Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

by Maureen Lee To anyone who loves competition motorcycling, this has been the area to live in for the past two weeks. Last weekend we had three solid days of Ascot action and this week there's Ontario, with the Burton's Night sandwiched in Saturday between the daytime Ontario motocross and road races. The Ascot three-dayer had something for everyone, including one thing we can always do without, the loss of a rider. Ted Longwith came up through the ranks of District 37 scrambles to the professional level. Hay bales were much in evidence around that Ascot crash wall for Sunday's Nationa1. First time we've seen them there although the A.M.A. rule book has a clause to that effect. In the Junior Main, Scott Brelsford put them to good use when he lost it going into the North tum. We only wish those bales lead been there Friday nigh t. I'm glad "Wide World" shot the National but personally, I still like the Ascot ational at night. The track is better and having to wait occasionally while they fidllle with cameras etc. takes a bit of mood away for the riders and spectators. I guess Roman Gabriel feels the same way when it's third down and ten to go and the game gets held up while some chap sells razor blades! As usual, those of us in the stands had their favorites picked. I went with Gary Scott because of his background on our District track in IT scrambles, the hard slick stuff doesn't bother him one bil. Still the sun didn't come out and the trac~ didn't get as hard packed as it could have. 1t was .still plenty slippery. though. and once off the grove it was adios. While still thinking about Gary, I'd like to raise a cheer for him. In his rookie Expert year he's done all right for himself (that's meant to be an understatement) and I only wish the British firms had a bit more money to cough up to help riders like Gary. To change the subject from racing for a. bit, the local city of Torrance has officially declared the week of October 22-28th as Cycle Safety Awareness Week by the Hon.orable Mayor, Ken Miller. The week will terminate in a cycle clinic to be held at Ascot Park, with J. C. Agajanian helping in this non-eommercial idea to increase cycle safety. The chief door prize will be a 125cc Yamaha and there's loads of other goodies all donated by various dealers and distributors. 1t's a real first and just shows what people can do when they all pi tch in and work together. Cycle News is also participating and you'll read more about it in the following weeks. Our laugh of the week came from doing what a lot of use are now doing, ·Iooking around at motor homes. We were at one lot and in the course of conversation the salesman found out that we'd use the coach for going to bike races. He then told us that the other evening he looked out his office and saw a couple of kids browsing around the lot looking at the coaches and he went out to see what they were up to. "One had no shoes or shirt on, real dirty hands and long hair sticking out aJl over. He asked for a price and a write-up on a 26' coach and I asked him if he could afford something like 200 a month. His buddy laughed and said he could afford that every week if he had to." The salesman then named the kid, asking if we knew him. We did. He's one of our top motocrossers. AlI I can say is, sponsorships must getting better and better! We didn't make the Lost .Angels scrambles at Elsinore last Saturday night but it must have been a wild one from all reports. Not being there, I refuse to draw any conclusions as to what happ'i:ned or whose faulst it was as I've heard from club members, riders and the reporter who .covered the event. It rather sounds like everything that could have gone wrong at a run did, all at one time, such as some inexperienced club members, temperamental riders, rider relatives who should keep their mouths shut and let the rider take care of his own business, plus others whose Dirt ... by Alice Rhea limite g up at the same place at the same time. Still, the Competition Committee will know what to do if the thing comes before them. Last year I blasted an episode of "Cannon" on CBS for its portrayal of bike riders, and our managing editor tore into "Mod Squad" for their little dandy of a tale, saving me the trouble. If you saw il, you know what we mean. If you didn't and you're a dirt bike rider, ABC did a lovely brainwash on the pub lie that we who wear fuJI-coverage helmets do so to hide our identity from the bobbies and we ride dirt bikes so we can swoop down from the hiUs in raiding parties, making like Geronimo. I bet a couple of the Viewfinders we spotted in the mob scenes had to choke a bit to do it, but that's their job and their bread and butter. I wonder sometimes how the police departments puts up with that show, those three juveniles have to be the glummest looking cops I've ever seen. E.ven the bods on "Adam 12" act human and get a laugh once in a while. If you don't believe how much the media influences John Q. public on various things, we're still living down our image that dear old Marlon established for us in "The Wild Ones." A case in pain t of what average IN YOUR EAR CHECK CHASE Are you ready? It is a long way from Ludlow, California to Parker, Arizona. Having been on just two cross·country races, r have all'eady become wary of the sponsoring club's optimistic estimate of distance. That translates to: S trap an ex tra quart of gasoline on your handlebars. Do be sure to take matches and at least a little water. I wou.ldn't presume to give_ instructions to experienced riders, but 1 know a lot of you Beginners and Novices have never raced Check Chase before and are likely to start out with one friend whom you expect to provide you with three pit stops and neither of you knows which end is up. Right? So let me give 1I0u a little motherly advice. Don't expect one friend to be able to do it for you. You are going to need at least three pits. There is going to be an ungodly amount of traffic and, even supposing your friend doesn't get stuck in the sand, it just isn't possible to gel through the traffic and beat you to the next pit. Not to mention that yours truly will be wandering around in a daze (I'm always stunned by these mammouth races.) and you are likely to do without press coverage if your pit·crew runs over me in the mad dash to the next pit. Cool it and dig up a couple more friends and set them up in position before the race so when yOll go by all they have to do is drive calmly to the finish line and greet you as you make your heroic entrance into Blue Water Marina. Do please take a spare plug or two and a spark plug wrench. A Ii ttle bailing wire comes in handy on these long trips and a screwdriver and couple of open-end wrenches migh t be useful. Give a little thought to what might break and try to take along a minim urn of tools to repair the damage. Who knows? You might even finish. I PREDICT Now who do you suppose is going to win Check Chase? Last year's winner, Larry Pfutzenreuter, has been having a phenomenal streak of bad luck. In the last four races he has: Broken the chain twice; Lost part of his carburetor; Blown the clutch. Doesn't look too good. but he did just get a new Bul. That sounds pretty good, with two weeks to get it ready for the race, but right after Shamrock's race, Larry left for New York and is expected to get back on Friday just before the race. All of which means that Larry will have from daylight Saturday morning until staring time to break in the bike. However, as they say in horse racing, he is due for ,3 win. Jack Knebel is still suffering from that bad shoulder. He did take first Open Expert in Shamrocks race, but that was only 75 miles ...Check chase is supposed to be 170. Again, Jack is due. Art Knapp is a very quiet, steady rider and I wouldn't be too surprised to see him pull it off. A.C. Bakken is pretty young and sorta' skinny, but Malcolm Smith has a lot of faith in him and A.C. will be riding a brand new hot-off-the-boat 450 Husky, all trick tuned by the famous Hasljvarna and CZ owners: have we .got a Millani earllaretor eonversion lIit for ~oa! Valerian's. The original Mikuni carburetor conversion kit for Huskys and CZs. And the only one that really works! The kit that improves efficiency. torque characteristics and fuel consumption. Stops loading up. Eases startups. And gives more docibility. The kit that comes with a complete range of jets good from sea level to 8,OOO~ The kit you can bolt on in less than an hour. The custom-<;Iesigned kit that looks like it's "factory installed:· Order a whole kit and kaboodle. or just the parts you need. (Including our very own manifold kits.) Call (213) 475-4541 today. Or mail the coupon. to e nursing Community Hospital. One_ R.N. was rather fascinated that I rode bikes and worked in the business. She said she had always been a little frightened of them, although she had nothing against them per se, but after a stint in the emergency room she knew the dangers. Then she smiJed and said, UBut we went to see "The Helstrom Chronicle" and running with it was "On Any Sunday" arid 1 suddenly realized that there was a whole world out there I didn't know existed. A real family sport that was real fun, and people Iike ...what was his name? (Me: "Mert Lawwill") ...who make their living racing motorcycles. It was just great and I had more good clean laughs out of that movie than I've had in a long time. " Come on Bruce Brown. Let's have a sequel to USunday" or how about a weekly TV program on motorcycle activities, fiction and non-fiction. The talent is in the business already. You don't need your Hollywood scriptwriters to plan scripts. We've enough. true tales for a year of shows, and enough real personalities to act so you don't need pretty boy actors. Ah well, last week I dreamt about an All-American bike; this week, it's a true-to-life TV bike show. Sometimes dreams come truc. M.S., so he does have a good chance. Bill Saltzman has been quietly finishing in the top ten the last few races, too, so [ wouldn't discount him if I were taking bets, except that he can't ride this one 'cause he is a Checker. In the .l25-175cc division there is yes, Tom Brooks. Tom has been first overall in the last rOUT races on a tiny little 125 DKW. There is little doubt that he will be first in class, providing his bike hangs together. But if this raee is Hke last year's, he just doesn't have the ponies to pull it on the long flat stretches and a larger bike will probably take first overaJI. In the TraiIbike class, there are three really flashy riders. All of them rather young but, even so, well-seasoned riders who come to the desert almost every weekend and race. They are~ Cordis 8rooks (Hod), Mitch Mayes (Baja) and Larry Roeseler (Baja). So, here are my predictions, in order of finish: Larry Pfutzenreuter (Bul); A.C. Bakken (Hus); Jack Knebel (CZ); Art Knapp (Hus); Jim Fishback (CZ); Tom Poteet (Bul); Tom Brooks (DKW)"; Rich Mark (Hus); Cordis Brooks (Hod); Doug WincheU (Yam); Mitch Mayes (HO): Robert Russell (Hus) and Larry Roeseler (Baja). Well, it they don't finish in that order all I can say is: "That's horse racing." I t is a long race and depends to a great extent on luck. Just about anybody could win and the above predietions are all in fun. And desert racing is supposed to be fun .. Jemember? See you at Parker. Sirs: Would like 10 order the following KIT;f 1 2 3 4 P.f'ICE· DESCRIPTION .. Type/Slze 250 CZ - 32mm $5495 5995 5995 250 Cl-34mm 360·400 CZ -34mm 360·400 CZ-36mrn . Available Soon 5 250 Husky- 32mm to replace 32mm 6195 6 250 Husky- 34mm 10 replace 36mm 65.95 7 250 Husky- 32mm 10 reOlace 36mm 61.95 8 360 Husky-32mm 10 replace 32mm 61.95 9 360 Husky-34mm to reprace36mm 65.95 10 360 Husky-32mm to replace 36mm 65.95 11 400 Husky-34mm 10 replace 32mm 65.95 12 400 Husky-34mm to replace 36mm 6595 13 250 Husky MJ-32mm 63.95 14 250 Husky MJ-34mm 66.95 15 400 Husky MJ-34mm 6595 16 450 Husky MJ-34mm 6595 17 125 Pemon-32mm 54.95· . All pnces plus shipping and handling California reSIdents add 5% sales tax. 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