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/126073
~ 1..0 ,....; l-< QJ . ..0 a By Jim Gianatsis :> n these days of bucks up factory sponsorships where it seems the only way for a motocrosser to attract the attention of a factory team is to be a Southern California hotshoe, there is one rider campaigning the 1976 Trans-AMA Series who's making a name.for himself the hard way. He's 22-year old 'Pat Richter from Fortuna, California, QJ I o Z -~ . . :,~\.. ...... ..;..~. .' • perhaps the last semi-independent to regularly roost on the factory , riders since Tony DiStefano accomplished such a feat in 1974. Embarrass the factories often enough and they have no choice but to offer you membership in their exclusiveclub. Just in case you were beginning to wonder if ' Fort una , California. was located anywhere near Los Angeles , you can forget it. Pat's home is located 265 miles mirth of San ,Francisco near the Oregon border. He began racing , TT and flat track some nine years ago, switching over to motocross five years ago. It 's been a long. hard climb for Pat th3'-t hasn't ended yet. "I have ' to drive five or six hours from my home to get to a motocross. There's just no racing up in thatarea. There use to be TT and flat track, but the environmentalists closed that down and now there's nothing. At home 1 work in the woods as a logger and go racing on the weekends . My brother owns the logging business and is really good about letting me have time off. My whole family ... parents, uncle, brothers. . have really helped me then most . And this year, of course, there's Chuck. Last year 1 rode the Trans'AMA Series on a CZ and DNFed all the time because the bike wasn't prepared right." , Chuck Tannlind is Pat's tuner/mechanic in charge of keeping Pat's KTMs running strong and . most importantly for a semi-privateer, always around at the finish so they can pick , up their share of the purse. Chuck's history goes back to when he use to race formula cars in SCCA, butmore recently to when he , was part owner of Pacific Performance in San Rafel. Pacific Performance was the first shop to give Pat any support in his racing, and partly because of their close _friendship and Chuck's desire to help Pat succeed. Chuck sold out his share of the bike shop to wrench for Pat on the National circuit. . The fact that Chuck's mechanical abilities are first rate is obvious. Pat's 'KTMs have yet to DNF'a moto and are among the strongest running bikes on the circuit. At the Red Bud Trans-AMA the little 355cc KTM had more than enough ponies to allow Pat to nail down the holeshot in the first moto of the international class. " I think Chuck's one of the best, and I've never broken down . He's done some work to the engine. as well as to the frame and swingarm to prevent flex. On the 250cc KTMs there isn't enough horsepower to induce flex. but on the 400cc KMT there's a huge difference in the way my bike handles under power compared to a box stocker. We had a lot of problems with shocks early in the year. We couldn't get a set that would last a whole 45Top right: For Chuck (Ieftl and Pat (right!. traveling the AMA circuit has to be done as professi!'lally as with. each party possible responsible f~r their own job. Right: Pat 1541 dices it out with DeCoster and Wolsink .tter taking the lead at the start of the Michigan Trans-AMA.