Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

.._._._-.._._._.•._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.- Celib''' Plpella. Serrano takes Coliseum cash By E. Wright. EL PASO, TX,JULY 9 Desert Products West and the El Paso Coliseum hosted its second indoor motocross race with a $2,500 purse for pros 'a nd big trophies through 10th' place for ovices and Juniors. The track was tight and almost impossible to pass on for riders of equal abilities . There were a lot of crashes . The Pro classes were not as big as expected but all the top pros in the Southwest showed up for some real good -racing . In practice. every pro was within two seconds a lap of each other. Carlos (Chico) Serrano of T u cson, National #66, Danny Weir of Big Springs, Texa~, . and local favorite Scott Logston of Las Cruces, N:M . had all just returned from the 125 National circuit with Weir and Logston sporting some finishes in the top 20 . In the first mota of the 125 Pros, Scott Logstom (Yam) charged off the line with the lead, but in the second turn Morris Baker (Han) of Marfa , Texas , centerpunched Logston ' and Carlos Serrano (SUl) and all three went down. Logston retired from the mota, saying that the ankle he broke a year ago was bothering him . Logston raced the rest of the motos that night, not -looking up to par. He didn't find out until the next day that he had broken the same ankle in a different place and he is now in a cast again. Chappy Blose of Phoenix (SUl) led the first mota after the crash until the "last lap when his 'Suzuki quit! Eddie Werden El Paso (Yam) took over for the win with Weir (Han) second 'a nd . Serrano third. ~ Serrano led thesecond mota from start to finish with Blose working up for second with Baker taking third. Weir (Yam) dominated the first .mota of the 250 Pros with Serrano (Pen) a close second and Pete Tanner ' (P en )·thi rd . The second moto was all Serrano's ' with Logston . and Weir running a good close race. Logston held off Weir at the finish. Serrano (Pen) won the first mota of the Open Pros but not without some trouble from Pete Tanner (Pen) while . J~l Craig took a distant third. The second mota was a wild one as Joel Craig endoed off the start. Serrano and Tanner took each other out in the second turn: leaving the race to Logston with a half-lap lead. The • mota was restarted due to riders laying all over the track. At the restart, Serrano took the lead and was never challenged while Tanner, Weir and Logston freight trained around the course in close formation, finishing in J t~at order. For Serrano, it was a great ,night, with three first overalls to celebrate his . • 21st Birthday. Results in Results Section. Englund sets the pace for SRAC 250 Experts 'By Linda Donelson COLORADO SPRINGS, CO , -J ULY 16-17 Hot was the word for the Apoints-riders and weather at SRAC's two-day MX . . . On Saturday, Mini Amateur was the race of the day, with Don Mitchell (the stormer from novice) up fQr the first time. He proved his worth with a second overall for the day . As the class left the line for the first mota, it was Mitchell out in front with Charlie Privett and Chip Shiplet on his tail. As they screamed out to the back straight away and into the off-camber you could already tell it was going to be a goody. Minis only know two throttle positions - full on or full off. And these three were getting it on. Sitting back in the pack was Scott Ellis from Kansas waiting to make his move and when Privett layed it over , Ellis. put the charge on , picking off rider after rider. Meanwhile, back in the front Mitchell was giving it all he had and was still holding first with Shiplet breathing down his neck when the checkered came out. The second mota was a little different. As the gate dropped it was Privett in the lead with Shiplet tucked in behind him and the rest of the pack dicing for position. As they came around the series' of tight turns , out to the lead jumped Shiplet. Mitchell an d Ellis were way back in the pack. Lap after lap Mitchell and Ellis bettered their position 'til the checkered came out and it was Shiplet, Ellis and Mitchell in that order. On Sunday, 100 experts showed up to do their thing. The show turned out . to be in two d ifferent divisions , 125 Amateur and 250 Expert. Marvin .: Woods, visiting here, from California pulled a super hole shot but was pursued heavily by Allen Smith in another ' Suzuki , Yamaha battle . Woods with some spectacular jumping had the crowd on their feet : Lap after lap these two went around, Woods in front and Smith on his rear knobby. Pulling out and away from the rest of the pack, they continued to dice for first placev with ,Sm ith the overall victor at the checkered. ' Again Arlo Englund , was untouchable in 250 Expert. Arlo, riding a Yamaha, now set the pace. As the gate dropped it was Englund and Mike Loeffler (Town & Country SUl) out in front. Englund with his usual style took off and left the rest watching. Except this time Loeffler stayed right on him in second.- The speed increased with ' each lap they made, so much in fact that they were lapping rider after rider until there was no way you could tell who was in third. On each corner Loeffler would pull up to within two bike lengths of Englund only to lose ground on the straight. They stayed in that position 'til checkered. • Results in Results Section. Ah Magoo, you've done it again!" . U By Ben Johnson PITTSBURG, KS,J{JLY 16-17 Fresh .from the 125cc National. circuit, Danny "Magoo" Chandler was the star performer Saturday night and Sunday at the Pittsburg.-MX held at Freddy Van's Cycle Land . "Magoo" entertained the crowd with wild cross-ups, taking his hands off th e bars over jumps, and wheelieing down the straightaways . Every time h e pulled a stunt the crowd wou ld ooo h and aaa h, stare at each other in amazemen t , a nd won der how in the world he stayed on h is bike . "Magoo" was not the only pro 'rider Freddy Van got t his weekend . He z s z :r o .., z w '" >'" (Above) Carlton Curtis (6) put in a good weekend but 'Magoo' dominated Pittsburgh MX. brought together a group of area 125cc riders . that had AMA pro numbers to race . In th is group were Randy Shekell (Yam-St. Louis), Dick Young. (Suz-Ka nsas City ), Carlton . Curtis (Suz-T u lsa ), Joe Burke (SUl Pittsburg), Gary Witt (Suz-Wi chita), and of course, '''Magoo.'' The 125s were defin itely th e class to watch th is weekend . third lap. Bad luck struck again for " Magoo" when Shekell fell in front of him in a turn. This turned the lead over to Young. Bu rk e wouldn 't stand for that and passed Young for t he lead with two laps to go. Meanwhile , Shekell and " Magoo" had rem oun ted wifh - "Magoo" grabb ing third when \ Shekell slid out. Order of finish : Burke, Young, Chandler, and Shekell. Saturday night - July 16 Sunday - July 17 The first moto of the 125cc Experts shot off the line with "Magoo" in the lead. Right on his tail were Carlton Curtis (SUl), Dick Young (SUl) , and Joe Burke (SUl). On the first la p , Curtis overtook " Magoo" in the back sec tion to control first place. " Magoo" kept on th e g~s and passed him back' on the second lap. From then on he pulled away to a secu re lead. While the lead ch a nged hands up front, Burke and Young were going at it for th ird. Burke found his line around ' Young in a tigh t turn on the third lap and closed on Curtis. Young slowed and John Day (Yam) passed him for fourth. The . finish saw " Magoo" with the win, followed by , Curtis.Burke, Day, and Young. The holes hot artist of the . night, Danny " Magoo" Chandler, grabbed the lead in the second 125 Expert mota . Behind him were Day , Curtis, Burke, and Young. Curtis and Bruke got by Dayan the first lap . Bad luck hit Curtis on the second lap when he stalled in a turn and Burke got by . Day fell back at the halfway, letting Mark Courtney (SUl) into fifth . "Magoo" and Burke finished the mo ta , 1"2. The overall went to " Magoo ," Burke, and Curtis. ' T he "National Numbers Race" was on the ' line next. Only riders with an AMA national number could race. The start saw three riders a breast as they came over the starting hill with " Magoo" Chandler sliding by Burke and Curtis for the lead. They stayed like that for four laps , until Curtis crashed trying to pass Burke in a whoop -de-dooed turn. Burke went ' down as well, but remounted to finish second behind Chandler. Young, Day, and Curtis finished well behind them. "Magoo" go t a good start-in the second mota again , holeshotting past Curits and Burke. For awhile , it look ed like a re peat of th e first moto , but on the first lap " Ma go o ," Curtis , an d Bu rk e fell in a tight tu rn . Randy Shekell (Yam ) passed the wreckage andsailed into first with Dick Young foll owing. " Magoo" remounted after his cr ash and c:,,!ght Young on the With temperatures in the upper 90s and the humidity about the same , the 125cc Experts went to the line for their first mota . Dick Young (SUl ), took the holeshot .ove r Danny "Magoo" . Chandler (SUl) and Kenny Dawson (SUl). Young didn't keep his lead for long,as "Magoo" was by on the first lap and waved goodbye to everyone. A terrific dice was going on over third with Dawson and Mark . Courtney (SUl) . They were side by side I'for the entire ra ce with Dawson taking third after Courtney' fell on the last lap . Young grabbed the, lead again in the second moto. This time it was Randy Shekell (Yam) right behind with "Magoo" on his tail. On the second lap, "Magoo" passed Shekell over a jump and closed on Young. The fourth lap saw Young lose his lead with "Magoo" getting by in the whoop-dedoos for the win . The overall went to " Magoo ," Young, and Dawson. - The 125cc National Numbers were on the,line next with "Magoo" looking for another win. Charlton Curtis (SUl) took the lead in the first turn ahead of Young and "Magoo." The second lap saw Young passed by "Magoo." Curtis' lead was now in danger with "Magoo" closing fast. On the fifth lap, " Magoo" took over the lead by passing Curtis on a whoop-de -doe - straight. Finish: Chandler, Curtis, Young, Shekell, and Burke. The second moto looked much like the first. Curtis grabbed the lead with Young second and "Magoo" third. Young was displaced -by "Magoo" on the firstIap as Chandler got hot and closed on Curtis. The best battle of the • , day ensued with Curtis barely holding off a persistent "Magoo." They diced lap after lap , with Curtis trying his . best to get away. Finally, " Magoo" kept the gas on longer than Curtis down a rough straight and into a turn. Curtis went in too ho t and drifted wid e. " Magoo" took advantage of the m ist ake and flew by on the inside . They finished with Chandler in first , Curtis, Bu rke , Young, and Shek ell behind . • ., ' Results in Results Section:' ~. , ... .. 37

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