Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

aJI~1 ~ N ,; o Z I ••• en ~ w Z W ...J U > U America's Number weekly mo torcycle nc, cspaper. You'1I aJWdyS see it first in Cycle News. MOTOR~~;rt'b' INDUSTRY COUNCIL [MfiC ) Charles Clayton Publisher Business Manager Sharon Clayton Tom Culp . . . ..•...•......General Manager Managing Editor John Huener Art Friedman. . . . . . . . . . . . . Editor Dave Schoonmaker. .. , Assistant Editor Ed Drechsler. .. . Advertising Manager Nancy Goodman Advertising Assistant Aheba Smith Circulation Manager . Circulation Assistant Marla Tarbet. . . . . Bruce Diamond Circulation Assistant . Production Manager Paul Bou~reali + • • • • • Production Assistant Steve SchIff Howie Fowler , Production Assistant Lab Teen nician Larry Groves Man~m Hatashlta Typographer MelVin Phelps Assistant Typographer Randy Dietzel Bookkeeper Barbara Sebeck Bookkeeping Assistant . BookkeepIng Assistant Marilyn Kirk. . . . General Secretary Squeeky Haynes. , . . . . . Hector Aguilera Computer Technician Wendy Blanton. . . . . . . . . ... ReceptionIst National Advertising Director (Cycle News West,' Cycle News East, Cycle News Dixie): Tom Culp. Cycl.e News West, P.O. Box 498, LongBeach, California 90801. (213) 427-7433; L.A. 636-8844. TELEX NO. 673474 Subscription: One year, second class mail 2 years, second class mail 3 years, second class mail Single copy price $10 $17 $21 $.35 Published weekly except the first and last ~eek of the calendar year by Cycle News, Inc." Post Office Box 498, Long Beach.• California. Also pUblishers of Cycle News East, and Dixie Cycle News. Second Class Postage paid at Long Beach, Calif. Editorial stories, cartoons, photos. etc. are welcome. Addressed. stamped envelope assures return of editorial matter. Reprinting in whole or in part only. by permission of the publishers. Advertising rates and • circulation information will be sent upon. request. See S.R.D.S. Copyright© Cycle News, Inc. 1972 all rights reserved iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~ ....... SCHNEIDERS ON CHEATERS As usual. Ron is spreading half truths (U1d untruths with his venomous pen and creating a whole lot of reaJer interest for your paper' while doing himself and this industry an injustice. Point of fact: I do not like being labeled a "CHEATER." Ron was not there' and is acting on hearsay. The entries and consequent change of entries of the U.S. Vase A Team in the '66 ISDT was legal and above board. Ron just does not know the rules. Another fact, having direct s'ignificance with our entry change, was that I took Leroy Winters' ZunJiapp and starting position in the lineup as he was directed by Edison Dye to ride a 250 Husky. (Also, Leroy has more DNF's than any other American in ISDT competition.) As I pointed out to Russ March, changes can be made prior to weigh-in as long as the International Jury approves. And, changes are always made at the last minute because article, and my impressions on it. If we analyze from last year when Puch had a failure rate of 4 entered and 4 retired, it would seem with our jlolmping to 12 th place in 1972 that we had quite an improvement and apparently our team was not completely shattered psychologically, as he is trying to lead people to believe. Further, if this Major Inside Reports NORTH: Would you believe a desert race? ....•.......•. , ....•.... 10 CENTRAL: New Mexico even ..................•......•...•.. : .14 LOCAL MOTOCROSS _.................•........ 18 ENDURO: Turkey Shoot 26 DRAG RACING: Boris Murray & a look at the Ontario Supernationals .. 28 ROAD RACING: ACA'S Willow _ 29 STREET RIDING: Safe and Secure .................•......•....30 HOW NOT TO DO IT YOURSELF: Wheel bearings .........•." 31 HOPETOWN: Three views ............................•...•....32 improvement ratc can be improvc'd or OPINION: Rev~lution? ...................•......•........... .45 CALENDAR: Dates and figs and such -...•............46 NEW PRODUCTS: Tell them you saw it on page ......•...•........51 RESULTS: Here at the end of all things ..........•..• _ ..•........52 there is always someone breaking a bone or sustaining some kind of injury that keeps him from participating. Ron's point of winning a Gold medal while accep ling ou tside assistance is well taken. It's too bad he couldn't get his point across without dragging other people down to his level. I not only ask I demand a retraction! Furthermore, if your newspaper q.t.res to fOf, link me with any other cheating episodes, past or present, it had better have all the facts straight or face a lawsuit. DAVE EKlNS, Editor Mpdern Cycle Magazine Dirt .Rider Magazine Permit us to quote from all article by someone who does know the rules and was there: Dave Ekins. The following excerpts are from an article published by Moder.n Cycle MagaZine in 1970 entitled "The 44th I.S.D.T." by Dave Ekins. "Already tired from that earlier encounter with the element we welcome the assistance from the spectators who ignored the "no assistance rule." I for one was very glad to have my exhausted body relayed from one big German to another as I got pushed, shoved and drug up the mountainside." Pg. 37 This is a violation of Articles 1069 and 1068 of the FIM regulations and would merit exclusion under the provisions of those articles. "Along Came Henk Jager who was eliminated on the second day and chose to follow certain Zundapp riders who might need help. We , disassembled his rear wheel and slopped (he needed parts into my machine and I left poor Henk behind with a motorbike that wouldn't go." Pg. 37 This is a violation of Article 1069 and would merit exclusion under articles 1069 (accepting outside assistance), 10610 (unauthorized communication with accompanying persons) and 10611 (accompanying anorher driver). "So there I was riding this open port Zundapp thru the woods when myoid buddy Henk came by and told me to follow him. He led me down the path aways and then into a wooden thicket. We pulled his exaust system off and stuck it onto my bike and soon I was riding as if nothing had happened." Pg. 38 Violation of article 1069 meriting exclusion under 1069,10610,10611, and 10612a and c (Driving outside the route). This';' also a violation of article 1053 paragraph e. (Conditions under which parts may be changed). "A few miles later I too slipped into a barn and got a new exahust system that fit much better than Henk's. Of course it was Henk and Brandl who made the exchange for me." Pg. 42. Violation of articles 1069 and 1053 meriting exclusion under articles already cited. The incident quoted in Schneiders' article is a violation in Article 3 stipulating final close of entry. As you state the rule is generally waived in the case of injuries prior to the event, but none of those mentioned including VOICES OF THE WEST L _ _. _ yourself were injured, and thus there was no excuse for the rule violation except poor preparation. No retraction forthcoming ...Ed. NOW, THE AMA ... In his latest column, Mr. chneicter uses implication and the power of the printed word to inform his readers about the cheating in the ISDT. He had no facts and everything that is printed is either second hand information or figmen ts of his imagination. Ron relates a tale about Dave ~Iungenast having a footpeg wplded. He says the publishers, Charlus Clayton. was there. If he got his information from Clayton, then he also knows that I wasn't there. but yet he says I supervised the operation. Dave is a fierce competitor and had problems during the trial. but I know of no case where he cheated. If he had cheated, I surprised that he wasn't good enough to finish the trials. If I had supervised a cheating operation, I damm well would have done a good enough job to see that Mr. Mungenast finished the trials. Ron goes on to relate a hypothetical situation in which Russ March has . bribed a compu tor operator. Of course, he does not attempt to substantiate this tale, but implies that it is true none the kss. Yes, I did ask Ron to try to get a photo of a rider for me. I believed that there .might have been a rider change on the bike in question and I wanted proof if my information was correct. lIis implication of Charlie Vincen t being replaced by another rider further tarnishes our honor. I broke down and cried wbile watching Charlie struggle with his bike as he pushed it into the impound area at the end of the fifth day. Charlie had a bad crash and was in serious pain. BUl, no onc ever mentioned that he should not try to fini h on his own. Yes, Ron. there is cheating in the six days. and I'm sure that some of our fellows have cheated. But, OUT c~~~ring • is on a level of what is usually accepted in major sports. As Americans, we like to pull for the little guy and give him a shove now and then. Football. baseball, golf, any major sport has it's little ways where some will occasionall} skirt the rules. But, it would never occur to the average American to really cheat. It's just not the way we do things. Over the years. there has been a lot of organized cheating by the European carried on for the coming year it would mean with an additional 50% increase in our abilities that instead of finishing 12th, then we must jump to at least 6th, and this could pu t Puch righ t into world contentlOn as far as the Vase Team is concerned. Really so much for Puch. I might add that I don't feel that the Trophy' Team was completely defeated psychologically as his article leads us to believe. I spent quite a bit of time with these riders and [ know their problems, their short-comings, and what happened in Czech oslovakia wi th each one. I would say that every one of these riders was of the highest moral character and the enthusiasm was so high that they were of d,e attitude that they were going to win first place. They a40 knew that every trials enthusiast in the United States had their eyes glued upon the Trophy Team effort. They knew the chances of their equipment, and the failure rate of their equjpment, they knew what had to be done in the short periods of time in the morning and they knew what had to be done on the trail. They knew the cloak and dagger efforts that was being presented by the Czech teams, the West Germans, £.ast Germans, and they 'Yere also thoroughly convinced that KTM was just as good at the cloak and dagger efforts as anyone of their competitors. In a final comment, I think it should be considered that if someone is going to write an article, or comments, or impressions or anything about our efforts in Six Days that these comments should be extremely positive rather than negative as this article from Ron Schneiders appears. BOB HOPFER, President American Puch Disl. Co. East The question being presented is whether a newspaper should offer facts, even interpreted facts, or propaganda. The answer is clear to factories in the six days, but thjs is now us... Ed. on the way out and every country involved is trying to clean up their act. When the (SOT is held here, I can guarantee you that everyone involved in WHEN THERE'S NO PLACE TO RIDE, LOOK TO YOURSELF FOR THE REASON the organization of this event wants a clean six days. There may be cheating, but it will be harder than ever before. You have made a statement that is libelous when you state that one and probably two of our top Directors were involved in serious cheating. The General Manager of your publication spent much time with me and knows just how serious my efforts were. I worked my tail off and maybe did a couple of things that were not strictly by the rules, but your charge should be backed up by fact for I do not intend to sue. I had rather settle your charges on a more personal basis. 1 guess [ blew my chance when I paid for Ron to get through the Czech customs. Everyone else thought 1 should leave him there. DON WOODS Director of Competition American Motorcycle Assn. ...AND FURTHERMORE, SCHNEIDERS MR. After reading Ron Schneiders article in Cycle News West of October 17, 1972 and his general impressions of Czechoslovakia and also his impressions pf some of the finishes and the attitudes taken by the riders. that ( might add that in his column wer defeatist attitudes, I felt r would send you a few comments of my own co.ncernillg' his On Tuesday, October 31st, I received a phone call from a lady who iden tified hersel f as a property owner on "South Slopes" of Apple Valley, This lady was a bit unhappy and really h.ad some reason to be SQ. Briefly, her problem is motorcyclists who are annoying her and her neighbors by riding on posted privately main rained roads. Sunday, they had Up until maintaioed a neutral' attitude toward riders on their property in spite of being bothered periodically over the years. Now, since they feel that the problem1 with riders occur more frequently when "Deadman's Point" is operating they have decided to assist the groups which have been trying to shut down the racing there. I gathered that a major factor in these property owners' decision to work against motorcyling was the discourteous attitude on the riders' part wheo informed that ~hey sho"uld not be riding in these places. The lady quotes answers from the riders such as: "1 didn't sec any signs," and "\-\Tho cares?, I'm not hurting anything." This time the riders' discourtesy has resul ted in one morc property owner becoming active against off road riders. Incidentally. the riders had number plates on their bikes: oval, dark numerals, white backgl"ound. Three of the numbers were !l] , 6 1 and 77. (Please turn to page 8)

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