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/126262
Ronnie Mullen and Tom Hollister go for it in the Over-30 125 Int. race . he could stand in the first moto from Chuck Earle on a very ragged-out looking CZ . Vatter crashed in the first moto, giving th e victory to Ea rle . It was Vatter and Earle again in the second moto but th is time Bob was not letting anybody by. Chuck took his CZ to the overall with a 2 ·1 score while Bob settled for second with a 5·1 . At th e end of a full day of racing, the matter of overall state champ in th e novice a nd int ermeda ite cla ss ha d yet to be decid ed . The lOp five in each class were eligible to ra ce on e moto , IS m inutes 'for novices , 20 minutes for intermed ia tes, for the large four-peste trop hy which would procla im th em state over-gO motocross ch a m p ion. The no vice fin a l got underway with Bob Vatter ag ain pulling wh at a ppeared to be an easy hol eshot on the res t of th e pack . Va tte r hel d his lead for about two laps before lett in g ha rd charging Ben Bax ter by. T he first four riders were tight with Chuck Ea rle in th ird and Am Schultz fou rth . They continued to circuit the tra ck in close formation a nd wer e soon joi ne d by Ron Dou ghty a nd Mike Macejewski , making it a very tight six -wa y race for the lead with just two la ps to go . This was a ll for one trophy so when the whi te flag ca me ou t , things started poppin g . Specta cular passing attempts resu lted in absolutely zero posit ion changes and finally Bob Vatter crashed on the back side of the course in a desperation pass, leaving Ben Baxter to drive home ahead of Chuck Earle by about two feet a t the fin ish. Don Franklin took his big-bore Yamaha through the first tum ahead of the screaming pa ck once again, esta b lishing him self quickly as th e man to beat. Ed Terrell was back in fourth and charging while Franklin was pulling awa y. T errell crashed on lap three whil e tryin g to pass 125 rider J im Barnes. Desp ite being hopelessly behind , Ed contin ued to ra ce . Meanwhile , Ph il O liver slowly but su re ly cut away at Franklin's lead but once again fdl sh ort by mere feet when th e checkered flag came out. Don Franklin had put on a powerful ride and his int ermed ia te victory was well deserved. All of the riders exhibited a sense of good fun during the day. Some, after falling , waved to the crowd. They teased ea ch other, laughed and thoroughly enjoyed themselves . Nicknames abounded on leathers, jerseys and vans. Don Franklin had the word " FAT" emblazoned in big orange letters across the back end of his leathers. After having seen his daylong performance, many riders came to ' th e conclusion that he had accidentally left the letter "S" ou t of his nickname. Rod Doughty had "Da llas Fats" on the back of his jersey, a nd R .W . Abbott, aboard an automa tic tra nsm ission g60 Husky ha d dubbed himself " 01' Sh iftl ess. " Doc W inters, an M.D . by trade. sim ply had "DOC" stitc hed to the b ack of his well -worn leathers. So , who are th ese men who ra ce ove r -Sf) motocross? The broad spectru m of rid ers defies any sort of stereot yp ical descrip tion, since they com e from all wa lks of life . Present and ready to 'do battle in Waco were : a doctor from Granberry; a professor of economics from Texas A&M ; th e ' Dean of Students at El Centro College: the vice president of an export packing com p any; the district sales manager for Kirby; the owner of a publishing com p a ny; and the owner of a sports eq u ipment manufacturing com pa ny . Others were accountants, mechanics, teachers , draftsmen , salesmen, and one rider who creates stained glass windows for churches. There is really no reason why such a diverse group of people should be partying together in th e m iddle of a field on a Sa turday nigh t , exce p t for th eir love of life , good times , and motocross raci ng . • Resu lts in Results Section . $99.50 • Attention! Mikuni Owners Now Available Transparent/High Impact Plastic Carburetor Float Bowls With Exclusive • Quick Changa Bottom Plug e nable. you t o • Cha nge jetting quickly • Check for dirt o r water in your ca rbura tor • Check float le vel a t a gla nce $9.95 Limited Time Offer (We will reimburse a n y telephone charges incurred for in for mati on on mail orders) 10575 E. iliff De nver, Colora do lI0232 (Dealer Inq uiries Invit ed) (30 3) 755·4387 41