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/125861
The Red Arrow Enduro fI2 51 5iQ ;= • 5iQ ~ g ~ g '7' r- C'l 00 C'J ;>-~ ""'" ~ Howard McCasland practices the latest motv-cross style , got a come-frombehind second ove r Ph il Stumbo. George Harv ey IHuslled until he wiped o ut a tire. Saltzman grabs ORA Silver Cup By Dale Brown , CALIFORN IA 'CITY, CAL ., MAY 18 Bill Saltzman, riding a 400 Husky, won the Silver Cup by placing first in an event o f the same name held by the Desert Racing Association. Fifty riders were eligib le to compete, based on points earned this year. It was an open race with no classifications fo r rider ability or engine size. Trophies were awarded to the top ten riders. Period. In order to m ak e things a little more equal for t he smaller machines, the DRA laid o ut a very tight co urse. The loop was so twisty that some riders said they had trouble following it, even though they all said it was well marked. Th irty-nine riders waited anxiously at the start line with fee t poised over kickstarters and hands poised over cl utch levers. The banner dropped and the valley was filled with a roar. George Harvey, on a 6-speed 4 00 Husky had the lead at the bomb. Not too much later, he flattened the rear tire when he hit a rock. Saltzman gained the lead at th e halfway mark of the first loop . Co ming through th e pi ts at the end of the first 14-mile loop , Saltzman had a 20 second lead over Phil Sumba (Yam), who in tum was about 20 seconds ahead of Howard McCas land (H us). Bill Saltzman blurs by the start/fin ish on h is way to ba gging the ORA Silver Cup. 14 The actio n shift ed to a ni ne -mile loop that was to be run four times. It was soon app arent that no o ne was goi ng to catch the flying Saltzm an, so attention was centered o n w het he r or n ot St um b o wo u ld stay ahead of McCas lan d . As they p assed the pi ts fo r the third time, McCas land was staring righ t at th e bright yellow fen de r of th e Yammie. Taking advantage of the displ acemen t difference, McCasland po wered past Stumbo on an up hill sandwash . Saltz ma n took firs t by a huge marg in over second-place McCaslan d . S tumbo took third, fo llowed by Ed Rodi n e on a 250 CZ. Harvey limped in with a nat tire and ninth p lace. For his effo rts , Saltzman rec ieved a huge t rop hy wo rth abo ut $500, according to DRA Pre sid en t Ron Burpo. If Saltzman wants to kee p the t rophy o n a permanent basis (and we ass ume he d oes) , the n he will have to co me back and win the next two Silver Cu p races (there are fou r per year). Reporter's Notebook : Bill Saltzman spent the entire nigh t before the race catc hing up on work in his shop . After th e race he wa s looking for so m e shu te ye and finally got ab out three hours worth in his van. • Results in Results Section. By Doody & Kinsella LONG BA RN, CAL. , MAY 19 The Son o ra Pass M.e. p ut on an end uro whi ch was rat ed fro m goo d to grea t b y the District 36 riders participating. The co urse started out with a kidney jogling roc ky sec tio n u p a steep mo untainside, then continued to climb 5000 It-plus elevations in to cold low-hanging clouds which shrouded the m oun tain tops. T hey crossed meadows wh ere the sp ring melt left muddy puddles in the low spots. When a rider got his feet wet going through the m he soon bega n to feel the effects of the 45 to 50 degree te mperatu re of the day. On the tighter trails where trees squeezed close, big frosty clum ps of snow fell on them as they struggl ed to keep fro n t wheels str aigh t and power to t he grou nd. Now an d agai n the chill wind wo uld drive da mp, swir ling snow into the riders' fac es adding to the chill factor . Hands and fee t ache d with the we t and cold and th e final check at the end of the 100 mile endur o seeme d m o re an d more una t taina ble. The numerou s stretches of gra vel road made th e run a fast o ne , b ut at 24 MPH it also feel s co lder so th e roads wer e a m ixed benefit. T he few wa ter crossings d idn't rate d isti nction as being deep so much as bein g ano th er place where sem i-warm feet we re again slos hed in icy water. Nevertheless , most riders mad e it in under the ir own power to finish an d a war m pai r of socks an d Levis. One of the "A" riders summe d it up: "It wasn't n ecessar ily super cha llenging b ut th e 24 MPH speeds, a lit tle snow , and a lot of roads made it fun ." T he ru n m ay have been fun, b ut the long wait for the gas trucks to return wi th t he rid er 's empy containers kind of -, put a damper o n an otherwise very fine en duro. Many riders wai ted as long as five hours before they could get the ir containers and valuable gas. It is a rather petty complaint-in t hese days of shortages with 5 gal lo n containe rs hard to find, and an open gas station on Sun day eve ning harder to find - the n every littl e b it h elp s. Aside fro m the "Great Red Arrow .Gas Can Conspiracy," the enduro was fin e. The fin al results will be in soon. • Mot or ing on th ro ugh the High Sierr as in sea rch of zeroes.