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/125866
set -up is specialized " black art," unique to th e type of event. Speedway " Unlimited " Flat Track racing, using s pec ial -pu r p o se, 500cc , four -cycle mach ines witho ut bra kes. Specia l fue ls are perm itted and th e tires are Iarge-diameter , skinny, hiqh-pressure types with long, th in, spiky kno bs. Progressive sco ring is used. wit h two types of main events - Scratch Main (starting even ) and Handicap Main (faster riders line up behind th e slower ones). Races are generally o nly fou r laps eac h. Speedway is ru n o n special oval tracks of a furlong or less (one fu rlong equals 22 0 yard s, one-eighth mile }. Gear ing is low fo r torque. Road Racing An e xplanatio n of the diffe rent types o f motorcy cle co m petitio n , t yp ica l co urse used , and suitab le type o f bi ke , an d equipment used By Charles Clayton (In response to a request rrom a subscriber.) Motocross SCUDERIA In by Monday, Race by Sunday Uncl Donny's e ~~ ~~ro{\ru~ mtT6)~ ~ C.lif. 125 package • ...consists of your cylinder & head...we modify all makes of 125cc bikes . ..$115.00 Custom Pipes for 125cc - 400cc ... $54.95 Fast mail order service CR-125 super Honda package Super Penton power Dealer prices available Call or write for details : (2131 530-4656 1418 W. 259th Street Harbor cnv. CA 90710 ••M fishbAck's ~. YAMAHA-I t[)tr.Ji]). M).\ @ Y • 42 (714 ) 822-2252 " 9008 Sierra Ave., Fontana, Ca. HUSQVARNA PENTON LA VERDA SALES. SERVICE ', AND M AIL SPECIALISTS (213) 542-1695 Th e Finest Selection of Parts and Access ories Fo r Bike and Rider We Offer Expert Repa irs Port ing and Co mpet it ion Tuni ng R eceive S50 Wor th of Parts an d Accessories FREE Wiz en You B uy a N ew I/usky or Pent on . TT and Sc rambles Sim ilar to motocross. e xcept that they a re ra c ed on smoo ther. shorter. prepared di rt course. usually u nde r a mile in length. Sco ring is based on one final race per class. the Main Event. Eliminat io n races. called Heats, are run to quali fy finalists for the Main Event. TT and Scrambles bikes are sim ilar to MX equipment. but set up differently. wit h smoot her t ire treads, different s t e e ri n g geomet r y. a nd f irmer suspension. Horsepower counts fo r mor e in TT (professional scrambles ) t h a n in MX. Gearing varies as determ ined by the part icular course lo ng straightaways eq ua ls higher gearing. preponderantl y tight. low-speed turns calls for lower over all gearin g. Flat Track or "Dirt Track" 2419 Artesia Blvd. Redondo Beach, California 90 278 cao-am Currently the most popular kind of organized cycle competition in the U.S. and perhaps the whole world. Typically. it is raced over a closed. approximately one-mile course in two or three set ·time races called "Moros" per class. Scoring is c~mulative. with the rider's overall position based on a total of points earned in all motos. The course ranges from terrain natural. as-tound, hilly country to specially prepared . even indoor dirt tracks. On ly specially-made MX bikes are competitive. They are I\ghtweight. sinqle-cvlinder two-strokes with lonq-travel suspension and knobby tires. Cycles are geared low for th e low -speed. frequent sharp t urns and steep hills encou ntered . Sales, serv ice &: parts competition service, inc. 1244 No . Gaff ey St .,San Pedro CA 9073 1 213-547·2203 Races th at tak e place on smoo th dirt oval t racks of three popular sizes Quarter-Mi le (Short Track). Half-Mile and Mile. Only lightweight (und er 350cc) mach ines are allowed t o compet e on Ouarter-Mile o r smaller tra cks. Onlv big bikes (over 50Occ) race on Mile tracks. Sco ring is progressive, like TT -Scramb les. Flat Track cycles are specially modi fied p roduction models, with block -pattern, street-type t ires special ly cut by t he ride rs for left-turn tractio n. Geari ng varies fro m track to t rack. Horsepower and tract ion are the main thing in Flat Track cycles. Chassis Run on pavement closed cou rses feat uring righ t and left turns and varying length stra ight s. Moto rcycles are designed or mod ified for high speed . good brakin g a nd handl ing. T ires and gearing are of highest importance and vary from course to co urse. Except in Production (stock) racing. fairings are used to cut wind resistance. Grand Prix Grand Prix mean s two d ifferent th ings. In Amer ica it is th e nam e of a kind of course wh ich feat ures bo).!!-pavement and dirt sect ions, on which races are run for a set time. one hou r o r more. Motorcycles are a compromise betw een road racers and scrambles types . Trials Universal t ires are used . Elsewhere in the wo rld , Grand Prix means motocross or road races whi ch co unt toward World Cham pionsh ips. Hare 'n' Hound, Hare Scrambles Long. closed course. cross-country di rt races run fo r a set time, set numb er of laps or to a finish line. A Hare 'n' Hound is longer than a Hare Scramb les. Courses vary up to forty miles for a Hare Scrambles. Motocross or Scram b les type motorcycles are used , ofte n wit h larger gas tanks to go the distance. Enduro The name given to a kind of non -race in which the competitor tr ies to arrive at several check points at specific times. averaging a set miles per hour between check points. Enduro courses may be all dirt or include some highway sections. E nd u r o motorcycles are basically street-leqal, with hor n. lights and license, and are geared to wo rk strongly in all types of sit uat ions, from very slow ridi ng to about 70 MPH. Tires are T rials Universal or knob by, de pending on th e prevailing ty pe of terrain. Trials Another non -racing kind of compet it ion in wh ich th e obj ect is to balance th e motorcycle over very difficult terrain ( ro cks. mud . hillsides, logs. etc.) witho ut falling . stall ing or tak ing on e's feet off the pegs. A Tr ials course is made up of " Sect ions" wh ere the ride r is watched by off icials and penalty points assessed fo r touch ing a foo t to th e ground or sto pping in t he Sect io n. Trials motorcycles are small (125 to 350 cc), light and de signed to be ridd en standing up . Gea ring is extreme ly low for low-speed powe r. Handling is quick and the fo rks t urn completely sideways to a llow very sharp . slow turns. There are other kinds of motorcycle competition, such as Drag Races, Hillclimbs, Australian Pursuit, etc. which are either self-evident or e lse based on a comb ination of the above types. Fo r mo re complete descriptions, send $ 1.25 t o t he American Mot o rc y cl e Assoc iation and request th e ir ru lebook for the particular ty pe of competit ion you des ire. •