Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

I ..--.---.-.-- - . =Western hotline ~ -~. . . . . _ . -• . . - . - . - . _ . - . _ • • •_ . _. . . . . ._ . _. . . .tiIi --::----------,~ ".-' E Whttn the ERA edvertla8. e femlly enduro euch e. their recent Lewrnen enduro. they're not kiddingI - Bernie Schreiber wes top gobblln et the V.C.T.E. Trick or Treet trial. Don Green 12081 end en unidentified rider dice over e Jump lit the SRA eert.bed grand prix. . Welnbrandt, Vasquez dazzle at· 5RA grand prl~ BySueSenn Photo by Action Photographic CARLSBAD, CA , OCT. 29 The Open bikes started things off for the second of the threerace Sportsman Racing Association championship series . 30 This race featured Competition Cycle rider, Charlie Conway, who usually rides S~nior, and Don Vesco's Randy Hollenbeck who stole the show. As the .Experts and Amateurs roared off the line, Conway . gr abbed the holeshot. Hollenbeck was in third position and closing on Jerry Lowell and "Conway. Hollenbeck seemingly performed impossible . feats as he maneuvered his Husky through blinding dust and rough terrain to reach the front . On the fourth out of the laps, Hollenbeck took the lead and the race belonged to him from that moment on. The second race, th e 200cc event, .featured excitement, produced by two young men who know exactly what they are doing. The 19-year-old Expert, Jim Odie, has been into heavy racing for the past two years, losing only one race this year and that was to George Luther at Riverside. The 16year-old Amateur, Vanya "The Mad Russian" Samarin, has a similar win record in motocross and grand prix. Jerry Trimble tried to stay with the pair for the first few laps , then settled for third. When Odle went down, "T he Mad Russian" took the lead. He was in shock when Odie passed him back at 60 mph in a cloud of zero visibility dust . Odie, who is aided by Escondido Suzuki , went on to win the f ace and the admiration of riders and spectators alike. The 250cc riders were the fastest and most dazzling riders of the day. Roland Wood got the holeshot with Scott Weinbrandt and Bob Vasquez right behind him. . By the third lap, Weinbrandt and Vaaquez had taken an unbelievable lead and were staying side by side . . They kept this incredible pace, turning the fastest times of the day . Weinbrandt, who rides for Vey's Honda out of Santee, had only raced motocross before this race. He soon found one hour of riding over such a demanding course would become the roughest race he had ever ridden. The grand prix newcomer took his Honda in for the win just inches in front of Vasquez's Suzuki. Behind them , Roland Wood: Eric Watril , Steve Blakely and John Taylor diced continually, but finished in that order. The day's ' events were finalized by the Seniors. "T he Hawaiian," Pila Pattison. rode the first lap over a dust free course. Behind him, "Sugar Daddy" Gary Deckert, was leading a tight pack ' consisting of Cecil Hollenbeck, John Peterson, Bill MiSner and Harold Soens . Rumors were flying through the crowd. "If 'Sugar Daddy"stays up , he's got first Amateur and second overall wrapped up." This was Sugar. Daddy's day. He made no ,mistakes and followed "The Hawaiian': through to the finish . Misner wasn't as fortunate. He laid it down, and the finish was as listed above, minus Bill. . SRA referee Marty Fisher is joined by the entire crew in thanking Rod Halbert, who aborted his own race to aid an injured rider. Results pending. Fortney cops ERA's Lawman enduro By Donald E. L~ Betsworth Photo by Action Photographic CALIFORNIA CITY, CA , OCT. 29 It was kind of a shootout at the Cal City corral. Enduro Rider's Association loaded its guns and staged its third enduro. Loops one and two were easy; juSt what you'd G expect for an ERA enduro. Loop three was a little more than most riders thought Mike Merriman, ERA's top gun, would come up with . From information received from Lynn Mallory, the scores on loop three are going to be a little high. One 9Jleiil E ("experienced" class) rider lost 156 points trying to get over Govemmen . Peak. The weather was perfect fo riding and the light (286 riders) ' turnout was a little hard to figur e This type of enduro seems to be just the ticket for the Beginner and the' - occasional rider. ~1 Loop one started at 7:30 a .rn. It headed out east then south toward Galileo Hill and then slowly wound its way back to the stan, ending at 15.1' miles . While a super easy loop , one very heavy lady on a mini Honda did a ' spectacular getoff right in front of me? It was a relief as she got up smiling an!! waved us on . The loop was won by Linda W ilcox , a B·200, scoring! a flawless 0.00 . JIW After a 30-minute break a short 13.6 mile loop got underway. ThiS loop headed out toward the Park G bowl , past the Tortoise Preserve, then through some pool-table-flat desert land. On the way in it wound its way through several miles of head higH pucker weeds. About halfway, the guy who laid out the course found the . na rrowest sandwash in the desert. ·It was reall y a sand gully along the road) In several places it was hell on brake and shift levers . )0 Again, this loop was won by a lady rider. Marlene Simpson, running 'as a. E-200 motored in with a super 0.05" The mileage reset was hardly needed on this loop . It could have been used on the next loop, I'm sure, by a scOre of riders. . ,w After a brief 22·minute siesta , t1ie loop three clock started. The only flit part was near the start. From then o~ it was just a series of ups and downs Some were small just to let you knoW

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