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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126324
_._._._._._._._~._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.~_. Western hotline Grigsby, Neih~rt, Minnig shine at Corona ST/HM By Elaine Jones CORONA, CA ,jULY 12 Quite a few of District 37's finest showed up Wednesday night to get some last minute practice in before heading back east. Don "T Bone" Grigsby got things off to a fast start as he set a sizzling pace in ***************** : : AnN: DEALERS : : : .. .. A Full Range Now in Stock Same Day Service : .. .. .. FULL BORE BOOTS .. : FULL BORE WEST : .. 213·532·9311 It .. .. ***************** -0:0IJlCl~Qlm SDt!th MOTORCYCLES 250 & 390 OR"s Now In Stock _CA_ ,...714-87·1300 RACEBOX~ Sp ort Transport • Trail er FuD)' nKloInl: Iocb.bk-; insidr tool box.: all ·sted fraJDC'; roll prceecticn; aluminum Kin : 14" w~ls: wide , high doo r: cver bead won. lights: fold ·down won. beecbes: bding hmp. FO R MORt' I~FORMATJ O N . WR IT E: HERRON CREATIONS, P.O . Bm 560. Rialto. CA 02376 19n '1978 Yama ha A PRODUCT OF CVCLERIDEMFG, Long Travel Front Forks 10 - 11 -12" Mono Shock Travel yz 100 Send All Units for Modification yz 125 One Day Service yz 250 Send To' yz 400 1944 US 88 Nonh COMPETITION Xen;a , 0';0 4S38S ACCESSORIES INC. Call5131372·7607 28 Gassin" it down a hill at the SRA Crack 0" Dawn enduro, Healy wins SRA Crack O'Dawn enduro By Sue Senn Photo by Gary Steele CALIFORNIA CITY , CA ,jULY 9 "W ha t makes one enduro better than another?" asked Jenny Vincellette as riders crowded around the Sportsman Racing Association sign up trailer, praising the Crack O'Dawn enduro . To begin with, the 5:30 a.rn , key time was perfect. The early 'm orning sun felt good to bikers who were crawling into chilly air from warm sleeping bags. The enduro itself, was not a beginner's enduro. Even the first loop was laid out for the more advanced rider. The 18 mph start seemed easy enough to maintain as the course gently wound across the rolling desert, But suddenly the gentleness changed to rugged hills and sandwashes. The speed changed to 12 mph and even this was too fast for the less experienced rider. The course came down a hill . making a sharp right into a deep sandwash for about 10 feet. At this point, it took a sharp left straight up a short steep embankment that was covered with loose sand , Many didn't make it up the slippery embankment on the first try, thus creating a small bottleneck. Once over the embankment. riders had to keep on their toes for tum arrows that meant now . The speed changed to 18 mph into the tie breaker check , then 24 mph into the finish . Most minis were running at least two minutes late into the tie-breaker but had made it up by the finish . Eleven -year-old 80cc B rider, Keith Senn, commented that the only problem he had was when a big bike stalled and he couldn't get around him. Sean Ellison , an 80cc D rider, overcame all obstacles and captured first Mini . The 30 .8 -mile second loop "couldn't have been better" declared Ron Serrato who rides in the 250cc B class. "T his wasn't for the beginner." Serrato sa id , as he munched on an ice-cold piece of watermelon. " T his course was ch allenging yet not impossible." Cliff Stevens, 175cc B, went into a bit more detail. "This was a good A and B rider course, Outstanding la yout . Those rock canyons were a blast. Also the checks were in good places and the clocks were right on. Check G, the tie-breaker was in a good place. The course came down a hill , made a sharp left and there were the checkers, on the side of the hill . Riders rolled. slid. and fell into this check, it was great. " From here the course rolled out over flatlands at 24 miles per hour toward the dry lake then back to Government Peak. The home check was the best check of all, It was really a surprise . The course went up over a hump them straight down a shale hill into the finish , Spectators loved it. This type of event draws your better riders, yet "there wasn't anything im possib le or too tiring. I rate it an A 'p lus." Ross Morgan , Open D , broke off a footpeg and bent his shift lever but he still ' finished very well . Ross commented that "that's what an enduro is all about. It just makes it more interesting when you have problems. " If that statement is true, it must have been very interesting for Richard Bear. He was the first rider out and the last rider in. SRA described its few little p roblems as "j ust annoying." Signs were removed from Cal City to camp. This resulted in some would -be riders getting lost and finding camp too late or not at all. Also, some play riders on the course took delight in seeing how close they could get to the checkers. One checker retaliated by throwing rocks after his encounter with the wierd kinds became a bit too close, But back to jenny Vincellette's question - all riders agreed that just the fact that there wasn't one perfect score was a plus for this enduro. William Healy, Open B, came the closest with an 0 :31 and Dave Talbert, also Open B, had an 0:28 . Brett Chilly . Open A , took third with an 0:23 . Official results are pending. the Money short track , Grigsby was off first and never looked back letting the rest of the field battle for the second and third spots. Ross Klatt was off second, followed by Mike Minnig and Bobby Garabedian. On the third lap Klatt went a little too high and Mi~nig slipped underneath and took second away, Ross tried to come back on Minnig but it was to no avail. For someone who just had a cast removed from his leg, Dylan Neihart was anything but an invalid as he went wire to wire in the 250cc Money half mile. Again the fight was for second and third and again it was Ross Klatt who was off second with Bobby Garabedian th ird and Todd Brown fourth , By the third lap , Garabedian had taken care of Klatt and Brown, not be left out , moved up with him dropping Klatt to fourth . From that point on it was a duel between Garabedian and Brown and it looked like Garabedian was going to pull it off. But with one turn left before /the checkered , Garabedian got his foot stuck , went high and Brown went inside to grab second. Garabedian still picked up third. The Open Money half mile saw Don Grigsby off first with Mike Minnig hot on him and Eddie San Roman in third. Minnig took over first , by the second lap and one lap later Grigsby was out a victim of a broken frame. From there on out it was clear sailing for Minnig. Back in the pack Scott Shoup and Bill Cain were having "a game of change places until Shopy finally got the edge and a few laps later Cain succumbed to mechanical problems, San Roman tried to put a charge on Minnig, but the way Minnig has been finding his way around Corona nothing short of a self-destruct button could have slowed him down, At the checkered it was Minnig, San J Roman and Shoup. Dave Peters had a good night for himself picking up a double win in the Open Amateur/Expert short track and half mile. Bill Cain followed htm home on the half mile and jerry Greer had the honor on the short track, Dylan Neihart picked up win number two with a start -to-finish firstplace romp in the 250cc Amateur/Expert half mile . Mike Redding, aboard his new 250cc Yamaha, had second until the white flag lap when Ken Corpe got his Kawasaki through to take the place spot. Redding held off Carl Brown for third. jimmy Rosa and Don Milan shared the 125cc Amateur/Expert wins with Rosa taking the short track and Milan the half mile. Dean Stockwell is a Novice who has been doing it the hard way . Without help from his parents or the money to buy go· fast equipment he has hung in there learning the fine art of losing, Things changed Wednesday night as he pulled off the win in the 125cc Novice class topping jim Selvidge and Bobby Delozier.