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/126246
lot in the "slippe r-slider" class , so whatever rider is hot on any Sunday is going to determine winners , In the 175cc bare tire class on January 9 first went to Lynn Wise on a Can-Am . There's a fireman from Colorado Springs who claims that Lynn Wi se won only because no competition entered on the ninth . Old Lou entered on the twe nty-th ird and took first place. What is Lou's secret weapon? A 165c c Harley. vintage 1959 . " I've been in the gold with my Harley for three years. " brags Lo u , "All I have to do to win is show u p ," Past race records show he isn' t exaggerating by much, The 250cc Bare Tire class is dominated by the Flint Dyn asty - "Swell Mel " and his two sons Steve and Tom. Every so often they let one or two other riders sneak in there just to keep themselves honest , but allin-ali . if there's a 250 class there'll be a Flint in one of the to p three places. . T he Open Ba re Tire class runs last. T here is a strange m achine entered in this group called the R okon . T he bike is assembled in Mass achussetts from parts manufactured in other places . Dave Beck has managed to take first in the Open class on his 350 Ro kon at both of January's events. He claims the Rokon's automatic transmission is the key. Of course Dave also claims he runs it on Annie Green Springs Plum Wine, so who 's to know? The Studded Tire class draws the most riders and more of them each year a re flat trackers out to kee p "on the , key" between th e regular ra ce circuit events. As Carriker says. "It's a rough place to be on our old Enduros when the Class C boys show up ." Of the 135 riders entered on January 9 .79 rode in th e studded classes: The winners in the 175cc Stud class on January 9 were Danny Latham (Bu l) first , Steve Scott (Bul) second. and Lynn Diller (Yam) third. Steve Scott moved up to first at the second event followed by Annie Br oka w (Yam) in second. and Rick Steele (Hon ) in third , Annie has been riding flat track as well as ice races for nea rly five yea rs and ha s a daugh ter an d son who ride also , Bill Br okaw , her husband rides in the Open class . During the first heat it looked like Annie was go ing to smoke all the way to the finals. She flew off the line into first and never gave it up , but a third place later in the day left her in second for the final score . The 250 Stud class 'is the race with the heaviest competition , Twentyseven riders entered and seven took away trophies at the second event. At the first event Merlyn Plum ley took first on a Yamaha with second going to Steve Schrock (Yam), and third to Mike Willett (Yam) . Merlyn is one of the serious fla t trackers who ride the ice " to play" . At the second ' event Merlyn was righ t on the money again and took first while Bill Brokaw on a Montesa -pow ered Rickman bumped Steve Schrock back to third . The Open Stud class has the biggest variety of makes and sizes at the races. At the first race Mark Gibson took first on a 350 Honda while Mike Hall took second riding his Suzuki. Craig Leve ns came in third on his H onda, At the second race Craig took first and neve r seemed to back off as he lapped most of the pack by the end of the seventh and last lap . W it h Cr aig's flash y final run th e day's races ended. Studded labove) and bare t ire (below) classes on the ice, Vive la difference! h IJlCll~"lm Silt!t RACING PRODUCTS Has The Number I Products Street Bike fron t suspension kitsCom ple te with da m pe r rod assemblies and multi-rate fork springs engineered for each model. Kits available for most Honda , Yamaha , Suzu ki, and Kawasaki Big Bikes. No drilling or cutting - j ust pull out the old and ' d r op- in ' the new! From $44.95 Malcolm Sm ith M oto r cycles 7563 Indiana R iverside, CA 92504 714-687-1300 HARD TO GET ~ ~~ l4 ~YAMAHA , PARTS AND ACCESSORIES Lar gest st ock in U,S. 24 Ho ur Mail O~der Se rvice Deelers Welcome DONELSON 314/427-1204 CYCLES, 3328 Woodson Road St. Louis, M o. 63114 INC. Slippery hilarity in Colorado'Roamers' ice races, one and two By Suzanne Thumhart ' RA IN BO W FALLS, CO . . JAN. 9&23 , Mother Nature willing, Harry 's Roam ers Cycle Club of Denver sponsors fou r ice races every winter on the first and third Sunda ys of J anuary and February. The first two events drew 135 and 149 ride rs, respectively - kids on minis , elders on th ir d -wh eels. pro sh ort trackers keepi ng on fo rm in t he studded -tire classes, a nd spo rts m an riders of a ll types keeping limber in the bare-tir e classes. The club ha s worked ' out a system in whi ch riders eithe r ride thr ee motos or h eat -sem i -rna in , depending on the number of entries in class . Under 12 entries, th ey all ride three motes: over 12, they go into an elimination-style program. The mini cla ss is limited to machines 80cc and under and to kids up to about twelve years old , The most common entry and winner is a stock 80cc Yamaha with no stu ds . In th e first event Jamie Gibson , a young lady from Colorado Sp rings, too k first and enjoyed th e gl ory a who le bunch . Second went to Tony Ed wa rds. At th e second event on January 23rd, Jamie had to settle for a second behind Tony Edwards. The three-wheel er class is the group of rid ers for whom the whole ice ra c in g prog r am started . Jerry Capa cious , Al Nesshoefer , and Dave Carriker int rod uc ed th e third-wheel m achines to Colorado in 1962 and th eir club , Harry's Roamers, began sponsori ng ice rac es so their members could ride. Glen Fisher, who never races anyt hing but three-wheeler ice ra ces, is sixty-on e and a great grandfather. " I come out to have a good time , not kill m yself. " he ch uckles gleefully, pointing out th e yellow and black sm ile fac e on the third wheel of his racer. The first place rider, Dave Carriker , at 37 is a kid by comparison , He took first at both events on a Yamaha "tha t's ha d a lot done to it. " Don 't let the th ird wheel or th e age of some of th e riders fool you ; they cra nk th ose ma ch in es ou t and wh ip a round the quarter mil e flat track , They run studs on the main wheels but not on the th ird' wheel which needs to slid e , not grab . The bare t ire 125cc class is apparently up for grabs this season. O n Janua ry 9 first went to AI , Nesshoefer on his "fearless" Honda , second to Barry Messenger (Hon) and th ird to Ge orge Pavlick (Kaw). On Janua ry 23 . first was won by Fred Schutz (Hon) second by Dave Beck (Ya m) a nd th ird by Lee Morris (Hon). Accordin g to Dave Carriker , on e of th e organizers, rid in g skill counts for a , " ., RESULTS Jan 9.19n MINIS: 1. Jamie Gibson (Yam). 2. Tony Edwar ds (Yaml. 3. Jimm y Douglas (Yaml. (Continued on page 32) ~ . . : ." ....