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/125826
The National Papen A mile, a road race and a half mile. Pretty good combination for so late in the season but that's what gOIng to be happening in NOW AVAILABLE FOR ALL ROAD AND OFF-ROAD VEHICLES Now you elIn drive your VIIn, pick-up truck or elImper to the rec:es with e FILTRON FILTERI Uk. your motorcycle, your elIr or truck deMrves nothing 1_ then the finest eir filtretion system. All FILTRON FILTERS heve e one veer _rrentv under normel condi· tions and proper meintenance. Eech filter co,,* with e FI LTRON FFC 300 compound. Specify yeer, meke end model when ordering. Pri... from $7.95 to $9.95 .ch. DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED (714) 894·2623 PeNTON, MONAIIK, & TYNAN Sa les - Service - Parts - Accessories 0& R Cycles 7181 Westminster Ave. Westminster, Calif. 92683 - good old California the end of September and the first of October. The season used to be allover out this way about this time of the year until Ascot moved the half mile ~ational from July to September and then to October. Then along came the Champion Spark Plug people and decided to put up the big bucks for a road race at Ontario. The third biggie shapes up with a new mile track race at a place most bike raCing fans have never seen. It's called Golden Gate Field and it's located in Albany, California, which is an after-thought of Oakland. The track is one of just six of those beautiful horse racing kingdoms located throughout the state that have always bec:n a no-no for any type of motorized racmg. But 'you never know unless you ask, or try. So along came Mike Goodwin of rock concert and motocross fame. I guess he just didn't know any better. He went to the track manager and the .board and asked. not only for a non·Nanonal date for thIS year but ~so a National date for '74. Now Mike is known as a f~t ~al.ker and a super salesman who IS willmg to spend the bucks to get things done. Goodwin is the same guy who strolled into the Los Angele~ ColISeum last year and walked out WIth a year to year contract to promote. AMA motocross events. He was first only because nobody else had bothered to ask. In two years in the Coliseum the total attendand (paid) has topped the 80,000 mark. It went over the 38,000 mark this year even though the ticket outlets were telling people three days before the event that all the seats Were sold out. Goodwin appears to be one of those rare breed of promoters - he spends . thousands of dollars prior to an even t to let people know what he is going to do. It's not aimed at just the hard core cycle fan who has a habit of knowing about a mile race before it ever happens, but the guy on the street who has never been to a cycle race before, any kind of a cycle race. So now comes Sunday afternoon, September 23rd. Mike Goodwin has himself one fine mile dirt oval and at least 20,000 seats to go with it. This guy who spends money to make money then went out and created an added attraction. He's going to have something called, "The Champions Challenge". The riders? The guys who hav~won the half mile and mile track Nationals this season. Guys' like Don Castro (San Jose), Tim Rice (Columbus), Dave Sebl (Louisville), Gene Romero (San Jose), Kenny Roberts (Colorado Springs), Mert Lawwill (Indy) and Rex Beauchamp (Terre Haute). It's a non-N ational so the Juniors have also been invit.ed to race what may be their last as Juniors before they tum Expert. You can bet that Rick Hocking, John Gennai and Danny Hockie will be there, plus a few hundred more who wear the yellow plate. The following week it's south to the palace of all racing plants, Ontario Motor Speedway. The track that boasts of the plush bars, cafes and super suites for those who can afford it or know the . right people on race day. The 26 million dollar plant is back in business and healthy once again after closing the doors late- last year. Unlike Golden Gate or Ascot, Ontario has so many people involved in the promotion that it is difficul t to poin t to anyone man. But it was, and still is, the Champion Spark Plug people who made it all possible. This year the AMA has wrapped it all into three days with practice on Friday, September 28th, big .and little bike heat races, plus lightweight finals on Saturday, the 29th. Then comes the big day, Sunday, September 30th. The Juniors run their big bike tmal first. Then the best-ever pre·race ceremonies before the start of the last and longest road race of the year. The unusual thing about the Ontario raCe is that there will be many new faces in at least four of last year's first five finish spots. Winner, Paul Smart is back, but not on a Kawasaki. He rides Suzuki this time. Second place rider in '72 was New Zealand's Geoff Perry who was recently killed in a plane crash. Third place was Italy's Renzo Pasolini, who died with Jarno Saarinen in a race in Italy. Fourth place, Mark Brelsford, has been out since his crash in Daytona. Fifth place, John Cooper, from England, who won the race in '71, retired after a crash earlier this year. But Smart is back. So is Talladega winner, Kel Carruthers (Yam) who fmisbed 14th; Gary Nixon (Kaw) who won Loudon, Laguna and Pocono and was leading Talladega until his Green Streak stopped. Yvon DuHamel (Kaw), everybody~s favorite crasher, finished 37th last year by doing one of his famous 100 MPH endos seven or eight times. Of course, ''Super Frog" is ready to go again. Cal Rayborn (H-D) 29th in '72, will be back to fmd out why Brelsford, Pasolini and Lawwill had Harley's that ran when his didn't. Cal still .hasn't found ou t after seven road races this year but he's still looking. Then, to wrap up the entire three ring spectacular, there is the most feared dirt track in Am.erica - Ascot Park. If you don't see racing at Golden Gate or Ontario you will be guaranteed of a sure thing at the home of the brave, and the fast. Again this year, it's a two night aTfair with a TT of the non-National type on Friday night, October 5th. Then next night it's the 14th annual running to see which one of your California favorites is going to win. Tom Rockwood has been the rider to beat the last two years running. Jody Nicholas and John Hateley passed and pushed Tom to a new track record two years ago with the lead changing fourteen times. Last year Tommy got ou't of a hospital bed the afternoon before the race only to have Dave Aldana try to put him back in bed in the heat race as Migbty·Mex zeroed four riders into the crashwall. Rockwood got j)ack up to beat Aldana in the heat race and then go on and lead the first half of the race before being passed by Gary Scott who became the third straight Triumph rider to win the most famous dirt National of them all. The Golden Gate features the unknown, Ontario will have the pressure and waiti~g for the usual unknown that goes with road racing. Ascot again will bave the field for the close racing it has always been noted for when all of its Ascot trained and bred riders return home for the final big outing - Sept. 23, Sept. 30 and Oct..6th! If you have missed the AMA National season you can make up for it all in three weekends. • Spicey CRC'Ravvhide John Monohan and Brian Ramsden led the sidehecks. By The Shadow ELSINORE, CAL., SEPT. 2 A surprise turnout of the "Sidehack Gang" spiced the California Racing Club motocross card here Sunday, with hot Expert and Intermediate races adding frosting to the cake. The Sidehack winner could be predicted from the start, with John Monohan and Brian Ramsden (Honda Wasp), displaying just why they are currently ranked number one in everyone's book. In the Expert race, Ken Ehlers, mounted on a 125 Husky, had everybody pulling for him, but fell 100 lousy points short in the end, losing out to 250 CZ-mounted Dave Carlson. 11 was all. even at 700-all going into the tmal moto, which Carlson "!on to grab all the marbles. As for the hot Intermediates, they really stole' the show. Bu tch Baker (Yamaha)', h'ad his hands full with none other than Rusty Carter (DKW), finally nippin~ him 969-869; Perry Black (Maico), looked solid in knocking off second-placer David Hopkins (CZ); and Tom Lansford (CZ), waited until the final moto to defeat a very impressive second place finisher in the person of George Spellman (Suzuki). As for Novice winners, they came as follows: Lee Evans (CZ), Open Novice then it was off to the hospital to be with son, Billy; Michael Huhn (Honda) grand-slam victor at 250 Novice; Jeff Jarvi (Yamaha), 100 Novice; Ted Overholt (Honda), 125 Novice; and Waymond Williams (Yamaha), at 125 Novice, under 16. •