Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

by Ron Schnejders , "...one last exception to SchneIders closing comment that the U.S. has nearly reached the European level of sophisticated cheating. HOgwash. That this allegation is unsubstantLOted seems hollow enough but to make this. charge without exploring the problem In more ~t~~:f!u~~~;(ag-~;: ~r~i~I.e Too 17, 1972 from an by Tad Rafferty on the SIX Days Rafferty's remark about the reporter of my statement is justified. A fairness should not charge cheatin,g without substanuatLDg It and, if necessary, explaining it. For reasons ~f space I djd not substanUate. It then: It was already a very long artlcle. As for the rest of his com men t, you be the judge. As Tad suggested, let's explore the problem in detail. As it happened I conducted an interview with Leroy Winters on the subject of ISDT cheating while I was In Spindleruv Myln. Leroy has probably coml"eted in more Sjx Days than any other American and knows almost everyone connected with the Amencan Six Days efforts. His own efforts have earned him a number of medals, Leroy is extremely scrupulous. He would not talk about anything that he had not seen himself or participated in, Even instances which are now common knowledge he refused to discuss because he had not seen them hImself, I tape-recorded his remarks. The tape transcription is qwte long so I am not going to reproduce it verbatlm. I wIil, however, produce the lape ~d transcript for anyone who IS skepucal and who has a professional interest In the subject. Incident: San Pellegrino, Italy, 1968. A trophy team member of the Italian team riding a Mota Morini passed Leroy on a rocky downhill, his rear wheel was damaged ......wobbling so bad It nearly hit the frame rails." The next Ume Leroy saw him the wheel was running straight and true. Somehow they fixed it. • r' ! j gam ----,--,----- -- "--_.. , , R Sh ows Th at the USCan on ... C ea t W·lth the Bes'.t of Them. h Incident: Garmjsch, West Germany, 1969. Dave Mungenast and Leroy were riding for John Penton. Dave had a nat tire and a damaged wheel. Leroy was instructed to take a tire and tube WIth him and tell Dave to change it, an illegal action. Dave refused to accept the help. At the rider's meeting that night, Dave was told in no uncertain terms how the game was played. The next day he went into a farmhouse that had been set up 10 advance. His damaged wheel was replaced with a new one. The wheel hubs are marked, so they respoked hIS damaged wheel and gave it back to him that night so he would have the correctly marked hub when he entered the impound. A KTM employee named Irwin Fechner was 10 charge of the operation. , ' Incident: EI Esconal, SpanlO, 1970. Lerov was riding a well sehup Penton 100.· He broke some ribs early in the Trial and retired. his bike still in perf~ct shape. The marked parts on hIS bIke were used as replacements on the other bikes still running. They found that they could alter the numbers that were scratched into the pam t, changIng for instance a 21 into a 71. .....every day there was a piece missing off it.:' Leroy said, "wheels, shocks, by the lime the Trial was over it was just a frame and a motor sitting tllere." Incident: San Pelligrino, Italy, 1968. A van bearing police license pllrtes was found loaded with spare Itahan motorcycles. It was brought before the jury and the ItalIan team was disqualified. Incident: Garmisch, West Germany, 1969. KTM, which manufactures aJld supports the Penton team, was havlOg trouble with their gas tanks. IlWm Fechner found an emp\)' garage about a mile from the start area and started using it. When the owner djscover~d him. there, he gave her sam, money lor the use of it. A rider with a leaking gas tank would fill his tank in the moming, leave, and stop at the garage where a new one would be substituted, At mght 4he 'leaking one would be replaced so the paint would be correct. "Dave (Nlungenast) said they. got so good at It that he'djusllift the little leather pouch where he kept hi;; tools and stand up, holding the seat between ltis knees. They'd change the tank, he'~ drop the tool back on buckle them down-, and he was gone again." They finally got all the leaking gas tanks welded a,nd then they used bathtub caulking to hIde the welds. A scrutineer examined one of the welds hidden by the calking and commen ted (111 German) "I don't know what thl,~ stuff is but it sure does holclvery well. ., Incident: EI Esconal, Spam, 1970. One of the Pen ton boys came through a control with a badly bent rim. Leroy. and a KTM employee named Kaulman went out to meet him on the course m a Fiat with a new wheel. They found him and together got out of sight of the. course and changed the wheel. "I don't think he lost 30 'seconds," said Leroy, proud of their efficiency, if not of what they were doing, "He used that wheel the whole rest of the Trial or I don't thjnk he'd have finished.. " Incident: Sweden, 1966. Bud Ekins, Charlie Hockje, Dave Ekins, Jack Krizman and Leroy went to the Trial entered on Maicos which the Maico factory had promised tb supply. Maico didn't have the bIkes ready so Bud got a I-lusky, Hackie a Sac~s, Krizman a Husky. and Dave a Zundapp, It IS against the rules to change bIkes after a certain time. At the JUry meeung, the Russians were protested for a rule-yiolation and so were the Americans. A deal was made and both remained in the Trial. Incident: EI Escorial, Spain, 1970. Farioli, one of the Italian Trophy team members, riding a KTM, broke a frame. Kaulman and Leroy loaded a weldmg outfit into the Ijttle Fiat and went to wait for Farioli. They laid out the welding outfit in a hole not a mIle from the finjsh. Some scru tIneers were coming, so they had to move _ hurriedly. They found a new spot but discovered that the welding rod had been left at the old one. Leroy cut a fence and used the wire for welding rod. "He (Fariolr) took the wheel ou~ and I welded the frame real DIce for hIm. He threw the wheel back in and I took some chain grease and smeared the weld and then threw dirt on it so you couldn't see it. He finished the run, The frame didn't break there again." These were some of the more dramatic instances of cheatlOg that Leroy related. He wouldn't discuss cheating in this year's event because at the time I was interviewing bim the Trial was still in progress but now it's over so here are some of the thmgs that 1 know abouL . Incident: Spldleruv MylIn, C.S.S.R., 1972. One of the Husky Team team members Ed Schmidt, lost a brake spring. A new one was dropped near hIS bike by one of the pit crew. I saw .t. Incident: Spindlcruv Myln, C.S.S.R., 1972. Two of the Penton trophy' team were hell'ed iIl<:gally. A shock absorber was repaJred on one bIke and a new chain was supplied to Dick Burleson out on the trail. John Penton related these incidents to me 10 a, telephone conversation after the Trial. Incident: Spindleruv r.lyln, C.S.S.R., 1972. Dave Mungenast broke the footpeg on his Honda, I-Ie wanted to repair it with hose clamps but was prevailed upon to have it welded out 10 the woods. It was welded. Two people saw the welded peg mclud10g Cycle News Publisher Chuck Clayton, The welding operation was under the direction of the AMA's director of Amateur competition, Don Woods. Incident: Spindleruv Myln. C.S.S.R., 1972. Early on the first day of the Trial both Bill Kain and Jake Fi~her, ridjng Huskies on the Manufacturer s team and the Vase team, were reported out with broken rear wheels. Fisher was seen disabled on thL course. I asked te

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