Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

California's All New Dirt Freeways Ma s Hocking & Honda first time out By Bill Spen cer SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.,JAN. 25 Honda is back in the business of racing and their first professional showing of ind oor bikes at the Cow Palace was a complete success. Honda fielded four shiny new Doug Schwerma-Champion framed racers eq uipped with 350cc single cylinder four strokes and an array of riders. The championship for the winter series was at stake and the point total was close. Dave Hansen (Han) was one point in front of AI Kenyon on his s u p e r swift Sonny Kenyon-CMS Bultaco, both just ahead of Dave Lewis, and a three way ti e for fourth between Jerry Kale, Rick Hocking, and Steve Eklund. The unfolding scene for the last night's race was a thriller in itself, if it hadn't been for the new licensing, number changing, and problems, the whole operation would have been beautiful. As it 'w as, th e problems were worked out, perhaps not so successfully for some, but for the majority, it worked. The 20 lap main was great, despite Dave Hansen having a nine point lead on fourth place ties, he came up second behind Hocking, It all started with the qualifying runs. The four Honda guys were Hansen, Hocking, Gennai and Mike Gerald, the Louisiana Red HaL The latter three had never ridden the controversial four strokes in competition before tonight but all managed to make the program. Hocking, was third fastest and captured shot in the trophy dash, which he won ith a time margin of .005 seconds. The fastest man around the little 1/IOth mile concrete oval was AI Kenyon. AI was one point behind ansen in the points for the big win. The heats went off with a little delay d times were fast. They were so fast at the first two heats were ran a tad hort, AI Kenyon won the first handily hile teammate Dave Lewis held off the erald-Honda charge. In the second eat John Gennai, sporting a new xpert number, held off Bruce Hanlon dJim Foley. Hanlon, a young Novice, was second astest qualifer. In the case of the frophy Dash, Hocking worked just a ite better. Going in to the 'semis caused some difficulties. In the first, Hansen took a huge lead for the win. Hocking easily won the second semi over another new Novice sensa tion, Ron Kole. Little Steve Hernandez copped the hird semi. One of the special features for this ndoor season is a bonus for a previous eek main event winner to start in the ack rowan the next week, and (if he ade the main) collect an additional 100 from the promoter (plus an extra oint towards the high point). With his ead, Hocking's win the last time out ut him in the hot spot and he took it. y not ? It was a chance to make an I extra C-note and if Hansen won, the team effort would count, So it's off on a 20 lapper. Hansen takes the early lead with Hernandez and Scally fighting hard right behind. Right behind them were the Kale brothers followed by Scally's teammate Gary Lozano and John Gennai. Three of the four Hondas have made the main. Coming up on the mid-way point, Hocking has now passed nearly half the pack and is really cooking. On the jump he was last in to the first comer, bu t by the end of the first lap, he had already gotten by two riders. Rick has a great ability to pass on this type of surface. He will pu t a wheel in on a rider and with j ust the sligh test tap, tell him to get out of the way. They usually will do just that. For Hansen it wasn't working quite so well. Coming off the back tum in traffic, he met up with the Kale brothers laying in the middle of the track. In trying to get around, he wound up in the infield, thus relinquishing the lead. He got back on the track back about four or five spots giving Scally the lead over Hernandez. Bob knew it and was loving it . With a big smile, the over the hill guy was doing a superb job while the traffic scene got to be worse than rush hour on the Bayshore, Riders were falling and riders were getting in the way as the laps wound down. Hocking was now in third righ t behind Hernandez. Out came Hoy Odom's white flag indicating the last lap as Scally was trying to pass one rider. Hocking was getting by Hernandez at the same time, the crowd was screaming, Scally got by the one only to find another coming up, heads were moving faster then those at a tennis match as Scally came into the last tum. Hocking was almost up to him as Robert Lee Scally hesitated to miss another rider and had to swerve to the inside to save it, losing all his momentum. As traffic swerved around him, and he tried to get going again , Hocking crossed the line first with Hernandez just nipping by for second. It took a few minutes to get the scores straigh t and the result of that was that Hocking had tied Hansen in points and was declared the winner by virtue of his two wins and Hansen's one. Kenyon was third having not even run the main and the controversial talk will go on until the Sportsman event gets under way March 2 with more than 500 entries expected. - Results HEAT 1, 1012 ,85 , 1. AI Kenyon (Bul). 2 . Dave Lewis (Bul). 3 . Mike Gerald (Hon ). HEAT 2. 1:14:50.1. John Genna l (HOn) . 2 . Bruce Hanlon (Bul) . 3 . Jim Foley (Vam). HEAT 3. 1,10,65 , 1. Rick Hocking (Hon). 2. Den nts Robinson (Vam). 3. Mike Kalamaras (Bul). HEAT 4, 1 :11 :58: 1. Steve Hernandez (Bul). 2. Steve Eklund (Yam). 3. Dennis arenanan (Bul). HEAT 5. 1:10:64: 1. Dave Hansen (Han) . 2 . Chns Hudson (Bul) . 3. Gary Orlando (Yam). HEAT 6. 1 :12:28 : 1. Ron Kole (Yam) . 2. Kirk King (Yam) . 3. Pat McCaul (Yam). HEAT 1 1 :12:16: 1. Pat Hen nen CSUZ). 2 Nick Nazzts1 tauu, 3. Bill McDonald (Bul). • HEAT 8. 1:12:42 : 1. Gary Lozano (Bul). 2. Skip A k slan d (Yam). 3. Bob Goodman (Bul). HEAT 9. 1 :13 :93 : 1. Tom Kopriva (055) . 2. Bob Scally IBUI). 3 . Nick Theroux (Hon) . HEAT 10, : 1 6: 5 3 : 1. Dennis Robinson (Yam) . 2 . Steve Foster (Bu l) . 3. Steve Potts (Yam). SEMI I, 1 :11 :24: 1. Dave Hansen (Hon). 2. Pat Hennen (SUZ). 3. Gary Lozano (Bul) . SEMI 2. 1 : 1 0: 5 2 : 1. Rick HOCking (HOn) . 2. Ron Kole (Vam) . 3 . Tom KoprIva (Oss) . SEMI 3. 1 :20:17: 1. Steve Hernandez (Bul). 2 . Jerry Kole (Vam) . 3 . JOhn Gennal (Hon) . TROPHV DASH. 33 :67 : 1. Rick Hocking (Hon) . 2 . AI Kenyon (Bul). 3. Steve Hernandez (Bul). MAIN. 3,03 ,25 , 1. Rick HOCking (HOn) . 2 . Steve Hernande z (Bul) . 3 . Bob Scally (Bul). Ya say your teacher Miss Pendergast, keeps on your back about writing a book report? Ya haven't found a book worth reading except Cycle News, and she says it isn't a book? Have we got the answer (natch) to your problem. Try the California Trailbike Guide by Joe Driscoll. It'll tell all about where to legally ride your motorcycle ,in California, and it's plenty accurate, It's worth a fortune, but only costs $5.95 plus 50 cen ts tax and handling. A mere $6.46 total! Orders yours now! Money back if not satisfied. HOT HATS HOT DOG! $1.00 , ,----------_ _ _ _ California Trailbike Guides @ $5.95 plus 50 cents tax & handling ($ 6.4 5 total) total _ __ _ Hot Hats @ 1.00 ea. . . . . . . . . . . . . total _ _ _ FREE STICKlES Which must be accompanied with I S.A.S.E. Name. I I I I I I I I _ _ Addres•• ' _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Zip. _ Allot» two to three weeks for our sometimes post office. Send check or money order to: L _ CYCLE NEWS STUFF P.O. BOX 498. LONG BEACH, CA. 90801 _ _ _ Please print clearly_ _ _ _ LBW ...... . ~ _ ""'~'L~ ~ALTE:~- "~ J a LEATHERS 445 S . Victor y Blvd . .cei Burbank. Co. 91502 .J All it takes To begin your advertising campaign Is a phone call We Have What You Need I ~ed 4136 Woodruff Ave.. Lakewood, Calif. (213) 429 -5961 To the advertising department at Cycle News 213- 427-7433 Pool your vans to the races Cycle News is offering this FREE readers service designed to get motorcyclists t ogether in car and van pools t o and from work, as well as, to and from the races. Do your part to conserve gasoline Monday through Friday so we will all have gas to ride our motorcycles on t he weekend. Check th e Want Ad pages for furth er details or call (21 3) 427 -7433 t o place your free ad via t elephone. il Roale Cbec Let's show th e world that motorcycl e riders are NO.1

• Cover