Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Cycle News 1972 08 22

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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CIl '" 8. . 0.. .... '" ell '" '" d> J ~ w Z W ..J t) >t) 0-37 Scrambles at Elsinore By Ed Drechsler ELSINORE, CALIF., August 12, 1972 - It was 9:00 in the morning when T.H. Paskel finished preparing the track for the Jackrabbits Night TT. As be looked over his craftmanship, he commented to friends that if he could have a light sprinkle it would help keep track in good shape during the race. In jest, he said "Hey, let's do a rain dance and see if we can get a litLle water on the track". Not knowing the combined power of motorcycle enthusiasts, they danced and hopped, chanted and laughed. Surely the cloud-shrouded skies would give up a few drops of moisture. At 9:30 am the skies opened up in a monumental deluge. All at once it came ...a flash flood all but carried the track away at the upper levels and redeposited it a few miles away. It was over as fast as it started. As T.H. surveyed the damage he asked his wife to call the Jackrabbits and let them know that' the race would be off. Encouraged by his rain dancing friends he started to repair the damage. At one point be had to leave because lightning struck the track so close he thought that it had hit him on the head. As things started shaping up it became more apparent that the race was going to be on.Would you believe that it took 5 loads of water to put the finishing touches on it? The track turned into the fastest that I have ever raced at Elsinore. It was a ftrst for District 37 racing. Danny Hockie entered a 125 Hodaka Wombat race-readied by Hockie's of Torrance. -Bob Hosford and Jim McDonald entered XL 250 Hondas (we've bad 250 XLs en tered before but they have been stock or essentially stock models.) prepared by Long Beach Honda's High Perfonnance Cycle Center. Danny won the first moto. It turns out that practice was the only time tbe machine had on it and mota one was it's fIrst ral=e. Danny finished second in the next two motos. At the completion of the last moto there was a hurried conference with the riders and they lined up again. Seems like one of the riders was interfered with at the line. Dahny got a DNF in the fourth moto and finished second overall. The race of the nigh t was shaping up in the 250 Expert class. Ossa-mounted Danny Hockie and Honda-mounted Bob Hosford met in the ftrst heat. Hockie grabbed the lead with Hosford only inches behind. The fas! duo soon left the pack as Hosford tried again and again to get a wheel under Hockie. It seemed that he had it in the esses of the third lap, but a missed shift Jet Hockie lead him to the flag. Bob Hosford got a good start in the Main to finish the first lap as the leader. Danny got off the line in unusually poor form to a mid-pack start. While ftgh ting his way up to the leJlders he slid out in the sweeper. This gave Hosford an uncontested and thrilling win. You've got to see that Honda in action to believe it. Someone ripped off Jim Wright's bikes not too long ago. He just got his frame . back and managed to put together a combination that dominated the 200 Novice/Amateur/Expert class. Kirk Redding did it again. He dominated the 500 - Open Expert class on his Maico. Charging past Vic Hannan and John Sprague, he won overall.The Side Hack Association mustered 5 hacks to round out a very exciting night. The tdm of Davis, Acevedo and Honda were the ones to beat as they blistered the track with their teamwork. Danny Hackie got off his Ossa and onto a race..perpared Hodaka Wombat tor a second overall. Corona Short Track and Half Mile hese intrepid haek.ters slid their Ossa-powered three-wheeler to the lightweight win. . Corona Benefit TT Scrambles - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - By Elaine Jones CORONA, CAL., Aug. 9, 1972 - There are a lot of people who deserve a big THANK YOU for making the Riverside County Juvenile Hall Auxiliary Benefit TT race such a big success. First, all the riders who came; Mr. and Mrs. Felice Lipai, for their facility. Last but not least, all the dealers who donated prizes and the people who donated services.. Because of you, over $1,000 will go toward volunteer programs at Juvenile Hall. The Side-Hack Association had nine teams on hand. One team did a little motocross riding when the monkey's glove got stuck in the carburetor. Steve Volence and John McLaughlin were the Itrst team across-the line.with the team Perris TT Scrambles By Elaine Jones PERRIS, CAL., July 29, 1972 -!twas a hot nigh t at Perris, and if the air temperature wasn't enough a couple of rid.ers went one step further. Randy Bennett had to make a quick getoff when the Filtron on his Honda Mini-Trail ignited. It was quickly put out but it was literally a prelim to the Main. During practice a rider caugh t on Itre. Even though the fire got bigger and bigger, the rider seemed oblivious that he was prime candidate for the main course at a Bar·b-que. I t was Mark Reichert who finally got the message across and then the good 01' shovel and dirt brigade got started. When it was starting to look like a scene from "On Any Sunday" a fire extinguisher arrived and the bike was saved. Believe it or not the rider swears he couldn't feel any heat. of Steve Fisher and Pete the Greek, second, and Tony Masella and Pat Kelly, third. , In the Am-Ex Big Bike moto, no one had a clear victory and eve.rybody made a mistake along the line. Winner Mike Posey had to really get with the program as he unloaded in the sweeper the first heat. In the Novice Moto I, it looked like it was going to be a cake walk for Derek Katanic until he put his rotary valve through his piston on his Kawasaki. Jimmy Johnson went· on to take the victory over Jim Groover and Ken Conover. In Novice Moto II, it was Bill Klaers taking first place from Bob Gonzales. Harvey Weidman was third. _ John Sandona was all busmess in the Am}Ex moto and put it to Vince Graves and Ron McDaniels. John has a flashy style of riding that makes it difficult to get around him and a super-tuned Maico isn't too hard to take, either. John Callichio came back to Perris; this time with a silencer. ow he knows he can go fast quietly as he won Novice Moto II over Larry Walling and Lee Maely. He also took second in the Novice Moto I where Steve Robb kept his Harley out in front to take the win. Greg Beresford was third. Mel toner took the win in the 250 Novice I and with it an Amateur rating. Dale Anderson and Mike Moon won Divisions two -and three of the 250 Novices. Bob Graves was the popular winner of the 250 Am/Ex go and it took a long time coming for this consistent competitor. Tad Willis, a rider to be reckoned with, could do no better than second. Third place Don Frauenberger climbed aboard a Kawasaki for the first time and it looked like they could develop in to quite a team. Mark Reichert, Marc Jones and Rex Hailey went at it in the 100-125 Am/Ex class with Rex outpowering Marc and Mark. Rex climbed aboard a 175 for the first time and gave a good accoun t of himself placing third behind Stan Ludwig and Randy Smith in the Am/Ex go. Willie Hardin topped Steve Bales and Lyle Shoyer in the 175-200 Novice go. Ron Groover, who has got to be the smallest motorcycle rider at Perris, finally made it [0 the winner's circle and he looked good doing it. Tracy Hickman and Mike King were second and third. Steve Lyons moved closer to an Amateur rating as he won the 100 • ~ovice I and Ron Woodward took uivision II. By Elaine Jones CORO A, CAL., August 2, 1972 - Jim Wrigh t and Scott Smith took home seven tropbies between them in Sbort Track and Half·mile at Corona. Wright started his win streak in the 175-200 Short Track topping Randy Smith and Rick Sawyer. Three races later Jim was back on the line in the 250 Amateur Short Track and again he was out on top. The second heat looked like a real duel migh t develop as Jerry Greer took the win. I t was short lived as Jim doesn't like to lose and heat th ree saw him back on top and home the winner. Gary White was second and Jerry dropped to third. Half·mile was the next target and it was Jim's first time on the big oval. He took to it like a duck takes to water. In the first heat he got his feet we·t with a second behind Don Grigsby. After that he took the plunge and ran first going away. Don was second and Rick Goade third. Scott Smith had a profttable evening collecting one first and three seconds. The 250 Expert Short Track had Scott pitted against teammate Mike Meyers and, as Scott stated at sign-up, he'd have trouble catching Mike on the turkey he was riding. He did aiid he didn't and picked up a second to Mike. John Allison, the "Poway Flash", was third. Second place again was Scott's in the Am/Ex Short Track and this time John Allison let Scott chase him round and round. Gary Kauffeld rounded ou t the field. In Half-mile action, Scott again nailed a second, this time in the 250 Expert I. It was Tim McCool he was chasing with John Allison pushing him in third. Scott succeeded in the Am/Ex moto I and again John Allison was knocking at his door bu t didn't have enough. Steve Johnson got up for third in this one. Larry Furu gave the folks an exciting race in the 250 Novice n Short Track and even though he won all three heats, it wasn't a runaway by any means. Chris Rose was second and Bill Wallis third. Rod Sexton topped John Newquist and Danny Garcia to take Division [ Short Track. Terry Griner got his graduation papers to the Amateur ranks as he won the 125 Novice II Short Track. Steve Fortune and Mike Sotelo were second and third. Don Rockwood had no trouble taking Division lover Frank Ridlon and Eric Engen. Wayne Whisenant stretched his win streak in the 100-125 Am/Ex Short Track. Jim Allison, taking over from big brother in this class, was second and Vince Mead, coming into his own, was third. Rick Meumaun, Robert Murray and Mark Upton were the three [00 Novice Short Track winners. Robert has really taken off as he has only been riding two months and earned his Corona Amateur rating last nigh l.

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