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/125806
u by Maureen Lee District 37 is curren til' undergoing it's yearly elections of District officers and competition committee, not to men tion the yearly overhaul of that good old rule book. Digging through my stuff I found a rule book from 1965, the year I guess I got my first competition card. It was a scant 19 pages while the 1972 one is thirty one. Shows how the times have changed allthough at the rules meeting the other nigh t everyone agreed they wish they could throw the thing away or cut it in half, but that's impossible. S till, a few tigh tenings.up in the wording of rules were made. (We fmally struck out those overhead and side valves that have been hanging around for years in the specifications section.) One new rule that will assist scrambles in particular was made, and it was done because People were getting hard to find to run for scrambles stewards. crambles have been in trouble in this District before.' A few years back we were reduced' to around twelve to fourteen scrambles per year and those in the District who love 'em took steps. am Crooks, then District referee held referee's meethings to hash out what the problems were, a check sheet to show clubs how to throw scrambles was printed and up came the number of scrambles again. We had differen t problems then, but problems still exist. Lately there's been a rash of incidents that are in danger of reducing scrambles to the atmosphere of some Little League games. You know, where the parents yell at the umpire & I don't mean the traditional kill-the-umpire bit,-. real yelling. They are getting into squabbles with each other and club and district officials, creating an atmosphere that falls far short of what sporting scrambles should be. It's a tough enough job throwing an event without having paren ls, etc. bitch at you. You often get enough bitching from the riders themselves which is OK; they're riding and if -rhey don't like something they'll tell you about it, and if you don'L like Lheir aLtitude, you tell 'em back. BUL try telling an iraLe family member or sponsor. That's a liLtie JIWr8 different, believe me. One. old timer who isn't that old bemoaned the fact that things have changed, sure they have. In days of yore we didn't have women and kids at scrambles, or very few, lightweight machines were still too big for Junior to ride and it was mOTe of a man's sporl. It was the days known as B.C. Before Campers. Now everyone can go to the desert or track in comfort and we have a family sport. In some insLanCeS,.too much family. a after some deep thought on the subject, the Competi tion Commi Ltee has enacted a new rule that will not be in effect un til it is read aL the I ovember Sports Committee meeting to give club members throwing events and District officials an even break. 1£ anyone other than an en tran t gives an officials a bad time, the en Lrant that big mouth represents will be disqualified. Don't yell, it's not unfair. The entrant still has the right to complain if he feels he has a cause, but aL least the officials will only have him to Lalk too, not his whole family and Uncle Albert as well. And if the apple of your eye is too young to speak for himself, then perhaps he'.s just a bit too young to be on a track in such a competitive sport. if you're big enough to speak for yourself but have to rely on a friend or Uncle Albert to do it for you, then I know you don't belo'ng out there. Take up chess or tiddly winks or something. As Ascot the other night we had a couple of Novice friends who will be transferring to.Junior this coming season all exited about what to buy for their big bore, and more important, if they will be able to afford it. So tbat got the wheels in my head going back to how, over the years we 've seen so many great riders come up from scrambles, ridin~ in the Liddler classes, and on up to 40 inchers, getting ready for the big time. Names like Dave Aldana, Tom Rockwood. Keith Mashburn, Eddie Wirth, gad. I haven't spa e for 'em all. It seems like yesterday teve Nicolls was grinning from ear to ear as his Novice ,year in the pro ranks approached; now he's an Expert. WhaL's running through my ~ mind is that for some reason our WRIHFORCO\1P(rlE ~ sprCS PRIUS ~ "'I" .JAWA LTD. Easr: 185 Express St.. Plainview, L.I., N. Y. 11803 West: 3745 Overland Ave., Los Angeles, Ca. 90034 District events don't seem to be producing the number of young chargers they used to. Allowing for a variety of differen t reasons for quitting, there could come a day (as the older ones retire) that we won't have enough Juniors and Experts to make a good show. Maybe I'm whistling in the wind. but it's a topic to think about. For instance, when we used to trek to Perris when we were scrambling hot and heavy in our family (never missed one). We used to pit with an erstwhile group of Triumph owners like Terry Dorscb, Terry Moraity, Ike Mizzen, Ben Falkkeldy and a few other big bore lovers. They all graduated with honors from the District system up to the professional level but the last three number one heavyweigh t plate owners aren't riding in the AMA pro ranks, or maybe I should say, Ascot group. Jeff exton is speedwaying it, and both Jim, Connolly and John Rice are riding sportsman events although years ago .both of them did give Ascot a go ...would you believe, Jim was on a Greeves? (That's my Greeves fteak statement for the week). But the pattern is ch anging. Now, J. C. Agajanian has opened up Ascot for clubs to throw scrambles there. Can you imagine suambling on Ascot's hallowed ground? The' entry a club would get for that would be fantastic, so come on you guys, call up Aggie and fil1d OUL what the terms are. I'm sure he's willing to talk and to find out what the limits are for charging riders to compeLe in District scrambles are, and to handle finances in a fair fashion. You can just bet that having a close-in track that favors the big boomers will bring back more heavyweights again. Who could resist it? I'm sorry, but to me a heavyweight still is a 500 single on up to the big twins, not a latge motocros.ser. For scrambles and pro racing, anyway. Yeah, I know I'm old fashioned. , :Sid!. Feds to Expand Wilderness Area The U.. Forest Service has announced that 36,021 acres of public land located in portions of the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests in Fresno County are being proposed as a new wilderness . area, to be named' the Monarch Wilderness. Naturally, the use of motorized vehicles would be prohibited if the USFS proposal is approved. The U.S. Forest Service is required by law to conduct a public hearing, and such a meeting has been scheduled for 9:00 AM, at the Fresno Fashion Fair Community Hall, lSL and Shaw, Ftesno, California, on Saturday, November 18th, 1972. All ORV enthusiasts are encouraged to attend and express their opinion. In the event you cannot attend, submit your views in writing to the Regional Forester, 630 Sansome Street, San Ftancisco, CA 94111 before December 18, 1972. Copies of the proposal and maps of the area can be obtained from the same address. At this moment, the USFS seems quite confident that their proposal will be accepted and the general impression is that the Hearing will be held only because it must be held to comply with the law. I f we show up in force, we can cause this public agency to have second though ts about what the public really wants. Aloha MIC _ WA HLNGTON, D.C. - An important goal was reached by the Motorcycle Industry Council on Friday, October 6, with the organization of a State Dealer Association in Hawaii, the fifieth state to start MIC accreditation proceedings. MIC's Director of Associate Membership, Gary G. Thronberry, presided at the meeting at the Sheraton-Waikiki that marked the unification of all the states under the Motorcycle Industry Council banner. The temporary officers elected at Friday's session were: R.D. Proctor, President; James R. Al.filer, Vice President, and; Robert L. Sharp, Secretary-Treasurer. 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