Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

(A bov e) Join the crowd I (Inset left) Oil drain plug must be safety w ired . (inse t rig ht ) Crankcase breather hose runs into baby bottle catch tank. The joy of road racing , How to make your first race a successful one By Pat Eagan Photos by Karl Okamoto and Eagan Road racing at the club level IS enjoying increased popularity in the United States. On the west coast, the American Federation.of Motorcyclists just recorded a record number of entries for one of their races: 432. Back ill New England, the Association of American Motorcycle Road Racers signed up 513 riders at 12 one meet last year. and their 'ent ry level was frequently near the 500 mark. Many people become involved in the sport because they enjoy the . experience of going through the turns of the local canyon road. But canyon roads are by their nature very unsafe. The penalty for error is too severe , If you lose control and land on the wall , you are probably lucky ; many times the cliffs are 100 to 300 feet down. Harder to deal with t han road boundaries are the oncoming ca rs, often in your lane and traveling at a high rate of speed. Time after time I've witnessed cars powering through blind turns, completely in the other guy's lane. Being penalized when it's not your fault was demonstrated to me dramatically recently. On a typical southern California canyon , I was socializing my way through a beautiful Sunday afternoon. A friend was t rying out another fellow 's bike that was for sale . I watched as he motored slowly up the road a t about 30 mph. When he approached the first curve, anoth er rid er was also upon that tu rn , only at a high ra te of speed in the opposite direct ion. The other rider's speed was too great to negotiate th e turn , and he went straight, hitting the front end of the bike my friend was riding and coming to rest on the embankment. . They both were lucky . The' rider who was responsible suffered 'a broken arm and leg plus various bruises. My friend , who was totally without fault in the accident , received only bruises and was in a mild state of shock. The man who was trying to sell his bike now has a Kawasaki with extensive front end damage. Not as painful as that situation, but nonetheless negative, is the fate which befell another friend. In some areas, the police use helicopters as spotters. When our hero got to the bottom of the canyon. the cops were waiting for him. . After a few hours, he was released from custody, but not he faces the prospect of going to court, and if .he is found guilty , he'll have to spend hard-earned dollars to pay for a few minutes worth of enjoyment. In the proper perspective, the canyon can be a very pleasant pla ce to pass an a fternoon . Ridden conservatively and with mu ch ca u tion at every blind turn , it ca n be a very enjoya ble ex pe rie nce . Thinking th at the canyon is th e place to race can ultimately bring ab out you r downfall . The racetrack is th e pla ce to race. T o begin with , there are no cars to contend with, on ly motorcycles. And they are all travelling in the same d irection and a t sim ilar spee ds. Generally speaking , each turn has at least one corner work er. H is job is to make sure that th ere is no deb ris (suc h as gravel) or lubricants (such as oil) for th e ride r to run over , possibl y causing a crash. In between races, he will clean the turn and report its condition to the Corner Marshall. During the race. he will warn the riders if there is oil on the track or of the presence of a downed bike and rider. Also , in case it's needed, he will have a fire extinguisher handy. The tracks themselves are much safer than any canyon. Ontario Motor Speedway is perhaps the safest with wide, flat turns that you can see around. There isn't a blind corner on it . Another advantage to Ontario is that every turn that requires heavy braking has plenty of run-off room in case your brakes fa il. Other tracks in California used by the AFM are not qu ite as safe as OMS but are still much safer than the canyon roads that I've been on. AFM also will have two ambulances with personnel trained in first aid , just in case .. . Going along with the safety theme is Tech Inspection . Every bike that is to be raced mu st pass inspec tion . The job of the scru tineer is to ascertain that every bike that enters the track is roadwort hy. He checks to see' H the handlebars and contro ls are tigh t and operable. Drain plugs, oil filters and oil fittings must be safety wired . A catch tank of sufficient capacity (six ou nces) must be provided for th e breather vent hose from the cra nkcase on four-cycles and radiator overflo w on liquid coo led motors . Spokes must be tight, and th e va lve stems must ha ve ca ps. It is preferable that safety wire is used on brake caliper hanger a nd an chor arm bolts. Loctite, or a similar product is recommended on most fasteners , but th e inspector cannot see that : safety wire is plainly visible. Brake adjuster nuts should be double- nutted so that the nut can't possibly back off. Axle nuts need safety wire or cotter pins . What the tech inspector is looking for might save your life. Follow his advice! W hen you show up to ride your first race, the following equipment must be worn: Leather pants and jackets, or one-piece suits. covering the entire body at all times. Possibly a friend will be able to loan you a set until you can get your own . When you are just getting into the scene, and you are not sure how much of a commitment you want to make, buying a used set, as commonly advertised in Cycle News or club newsletters. might be wiser than plonking down $300 to $500 for a new set . Leather gloves and " boo ts of suffi cient height to overlap the trouser leg at all times, and in no case less than eight inch es" a re req ui red. Synthet ic ra cing su its made by Luja a nd .ABC Leathers arc approved for probationary use by both th o: 'AFM and AAMRR . Only helmets that pass .1 I

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