Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

October 23,1973 funny joke. Better not toll your friends about the cool trick you played on the Checkers, fella. I understand there is a price on your head. The course was considerably longer th.s year, about forty miles. The railroad (understandably) didn't want us to cross the track, so the course was re-routed on Tuesday with a great deal of cooperation from the Riverside office of the BLM, and the race continued on schedule. Tom Smith had the lead for about sixty miles, but as last year, Tom ended up second. Do you suppose that is some sort of record, being second overall at Check Chase two years in a row? Mayes had lost the lower end and was out of the race when Smith reached the dreaded Cadiz Lake and Smith was back in second place. He didn't get too far mto the lake when the Yamaha seized and third-running A.C. Bakken roared by, grinning and waving. A.C. made it "",other 300 yards before his Husky seIzed. When Tom got things rolling agam he l'assed A.C., grinning and waVlng m hiS turn, only to seize again a few yards farther. A.C. never did get the Husky running again, but Tom got the Y~my gomg and, after sticking it tw.ce more on the sand dunes finished second with a fifteen minute 'lead over third place Gene Cannady. Cannady showed up today wearing all that bright green Kawasaki garb, but the b,ke looked suspiciously like a Honda. Gene said-it was a new 350 four-stroke Hmostly standard." I t sure looked heavy, but it sure did take third overall and first four-stroke. Art Knapp should receive a trophy for being the finisher with the most problems. Art lost his rear shocks at check two. One of the shocks broke right in half. Shortly after the check he looked down to see what all the racket was and there was his coil, banging agamst the cases. Then he lost fourth gear. But that was all right because his header pipe broke and he was able to use fifth gear instead. The fran t end was now taking all the pounding (or that which was not be.ing absorbed by the rc:ar p.ortion of Art's anatomy), and the vlbratJon caused the cross bar on his handlebars to come adrift. I t flew off hitting him in the chest on its way b/ All this time Art was praying that something in the engine would stop so he could quit. No such luck. Art was doomed to finish the race, taking 11 th overall. Then he had the nerve to say, With a completely straight face, "Great race, the course was fantastic." Well, lots of people did worse. For those who didn't know, Tom Brooks damaged some knee parts a few weeks ago, had surgery and is now hobbling around on crutches. That's why you didn't see him ou t on the course. Brpther Cordis is also suffering knee problems, although not so serious as Tom '5. Cordis just rides wi th a brace on his knee. But he didn', do too well today, either. His 175 Bultaco spit its chain off and when Cordis had repaired it he discovered that that was only a symptom - the bike wouldn't run anyway. The engine made noise all right, but no go. Mark Adent, unwilling to ride 190 miles or so and then have problems has the honor of being the first contender The Check Chase is not an easy race. Page 31 to retire. He made it almost to the bomb before he got his flat, then he hit a rut, rock or ditch and broke the crown. He figured he should quit before he did any serious damage. Winner for two years running, Larry Pfutzenreuter had an awful day. For the first time in the history of the world Larry's Bul wouldn't start. He says he came off the line 999th. He worked up to fourteenth by the first gas and near the third was in fourth place with s~con.d and third in sight when he got a bIg suck poked through his tire. With no spare, Larry dropped out of the rae<. "Just when I was starting to like il, too." That it was a difficult race is evident in the fact that out of approximately 11?0 starters there were only 295 fm,shers, less than one third. And all of those finishers were too tired to talk when they crossed the line. Even the youngsters just wanted some place to sit down and rest and have' some thing cool to drink. For those of you who think it was too rough: Cute li.ttle Cathy Anglin brought her DKW across the finish line 222nd for first (and only) girl and fourteen-year old Doug Martin who got his first Novice transfer at Ch;ck Chase last year, took first Trail Amateur and second overall trailbike today for his first Amateur transfer. And this was his first Amateur ride. Gee Doug is it going to be another ye;r befo;e you have your first Expert ride? Rough course, huh? There is a Urnit to how much space a paper can devote to one race and of course even I can't find out everything that happened, even if there was room for all of it. However, it really would be a shame not to mention Mike Marsh (Hus) who was in fourth place for most of the race, including the finish. Fourth place in the Check Chase is really somethmg to crow about - especially if like Mike, you are an Amateur. ' Thirty-third overall isn't too bad either. For a Novice. Yes, Bob Balentin~ rode his Yamaha in for 33rd overall and he really had to fly to do it, because he gave all the Experts and Amateurs a head start. There were sidehacks au t today and two of them actually beat the solo bikes into check one, but they didn't make it all the way to the river. Checkers cut them off when it started getting dark ~ut Ralph Whitney and Russ Jones: flding a 650 BSA led the hack race all the way to Check 4 where they were stopped for lack of sufficient light to finish. One nice thing about Check Chase (there are lots of nice things about Check Chase, like the organization) but the nicest .thing is that when you get to the finISh mstead of crawling under the nuck for shade, you can go jump in the fiver to cool-off. And Rescue Three reports only 24 injuries! ·(Complcte results next week.) M~e Marsh was fourth - not too shabby for an Amateur. In eighth overall was Gino Beattie, who was also second 250 behind Tom Schmid. • Results 1st 250: Tom Schmid (Yam) 25 175: Andy Kirker (Yam) 174 0, E. 1st Robert ~alentine (Yam) 360' ~ l~t tN~~·S Nov.: Rich Smith (Hon) 125' N· 5 Garry Conner (OKW) 100 E' . 1st 100: Doug Martin (HOd) 1 , . 1St T. Am.: Anglin (OKW) 125 00, A. 1st ~irl: Kathern Rucker (Hod) 98, N: A. 1st Trail Nov.: Jim The hacks didn't get all the way. This one's a Honda four. Afterwards, Fishback looked a tad weary. -

• Cover