way adjustable i1eavy duty shocks, rebuiidable lustrous chrome sprines, 11\2" or 121~" length avai Iable. Center to cenler of eyes 3\2" traYel. We Pay Postage on Prepaid Orders. California Residents add 5% for sales tax NOW ......NEW ADDED WARRANTy...... If the seal fails on any MAVRICK unit within 90 days from date of purchase we .. ill replace the seal free. P.S. Does anybody else do t~is? 'MAVRICK DOfS"T A'GA'N Ta lie advantage 01 the best buy of the year. SPOOL HUBS, 40 hole with S/8" bearlnes Included. Best alloy with chrome III1e finish. "~:to $10 10 ... on this introducto~y iJ),1Io & offer. regUlar price $1S.00. - Memphis, Texas SPECIAL FATHER AND SON CLASS"ES. LIMITED TO 600 RIDERS. FIRST COME FIRST SERVED_ ENTRIES OPEN JULY 1st. CLOSE OCTOBER 1st. NO POST ENTRY. WRITE FOR ENTRY BLANK: TRACK AND TRAIL RIDERS BOX 9251 Amarillo, Texas 79105 Dealer Inquiries Invited ,. 125 MILE NATIONAL ENDURO October 29 . ~~ g~~~ • • Calif. residents ade 5~. sales tal. l'! STAINLESS STEEL ,. "'.:.. SPOKES :'t- IN STOC KNOW .. .~ . Dealer Inquiries Invited MAVR'CK NORTH AMERICAN IMPORTS 2325 cerro Gerdo; P.O. Box N ~Mojave, Calif. 93501 •