Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

. '" '" '" '" '" N .... '" on" e. '" CIl ~ W Z W ..J U >- U . ...-: "v#';.~ ,)4 '"";.~-:" ~.:" Janene Pennington has ridden her Steve's highest-ranked in California. character, but a woman with a scar is a woman with a scar. Trudy Stubbs, current women's points leader at Indian Dunes, justified her partiality toward Powder Puff events lhis way. "It seems lik~ every time I race with the guys I get hurl. If I race with the girls I know I can do really well and it's a big ego gratification to come out ahead:' Some of the best feamale racers, such as Janene Pennington, enjoy racing Powder Puff but like to race with men occasionally too. J anene feels that men are generalJy more aggressive and competitive and appreciates the challenge of racing with them, even though she sometimes gets knocked down in the process. . Others, like Cherry Stockton, think that racing with men is a great way to learn. A t first, Cherry was so afraid of the starts that ~he would wait until everyone got off the line before she started, but lately she has conquered her fears and is trying to improve her passing techinque. She expressed a great deal of respect and admiration for the men she has raced with and believes that competing with them is teaching her to be more aggressive on the course. Whether they race together or mixed in with the men, Powder Puff racers present more than a few problems when it cQmes toscorinll.Althoul/:h each racing association has a different method for adding up the points, the AMA rules in this area seem to be the least agreeable to the riders. Under the current scoring system, Powder Puff races are scored separately, and the total points of each rider, male or female, are ranked to determine overall rider standings. This system was considered unacceptable by the majority of racers interviewed, including Janene, who was classified quite high by the current system. Many girls are trying to convince the AMA that a separate scoring system for women would be : ...- Bultaco to an AMA ~~rrently advantageous, and they feel that many more girls would compe'te in motocross if this ruling were changed. For some women. the true enjoyment in racing does not come from the exhiliration of competition or the thnll of Winning, but simply from being out there tooling arouod the course having a good time. "In the Endoes the emphasis is on having fun," says Jeanee Allen. "The girls are out there to have a good time. If they win, great. But if they don't do so well, it's not a disaster; they'll do better next time." Some times the fun can get a little out of hand. Jeanne told a story about the Powder Puff division at a recen t SRA Grand Prix. It was a Le Mans start. and when the starter signalled .. the girls started running for their bikes. Suddenly one of them decided that the vision of all those women jogging to their bikes in boots, leathers. and helmets was rather humorous and started laughing. Before long almost all the girls on the line had the giggles, which made it a little difficult for them to get their bikes started. It was a somewhat unorthodox start. The Sportsmanship of the ladies is unequalled among other racers. They help each other as much as possible both on the course and off, avoid dirty tactics while racing, and apologize profusely if they do knock another rider down. Even though Powder Puff even ts are limited to I25cc bikes, the girls frequently allow riders with 175s to compete with them, as long as the women on the larger bikes don't win too often. One girl was even allowed to compete in the PP class on a 250 because she promised not pass anyone on the straightaway where the larger bike have the power advantage. In a recent District 37 point run which the Endoes pu t on at Lions, a dog got loose on the track during the - .- - ~.~~~~- Trudy Stubbs is currently woman points leader at the Indian Dunes _track near Valencia, Calif. Powder Puff event. Rather than usmg the dog for traction. the girls made elaborate maneuvers to avoid hitting him and a couple of racers even stopped their bikes completely untilhe was out of their way. The results: slower lap times and an uninjured dog. I n a sense, these women are participating in a very differen t sport from the motocross that men compete in every week. Although many of them are very fast, competitive riders and all of them love to win, the majority prefer to ride within the limits that they believe to be safe for themselves rather than taking too many chan.ces. They would rather lose a position or two rather than running the risk of breaking a leg or knocking down a friend. For these reasons, women seem to be the true "sportsmen" of rna tocross. Wh ile many women take a relaxed attitude toward motocross as a sport for women, there are those who are excellent. competitive riders and feel that not far in the future manv women will be out there competing with men in the expert and professional divisions. Kerry KJejd. who races motocross back East, recently became the first woman to obtain an AMA Professional license, but so far no woman in California has been ranked above Sportsman Amateur. Cherry Stockton believes that women are quite capable of becoming professional racers, but that the problems can fran ting them in reaching that status will be more mental than physicaL "When people find out you race, they expect you to be very ugly and masculine," pointed out Cherry, who is anything but ugly and masculine. "Women are always taugh t to be non-competitive, especially around men. It makes it doubly hard for a woman to get her head straight and get out there and win." This opinion is shared by Janene Pennington, who feels that girls are encouraged to become houseWives rather than trying to do anything as "unfeminine" as motocross racing. But she also pointed out that as motorcycles gain popularity more of the younger girls are getting a chance to tryout their skills on mini·bikes and that many . mini-bike tracks already have special Powder Puff classes as well as letting the girls compete with the boys. Janene thinks that this early training will give the girls quite and edge later on and wishes that she had started racing when sbe wa very young. But Janene loves competition. and she feels that she has been able to overcome any obstacles that many have been presented because she is a girl. he is trying hard to become a good cnough rider to qualify as an Expcrt. and she doesn't feel that her chances are hampered by the fact that she's a girl. "I think it's completely up to me and my ability as a rider." she says. "I know I have a lot to learn before I'll ever be as good as the Expert riders, as fast as they go. But I think my chances are pretty good. I'm sure going to try." To check out the prospects on tomorrow's female hot shoes. I ventured over to Indian Dunes' mini-bike track. Wh.ile some of the girls were smoking the boys with apparen t ease, there was one young lady whose style I especially liked. Although she did fairly well while she was moving, she would stop every lap just before she passed by the spectators so she could straigh ten her hair. She may not ever win that way, but she'll ij.\ways look good in the pictures. Ls there a fu ture for women in motocross? John DeSoto seems to think so. He and his father are building a one horsepower minibike for John's two year-old daughter Maile. Whether women should race motocross or not, they're doing it; and there doesn't seem to be much chance that they'll give it up now . ..... >::::: ..:'lI.....,,;:;......• ' \ ,:::; There is that time, in every racer's day. just before the start. Povvder Puffs are no different in that respect. The start of a mota. Nancy Payne (71 pulled the hole shot but is closely chased by Janene Pennington.

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