Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

I Desert hotline ~. . t l..O t"O') ~ (Left) Bob Ballentine cuts loose for another ORA overall win, while battles like this (right) were raging behind him. Mayes & Roeseler ransack Doublecrossers/. Checkpoint Dual Euro Scrams By Judy Kinnaman LUCERNE, CAL., JULY 18 Mitch Mayes returned to the desert again this weekend to take the vict ory for the Open Am ateur/ Expert race of both the Double- 24 crossers and the Checkpoint MCs. This was Mayes ' first ride out of Long Beach Honda, and one of the last few desert races he 'll attend this · year. On the Checkpoint side, Mayes (Hus) finished the race with a two-minute lead on the second place finisher, Max Eddy (KTM). Jeff , Kirk (Yam) took third. At the Doublecrossers race, Mayes . won, followed by Mike Edmondson (Yam) and Jim Sumners (Yam). In the race for 250 Amateur/Expert, there was a lot of excitement on the Doublecrossers side. Blasting around the first loop came Larry Roeseler (Hus) handlebar to handlebar wi th Bruce Ogilvie (H-D). As the crowd scattered, the pair sped by, dicing it out to the bitter end. Somewhere on the last half of the finish loop, Ogilvie got a hole in his manifold. Roeseler got by and pulled aw~y to take first, Ogilvie was second and Bob Rutten (Hus) finished third. Rutten turned in 'a good, although ainful, race considerin his back was still giving him trouble from last week's injury. At the Che ckpoint MC 250 Amateur/Expert race', Roeseler gassed it again to take the win, after being . clocked at an average of 13 minutes per ' loop. Rutten came in second followed by Brent Wallingsford (Hus). Ogilvie was nowhere in sight, evidently having some bike problems. it was an excited Ed Rodine (Yam) who took the victory for the Amateur /Expert C bike on the Doublecrossers side, followed by Russell Jenkins (Yam) and C. Green (Yam). At the Checkpoint half of the race, Bob West flew around the course to take first on his Ossa. Mike Matlock (Yam) and Tim Harris followed to take second and third respectively" Chuck Cartledge triumphed over the Trail bikes in both races. In the Doublecrossers' race, Darrin Kelsey (Yam) and Doug Martin (Hod) were behind him, on the Checkpoint side it was, surprisingly, Bruce Ogilvie (?) and Darrin Kelsey. ' The Seniors put on quite a show at the Doublecrossers' race. "Smokebomb" Gaetz (Yam) and Dick (AK) Camp (Yam) battled it out in an exciting race to the finish. Dick Camp squeaked by to take the victory with >" "Smokebomb" close on his heels. The next dueling duo was George Walker (C·A) and Jack Froelich (Yam). George was ahead at the finish line, but due to an inattentive flagman, was sent out for another loop. First Open Amateur for the Senior Division was Irvin "Okie " Sinclair (Hus). Bruce Lewellyn (Yam) won the Che ckpoint Senior clash, followed by Jack Froelich and "Smokebomb" Gaetz. Trudy Beck (KTM) scored two wins in the Women's Division of both races. followed in both instances by Barbara Tieskoetter (Suz). ' Chuck Carson (Yam) took the Open Novice victory in the Checkpoint's race. 250' Novice Jack Gaetz (Yam) claimed the laur els in both races, as did Paul Smith (Yam) in the C bike Novice races. Bruce Elery (Yam) also garnered two wins in his Trail bike Novice class. • Results 'in Results Section. 'Balentine dominates DRA By Dale Brown CALIFORNIA CITY;CAL.,JULY 18 While it took Bob Balentine (400 KTM) several miles to get into the lead, he spent the rest of the race well out in front to win DRA's GO-mile triple hare scrambles. Morgan Malocco (400 Yam) led the charge to the bomb and held it Tor the next five miles or so.Then Cordis Brooks (360 Bul) nudged by Malocco, dusted him, and led until he broke his handlebar crossbrace while crossing a ditch. Dan Dawson ' (400 KTM) was in th ird but he slipped by to lead for about a mile, until the course carne onto a fireroad and he . seized. Balentine had been watching all this and when Dawson seized he pa ssed Malocco and led the rest of the race. . , Behind him on the sec ond and third loops, several battles were taking place. One was Malocco battling a flat tire that occurred ' when he overshot a tum heading out for .th e second tour and bounced throu h a roc ile. f Malocco came Benny Padilla (250 Yam) 'who' was figh ting a transmission that wouldn't stay in gear. Bill Conroy (450 Vil) lost' the battle against mechanical gremlins; he retired after running as high as fourth. . Tom Brooks (250 KTM) was running fifth on the first loop, moving up when Conroy retired. Phil Stumbo (250 CZ) came from eighth to challenge Tom. Starting the final loop, Stumbo got by in the pits. Brooks stayed with him for most of the third loop and then pulled up and passed him going up a hill near the finish. Their battle almost got them past Padilla and the trio finished within seconds of each other. Balentine had already been in the fin ish for several minutes before Malocco arrived -to take second. It was a 'co uple of minutes after that when the P ad illa- Bro oks-Stumbo combination finished. Sco tt Pfeiffer (400 Yam) was next in, finishing first Amateur. Monte (with an "e") Lee (250 Yam) took seventh, just ahead of the first two small-bores, Lee Wilson III (175 Hus] and Tim Plant (125 DMG). Dennis Greene (250 .Yam ] fought off the bad luck he's had all year and finished tenth. Tom Mattox (400 Yam) nailed down an other Novice win, leading the green-bar brigade all the way. Gordon Schmid (400 Yam) took the Senior victory, while Leslie Klug (250 Hon) triumphed over a derailed chain and , finished first powder Puff. Ken Kaiser (40 0 Yam) ' took the overall Beginner victory, ahead of Greg Branham (400 Yam) and Mike Heyler (125 Hon). · With his arm still in a sling, Ron Burpo showed up fo r the first time since his accident. Up and walking about, he presented Balentine with his •

• Cover