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/126245
--------------------------------------------------------_. Western hotline IAbove) Antsy Old TImers (note skyshot down the line), (below left) Amateur Marty Babcock exercises his forks. lbelow right) second·wave 250s skirt the mudhole. ponsored 750cc machinery at avtona. n Conclusion rJay Springsteen, Kenny Roberts nd Gary Scott all entered the 1976 ason in varying states of readiness. y were neither completely ready r totally not ready. This year the trio e basiJ:8l1y on top of everything. It ould mean that the battle for the own w ill begin at Houston and con'nue wheel to wheel throughout the ~l8SOn. On str ict " play no favorites" easoning, the odds are stacked vily in favor of Robarts and Scott . ith Roberts a slight 'favorite because f his ability to be a threat in any event any track. Scott, wh ile considered all around threat also, must work on is short t rack and road raci ng inery to be a consistent contener. If, by some stroke of luck, Springer n overcome the handicap of not sing able to compete in the road aces and if the spoilers play their role ell, the champ ionship could be nybody's ballgame. I The champion? Even the bookies 'ouldn't give odds on this year's ason because it stacks up as being unpredictable as last year's. In any vent it will provide everyone with a elluva lot of good close racing. It w ill, owever, be dominated by a handful f names rather than producing fift een iff erent National victors as happened st season. I ... -:. ., ;1'" ~ ,'. , • I" Minert and BSA win as M.O.R.E. BenefitGP nets $1000 By Lane Campbell O RANGE. CAL. .JAN. 23 This second atte m pt at a Motorc ycle O wners , Ri ders a nd Enthuiasts ( M. O. R . E.) fu nd ra iser by the Anaheim Hi -Siders and th e O ra nge Co unty chapter b rou g h t rid ers out of th e woodw ork Bob ~ aynard, Eric J en sen , ISDT tea ms ter J o hn Fero , B r yon Farnsworth on a very ' p ro to typ ica l" Open -class Kaw ask i , e ven C h uc k " Fee ts" Minert on his " Vi n tage 197 0" BSA , (wh ich M in ert used to win th e co m bi ne d O ld Timers/ Fo u r Stroke race going away). In th e p rocess, th e eve nt broke a Sadd lebac k record, becom ing the firs t G ra nd P rix to draw over 200 riders to t he pa rk (20 7 ent ries to tal); a nd th e pleased Sa d d leback managemen t rec iprocated by do nati ng the ambula nce fo r the day. T he races began and ended wit h picturesq ue endos -ih to ·t h(, ltn p le·di p mudho le n e ar t he s tart /finish . How ever, on' th e who le the a m bu la nce cre w suffe red from crashing bo redom a nd even was able to ca tch a f.ew Zzzs. Feets Min ert led his eve nt wire -to wire after Ted H a it , a 100 Novice , had bu zzed the co m bined Mini/IOO crowd. Farnsworth , en te re d as an O ld Timer (fu nny , he doesn't loo k old) ca me off the second ro w in to fourth ove rall by, the end of th e first lap , hot d ogging a nd wheeliei ng wit h abandon, and m ovin g la ter into th ird behind four stroker Tom T ay lor (Hon) . Dick Sma llwood. however , kept Fa rnswo rt h in his sig h ts and in the closi ng la ps moved into thi rd overall, lirst O ld Ti mer. In at fifth overa ll. third four stroke . was Novice (I) Mark Ve na as o n a H onda XLl75 , ou t- has tl ing th e big · bo res . Da nny Sa nc he z, ri d ing ou t of Eric J ensen 's sho p. ra n away fro m t he 125 field , th en helped tea m ma te J ensen win the T eam Ra ce in th e afte rnoon . T om Bell , a t second ove ra ll and first - 125 Ama te u r , ba rely kep t Sa nc hez in sight , as th e fas te r 125 riders berzerked it around t he modified Baj a de Saddle back course . W ayne Martin , Er ic W a trel and Eric Jensen ( Ex pert s a ll) went o ne-two three in th e cro wded 250 class , bu t the battle of th e da y came in th e Open as Experts Craig~ , A d a m s H n d , t l.o ~e Sr heffers (bo th on KTMs) chased ea ch ot he r over th e (by no w) grooved -in co urse , W FO on the fas t . glassysmoo t h fire roads , d iving into th e halfm ile ova l, c hopping throu g h the sa nd wash section and free -fa IIing down the circ u it 's two giant down hills. Ada ms won . Riders co nse nsus o n th e long, va ried co urse was favorabl e . It had pr ovided a litt l.. of everyth ing , m ot ocross o n fresh g rass, a bit of sand wash , tapped , o ut ro ad ru n ning , a litt le ge t·down nat tra d v , a nd of co urse . t he d ia bo lica lly. ron ccived mud hole . C lu b m embers sum m ed it up a ft er th e ra ce : " W riting lett ers a nd all that is necessary , but let's face it - everybody wo uld ra ther ride . W e hope we gave t hem the ir money's wort h , because we're going to do it again ." • RESULTS-UNOFFICIAL M INlfl QO RA CE: 1.. Ted Han 1100 Nov), 2. Robin Busse IM n Novl , 3. Richard Riml inger 1100 Beql , 4. Billy EvansIMn Nov). 5. Richard Romero1 Beg), Mn OLD T IMER /FOUR STR OKE: 1. Chu ck M iner1 (41 S aSAI. 2. Tom Tavlor 14/S Hon l. 3. Di ck Small w oo d lOT EX), 4 . Bryon Farnsw ort h (OT EX ). 5. Ma rk Venaas 1 415 Novl . 6. Don Youn g (OT), 125 RAC E: 1. Danny Sanchez IKTM Ex), 2 . Tom a ell (Ami. 3. Stirling Ho pson IA m l. 4 . Geo rge Earl lA m ). 1st No v J eff Till is, 1sl Beg Brian Phillipsen . 250 RAC E: 1. Wayne Martin (EKI. 2. eric W atrellE xl, 3 Eric Jensen IEl(l. 1SI AM K yn Kibschenmann. 2nd A m Rog er Reed. 1st Nov M ark Phillips, 2nd NOV Mike Ferro . OPEN CLA SS: 1. C,aig A da ms IExl, 2. Lee Sch eff", (ExI, 3 Brad M clean