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- .... LIONS: Lost and Go'ne Forever. Dreadful Sorry. .n by Buzz Baty /Creative Images WILMINGTON, CAL., Nov. 24,1972It's all over! The final fling of the "Looney Lions Fast Cats" has come and gone, November 24th and December first now mark the passing of another anachronism. December first will be the last drag race at Lions Drag Strip, closing ou t eigh teen years oJ racing history. The motocrossers closed out a year oJ racing tonight, and to use a well worn Cliche, it's been a gas! There was only one sweep of any class tonight, and that was a sweep oJ the 250 E'xperts by Tim Hart, who, just off the top of my head thinking back over a year's worth of FridaY'night racing, is probably one of the winningest motocrossers to have ridden. here at the Beach, if not the winningesL Every Expert class was loaded; in particular the 250 Experts. Two divisions of 250 Experts had to be run, ~ Cl l/l :!: w z W ..J U >U each division running two motDs leading to a Main event-type moto. The top twenty took a shot at the $400 purse that was up Jor each Expert class. Tim liart won both of bis division motos, with D',id Pessy winning both of his division heats. But, in the Main, it was the Valen tine Kid all way as l'essy crashed, dropping out of the moto and out of the pay line. Ron DeSoto broke up the Mike's Racing Team duo of Hart and Bill Payne, by nosing out Bill for' second overall, aboard his Mjd-Valley-sponsored CZ. A farewell crowd of 3500 was on hand, the cheers coming loud and often for the winners, personal friends, and favorites. I think each in his own way was saying goodbye to a little piece of racing history. Lions now joins those long gone motorcycle arenas of the past, such as Crater Bowl, Catalina Grand Prix, and the Big Bear Run. There are not too many guys who can say they won the last Catalina, or the last Big Bear, but there are ten guys that can say they won the last rno tocross at "The Beach". Crajg Egerman won two out of three for first overall in the 100 Juniors, aboard his Suzuki, beating out David Roades' Vamaha, and Marc Cartwright's Penton. A Monark. a Bultaco, and a Vamaha· were represented in the 125 Jucior class, the Monark corning ou t on top with Mark ProclOr doing the throttle bit over Sam Ayala on the Bultaco, and Ron Kramer on the Vamah a. Kelly Owen took his Penton to first overall ahead of hard-riding Stu Egli and Rick Reinig. Bultaco and Monark mounted in the 125 Intermediates. • Tim Hart won the 125 as well as the 250 Expert class. (Here I'll have to modiJy my earlier statemen t that ten guys won the last motocross here at Lions, cause it was really only nine. 'rim Hart won two classes.) Tim won. the first ] 25 maLo in a race-long duel with Chuck Bower. Ilis Zundapp-engined Pen ton seemed to have a sligh t horsepower edge over Ch uck's straigh t-up Pen ton. Chuck turned thing around in tJ,e second mOLD, winning over Hart, and setling up the classic confrontation for the final molO. As so often happens in this classic confrontation bit, it didn't happen. Chuck got one of the worst starts l've ever seen him get, coming off the starting gate last, while Tim got one of The first corner of the ve.ry last 125 Junior mato ever at Lions. CMC A s c o t : - - - - - - - - by Buzz Baty/Creative Images GARDENA, CAL., Nov. 22, 1972 The Tim Hart Dynasty has finally corne to an end here at Ascot. Tonigh t, he fajled to win any of the 500 motos against Billy' Payne. In the 250s and 125s, however, it was the same old story. Six for six and three seconds is still a nice sum for the paycheck, though. Neither of Hart's overall wins was ever in doubt, really. He had to contend with both Larry' Watkins (Ric) and Jim McDonald (Ric) in the 125s but disposed of them rather quickly and ran away. Bob Ilosford, back from South of the Border chores, tried upending Hart's 250 crown but wound up hassling more with Tim Lunde for second. Tim made ...;;. it a tight scrambler, but Bob won out on points. Bryan Dodge (Ilus) was the only other rider al] night· to win all three rounds of his class, the 500Jr. The normally very competitive 125 Intermediate turned out to be velY tight - from second on back, as Kelly Owen (Pen) won the first two molOs and coasted home with a second in the final, Chuck Wagner (Pen), despite winning that last one, settled behind Tim La'mar (Bul) and Mik<;, McAtee (Bul) at the last ,,~ally. Both Ron Booze! (CZ) and Chris Allen (CZ) each added a third place finish to their double triumphs to take the 250 and 500 Inter respectively. Likewise, two firsts ,md a second CMC Arroyo I _ added up to overall wins for Richie Davis (lOO-lIon) and Bob VanBramer (125-11ul) in their Junior classes. Only the 250 Junior was a combined affair after two run-off rounds and ~like Seagraves (CZ) won the bi'g one after taking a pajr of twos in qualifying. He had finished behind ~Iike Perry each time, but Mike could only hold second in the one that counts. Kent Benson, who fell while leading his first molO, took third on an Ossa. • This Wedocsday is the final night for Ci\IC motocross at Ascot, but don't get scared. Jay and Chris Agajanian are getting things all put together for a weekly daytime Saturday show for the winter months. This all begins Saturday, December I. _ by Buzz Baty/Creative Images DEVORE, CAL., Nov. 26, 1972 - A beautiful California day with a slight Santa Ana condition accompanied Stu Peters and Kelvin Franks, as they arrived at Arroyo Raceway Park at dawn this morning. Stu and Kel get to the race tracks so early to get set up, that they usually are the first ones there at Carlsbad, Saddleback, and Arroyo. But this morning, when Lhey arrived at Arroyo, there were vans, campers, and trailers lined up along tJ,e highway; they were on their way back from Barstow to Intermediate. Chris and his CZ won the 500 Intermediate class over Mai o·tnounted James Cotten, and Derek McLeish (Yam). In the 500 Expe~ class, it was a complete and total Maico sweep. Bill Payne was pushed hard in tJ,e first two those moon launches, and won it going 1110tos; first by teammate Tim Hart and, away. Bower, in trying to catch up, in the second, by Ray Lopez. passed rider after rider, only to crash hard on the next to last lap spending a Pay.ne looked to have a lock on the good ten minutes flat on his back before class, un til the final"'go 01' the nigh t, he could clear the cobwebs from his when he ,got a had start, getting all out head. Chuck did end up second overall of shape in the right-hander after the and Sam Lopez brought his Bultaco in jump, and just damn near blew the for third. whole enchilada. Ray Lopez took the The 250 J uriior class was won by lead, and held it all the way to. the Marty Gresham, Yamaha-mounted, checker, under heavy pressure from ahead or the CZ of Ken Kondos, and Hart. another Vamaha rider,Joel Shedden. Bill didn't quit. lIe rode hard, getting Rick Mercier and Ellsworth Freeman, up to fifth at the finish, and that l'ifth Yamaha·mounted, finished one, two, place finish was worth 127 points, just ahead of Dave Haugh and his CZ in the two points more than Ray Lopez had, 250 Intermediate class. and 102 more than Tim Hart. Bob Wainwright, Jerry Beaman, and I dig motorcycles a whole bunch Louie Lima finishcd in that order for a more than cars, but I'll tell you where CZ sweep of the last 500 Junior even t. I'm gonna be 1::'riday, December first, Chris Allen, iT my memory serves me and Saturday, December second. t'm correctly as to how many points he has gonna be at' the last drag race at the as an Intermediate, h ad two final flings Beach even if I have to pay to get in. General Manager Steve Evans has 400 of tonigh t, Ilis final rLing as a Looney Lions Fast Cal, and his final fiing as an the nation's best coming 10 say goodbye .... .,'-' "-' .' ", ,,;(~"/ . • to the Beach. o j ' f , ' • ., f t'# .'" { f.,{, ,.,:,. .. ,.•..1, ..;.... .,.,., . . . ~ ii~' I" .-. : •• 1', .- Vegas, wajting for them. When the racing got unden-vay, Charlie Bower couldn't seem to do anything right, a continuation of Friday's problems? Anyway, Charlie finished out of the money in the 125 Experts, for one of the few times that I can remember. Marty Smith, riding without error, brought his Monark in ahead of Gary Bevans' ['en ton, and Tim Lunde's Bultaco. Gaylon Mosier, who has a habit of winning and has clinched the No. ] plate, did it again today, winning the .' 4' •••• '- I • 250 Expert class, his Maico besting the 'CZ's of Randy Rodriquez and Jon Derhammer. Way.ne Boyer journeyed up from San Diego to notch a win in the 500 Expert class. This wa.:; Wayne's first win in quite some time. Wayne bad a go at Lions Friday night, but didn't fare too well. 11e shouldn't feel bad though, historically, first time riders at Lions never did do well. Rick Brown 011 his Greeves followed Boyer to the checker, with Roland Rodriqllez gelling a third on hjs CZ.