Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

~_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.e Western hotline 'W E'RE I San Fernando bests Bakersfield at Old Timers MX By Betty Bird EDWARDS . CA . FEB . 20 Six entrants in the Masters class made it the largest turnout for that Old Timers MX Association class in a long time. with Blackie "San Fernando" Lewis and Ron "Bakersfield" Miller putting on the show for the rest of the boys . Lewis got a bad start but worked his way through traffic to make it a clean sweep for the day. with Ron right be hi nd in second place . Mervin O lson hot-dogged it in for third . The Expert class drew a good' share of the attent ion th is day wit h Jo hn Seider. who is constantly going faster and faster . taking the top banana off the bunch. Bo b Millner laughed his way all around the course and into second overall. Sam Jones wouldn't give up and took a third. The Amateur division had a good turnout . (15 riders) with Tom Widick up front in first showing the rest of the gang how it's done. Jack Hurley. the old desert rider with a new Suzuki. blasted around for a second overall look out for John when he gets the bike broken in! Dick Varvel . still smiling from last week . powered in for third and popped open a fresh tube of ~epsodent! {Pepsodentl . .. Ed .} Novice rider Myles Addy was at it again. in first place from wire-to-wire, Riverside sent in speedy Kenny Watts who rose to the occasion with a second spot for the day. with " Kid" Coffman hustling for third . • According to our latest survey, more than 60% of all Cycle News dealers sell every copy on their counters. Every issue. Cycle News sells out because readers like our no-B.S. approach to everyt hi ng from eco logy and motorcycle legislation to shop tips , home repairs and no -holds-barred product evaluations. Most importantly, Cycle News is news. Race results. Point standings. Upcoming events. News while it's still news. As a Cycle News dea ler , you'll not only have the pleasure of dispensing a lot of good cycle ne ws to your custom ers, but you'll also have the pleasure of pocketing SS ~ %profit per copy sold per issue. A minimum order of 5 cop ies per issue makes vou an official Cycle NeW)! dealer. As a dealer, you'll receive a FREE handy Cycle News counter rack for you r counter and a new Open/Closed sign for your door. Why wait ? Wherever you are - East, or Wes t, there's a Cycle News edition for you to sell ou t of. And a Cycle News person is waiting for your call . Bay Mare is dead: Fear and loathing in Ventura By L~e Taylor VENTU RA . CA. FE B. 15 --'------------------IDEALERS••.6El WITH IT I I I I I I I I I I I I I 28 Okay, what can I lose7 Start my store selling CYCLE NEWS with the next issue. I understand you will bill me monthly and I have full return privileges on unsold papers, by returning the issue number and date with my check for the balance. I wish to receive ~ 6Q] ~ copies of Cycle News PI. . . send the FREE displey rack 0 Send CYCLE NEWS to: Name of Stor~ ---------------- _ Adclress _ Citv Authorized by State ZiP--:::-_ _ Send Advertising info 0 . Mail to: CYCLE NEWS, PO Box 498 ' Long Beach, California 90801 or Call 213·427·7433 A fai thful band of American Motocross Enter prises (A .M.E.) followers gathered in the Ventura County Board of Supervisors' I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~---------------------~ chambers for the final verdict . regarding Bay Mare . the oldest MX track in this part of California . and long since inactive. Situated in a remote corner of Balcom Canyon in Ventura County. it seemed the logical center of MX for Ventura and Santa Barbara Co unties. Jerry Shore. President of A.M.E. • had great hopes for Bay Mare and after m a ny months of trials and re-trials in search of the necessary permit. D Day had arrived . Those of us at the hearing thought we'd seen the worst of prejudice and ignorance on behalf of the loca l gentry and poli ticians at the Planning Commission Hearing a m onth earlier; but not hing we'd seen or hea rd p repared us for this fina l tria l. The good people of Balcom Canyon were there in force and heavily armed. Their amm unition ran the gamut: claims that given a foot in the door. our people would terrorize the community. hunt down their fine horses. pee in their bushes. and spread a strange disease known as Avocado Root Fungus to their avocado groves. (This disease presumably would spread through contamination of the neighborhood water supply. Who would have thought watering trucks harbored Avocado Roo t Fungus or that motorcycles were deadly carriersl) If this weren't enough. we were informed that the additional road traffic on Sunday would upset epileptic dogs in a local kennel causing them to have seizures and all brood mares ready to foal would be unduly agitated and proba b ly would pro d uce still - born foals . The local law enforcement officals, not to be upstaged by the ho meowners. accused us of reckless driving to and from the races. T hei r premise was that ra cing is a n ex hilera ring sport a nd wou ld obviously stir us all to such a frenzy that we would race through t he ca nyo n. ca using n umerous accidents and overloading their work schedule. Their question was who wou ld pay them for the over-time required to control our reckless driving? We countered with letters of commendation from the police departments In Santa Maria. Bakersfield and Camarillo; areas where A .M .E. has been and is racing. • These letters were read aloud . but quickly ignored by the Supervisors. One resident . convinced that our racers would trespass and maim the area. rented a plane and took aerial photos of Valley Cycle Park. showing dirt trails around and behind the park. presumably caused by motorcyclists. Another lady's solution to the problem was to let us have Bay Mare but that all the riders should be airlifted in and out so as not to present a traffic or community problem. To top it off. several townspeople and Supervisors encouraged A.M .E. to buy Valley Cycle Park and race ther e . since there were no nea rby resi dents to disturb; or better yet. buy land in Malibu Canyon (a n area they consider environmentally sound. not in conflict with a race track). T hey a lso pointed out that there would be no danger of fire in Malibu Canyon. and no residents to disturb. One guilt· ridden Supervisor went so fa r as to suggest they all get behind us and help us with the necessary permit for the area. The remainder of comments from the opposition came mainly from selfrighteous fathers. condemning motocross as an indecent sport . chiding us for spending so much money on our "mechanical 'toys" and urging us to switch our allegiance to Little League Baseball or jogging. To each his own! The majority of the Supervisors knew little or nothing about racing. referring to the bikes as "motors." O ne of the major disappointments of the afternoon turned out to be a nay vote fro m one of the Supervisors who had raced Bay Mare in earlier days . as well as In d ian D unes and Saddleback, His objection was to the "followers " of races - those undesirab les who attend races. not to race . but to va ndalize. terrori ze and in general. wrea k havoc to the area . This seemed to be th e general outcry of the opposition . T hey allowed as how Jerry Shore and his group were fine outstanding people and would do no harm ; however. the nature of racing would attract "followers." One interesting item of the day was

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