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/126019
i Local hotline aSRA GP: Objective/ t personal/gonzo ~ ~ -journalism attacks Riverside & crashes By J ohn Ulrich RIVE RSIDE, CAL., NOV. 16 Nearly 1000 riders entered the Sp ortsman Racing Association's 10th Gran d Prix at Riverside Raceway. What those 1000 riders got for their money was seven laps on a 10 mile co urse winding back and forth inside the giant racing facility. About one th ird of the lap was asphalt, laid o ut o n parts of the road racing co u rse an d access ro ads . The rest wa s dir t in forms varying fro m smooth an d WF O to rough and rasty , The di versity of en tries was amazing. Mos t of the machines wo re p aper " pie pl ates" to co nform with SRA 's unique num bering system . Un de rneath those pie plates were motorcy cles ranging from Suz u ki RMs to Yama ha thumpers to a C Ll 75 Ho nda to an In dian micro-mini b ike. Riders ranged from sponsored and dressed in th e latest mote-fashion to Levi-and-lace-boot beginners. A water truck watering the track and riders during and between ra ces co uld n' t move fast enough to keep th e en tire lon g co urse free of blinding, ch o king , th roat-drying d ust. It was able, however, to make transitions between pavement and dirt very interesting. Selected slic k spots following hardpan-coveredwith-dust tested the skill of riders trying to go fast. A co up le of parents let a tiny bo y on a midget In dian ride in the O-125c c race. Charging through a massive dust cloud on a downhill leading to a concrete tunnel under an o ther part of the course. I loo ked down to see th is tiny figure pu tting alo ng ab o ut 4 0 mil es per hour slower tha n the group of racers I was coexisting wi th at th e ti me . It was a The water truck not only tried to keep the track damp. bu t an occasional rider as well . good feeling to have mi ssed the small boy. One never wan ts to run over a rider who doesn 't rea ch one's kneecaps when seated on his machine. The long pavement stretches allowed machines and riders less suited for rough dirt make up time, if they were geared tall enough. But the down and dirty knobby boys did a pretty good job on the tarmac. At least one road racer who though t he was going to clean house on the pavement had to grudgingly respect so me determine d racers at t his S RA event. When you've got to use strategy In order to be a w inning rider, sometime s you have t o be fast o n yo ur feet as well . 16 to pass, you know you've go t a worthy opponent. Thank goodness for 15-32 gearing and a strong motor. Ambulance service was pretty good, considering the size of the monster course, and helpful comer workers were _ happy to pull off at least one flattened motorcycle after a spectacular crash. If yo u want to know mo re about this race, look at the photos, or imagine careening out of a dust storm onto a mud slick that lead s into a pavement co mer w hich leads to an off-camb er , wa te re d-down, whooped tu m . Surround yourself with about a dozen riders, all of whom are about as fast as you are, no matter what your speed. Now try to deal with the course and the dust, try to hold on and not miss t he turns, and try to pass all those other guys. What you get is a lot of genuine racing, a little inspired terror, and a wholeso me shot of WFO jollies, Not bad, these SRA deals. Why, when I recover I'm gonoa enter another one, and blow off everybody on t he • straights, an d not fall, and . . . Resu lt s in Resu lt s Section. I