Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Nearly a year has passed since Russ Collins piloted the incredible "Sorcerer" Honda·powered dragbike to the National speed record of 199.55 mph. A couple of Wednesdays ago, Collins wiped the dust off the monster, trailered 'it out to Orange County International Raceway and turned a virtual off·the-trailer 7.85·second run at 189,87 mph, According to the R,C, Engineering folks, they've never really tapped all the power available from the Sorcerer but they plan to "tip the can" at the National Hot Rod Association World Finals, Oct. 5-7 at Ontario International Raceway and go for an honest 200 mph, Can-Am has decided not to continue racing the AMA National MX circuit. Not with factorysupported riders, anyway. Tony DiStefano phoned from Florida last week where he and Can-Am support rider Kippy Pierce have been prepping for the upcoming Trans-USA MX Series. Tony D says he'll campaign the five-race series, riding a Wayne Mooridian-tuned Can-Am, as a privateer. Anybody got a bike for the three-time National Champ to ride next year7 Strange things are happening with the San Jose sound problem. You may recall, the neighbors of Santa Clara County Fairgrounds have succeeded in having the promoters of the San Jose Miles establish rigid noise require· ments, 83 dB at 50 ft. That's quiet. Tests have been conducted, and the AMA has sent a letter to 'riders advising them that Darryl Bassani will make "boom box" mufflers for them. So far, Bassani's received word from only five riders. Asked by the promoter to make enough for the riders, Bassani responded, "If somebody will give me an order, I'll build the boom boxes." An order was eventually placed for 10 mufflers, and Harley-Davidson West has placed their order for another 10, Obviously, that's not enough for the full National field. Also in the muffler building business for San Jose is Oregon's Rob Muzzy. Riders not yet ready for the Mile should phone either Bassani at 714/630-1821 or Muzzy at 5031757·9086. The units will probably cost $75-100, plus mounting. Gustaf Rooth of Husqvarna phoned Papa Monday morning with the news that Husky's 250cc World Champ Hakan Carlsqvist will not contest the Trans-USA MX Series. Carlqvist crashed at a Sept. 16 Swedish Championship race suffering a concussion and bruised ribs. The Trans-USA MX Series opens this weekend, Sept. 23, at Pete Weidner's Mid-Ohio Moto Park. The Check Chase is under attack from the California Wilderness Coalition. In a "Desert Alert" special mailing, the organization has urged its followers to write letters to Gerald Hillier at the BLM office in Riverside and to James Ruch, State Director' of the BLM, to discourage them from allowing the Oct. 27 Ludlow to Parker hare and hound event. In their description of the race, the CWC says it will "destroy hundreds of acres of previously unimpacted desert lands, stripping vegetation, compacting soils and including erosion, crushing and driving away wildlife and degrading air qualify - all in a day's fun." We realize, of' course, that nothing could be further from the truth. But maybe the BLM people don't. Let's write and tell them the truth about the Check Chase. Mr. Hillier's address is 1695 Spruce St., Riverside, CA 92507. Mr. Ruch's address is 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825. California Racing Club has announced the Western States Amateur Motocross Championship, and it'll be run in conjunction with the Coca-Cola Bottlers Motocross Finals at Anaheim Stadium. The CRC race will be held Sunday, Nov, 18, the day after the final AMAIToyota Supercross event on the same track. A series of qualifying events will be announced soon, the first being on Sept. 23 at Seddleback. Phone CRC at 213183G1519 for details. Racecrafters is putting together a Honda CBX in Superbike's clothing, No, they don't plan on racing it in A.MA Superbike competition; it's too big displacement-wise for that. But it'll be equipped with street legal lighting and may see some endurance race action in 1980. Papa plans to go over and check it out in a couple weeks. Then you'll see it first in Cycle News. . RA.C.E. will hold an organizational meeting for high school motocross at the North High SChool in Riverside, CA on Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. to plan for their seventh consecutive year of HSMX. Is your school among those that participate7 Three sizes of team, depending on the size of the school may participate. Up to 15 men, 16-26 men and 26-35 men (or women) may form a team. More info7 C9ntact Ron Crandall at 714/682- 7069. AFM road racers won't want to miss the Oct. 6-7 race at the Las Vegas Speedrome, There'll be open practice on Saturday, Oct. 6 and a race on Sunday, Dial 714/523-3892 for details. Motorcycle Owners, Riders and Enthusiasts. or M.O.R.E., needs help, Not handouts, but memberships, to help make ends meet financially. Want to assist the organization that helps protect your rights7 Contact Russ Senford at 3525 S. Port Dr.. P.O. Box 26062. Secramento, CA 95826, or ·call 9161 363-9609. Join the fight, After two years in the bureaucratic making, the first-ever One-Day Reliability Trials will take place in Montana on Oct. 7, according to Larry Hamilton, Due to U.S, Forest Service requirements (like $1,500 damage bond, insurance and "two years of B.S, "), they need about 50 riders to break even. It all begins at the parking lot of Sleeping Child Hot Springs Resort a few miles south of Hamilton where rooms, swimming, food and a bar are available, Call Larry at 406/273-6909 for more info, Motorcycle enthusiast Zach Reynolds, 41, an heir to the R.J, Reynolds tobacco fortune, was killed in a light plane crash on Tuesday, September 4, in Winstonsalem, North Carolina. Reynolds was a frequent motorcycle race specta.tor and took pride in his large collection of unique motorcycles. . Hays Fair Acres, home of the Winston Pro Series DuQuoin Mile, has been sold to an Arabiap interest. It is not known whether the new owner will continue to host AMA Grand National Championship racing. • - THE , , NAr-fIONAL PAPERS For the fourth straight year it all comes down to San Jese and Ascot, and for the second time in a row it's Eklund and Springsteen going for the AMA Grand National Championship/ Winston Pro Series title. Two dirt track specialists, two riders who have won Nationals on the short tracks, the TTs, the half miles and the miles. Eklund's the master in short track and TT; Springsteen's the top man when it comes to miles and half miles. Each has won the San Jose Mile at least once. Jay's been a winner several times on the Ascot oval, but Steve has yet to win on the track where he learned and started his climb to the top. Springsteen's been a factory rider since his rookie year. Eklund, always a privateer, expressed disappointment earlier this year in not being asked to join Jay an the Harley-Davidson factory team. Springsteen has four wins this year, Eklund three. A year ago they both had six by the time it was all over. Sunday, Sept. 23 and Saturday night Sept. 29, they'll go for all the marbles and the title, which is worth at least $50,000 over who finishes second in the final Winston Pro standings, Eight Californians have held the title since it was created by points back in 1954, but the title has been out of the big state since Springsteen took it away from Gary Scott in 1976. If Jay wins it again, he'll join Carroll Resweber as a four-time and fourstraight winner. If Steve wins he becomes the first·ever true privateer to win it all. San Jose promoter, Harold Murrell, told me recently that he thought it would be real nice for Steve to wrap up the title at San Jose, Eklund's hometown. The last time this happened was when Scott took the big Number One away from Kenny Roberts in '75. The rest of the time it has been at Ascot, which has pleased J .C. Agajanian to no end. For most of the years since the title was created by points, the late season promoters have had the short end with the title usually being decided with four, five or even six races left on the slate. . But for the past four years the competition has become closer, better. This year ranks as one of the best with no fewer than 14 riders winning at least one National and four first-time names being included on the list. From that standpoint, the side that says leave things as they are, has a good point. With so many winners and so many close races, the "lack-of' just might be the lack of major publicity both before and after any Winston Pro Series event? Looking at the miles this year, at least three have been decided at the finish line by inches, not feet,' not yards. Now where else can one find racing like that,.even on a once-a-year basis? Eklund, Mike Kidd, Scott Parker and Steve Morehead have won mile events this year. Springsteen's name does not appear on the mile winner's list this year, which is somewhat of a surprise. But the second eye-opener is that Jay has finished third in four of the five mile races this season to rank as the most/best consistent front runner. San Jose is his last chance to bag a mile, and you can bet he will be out to do just that. For the sake of discussion, let's suppose that Eklund finishes with enough points at San Jose to win the. title going into Ascot, regardless of what Jay does at the Gardena speed path. One of the things I have always admired about Springsteen was the fact that he came to Ascot in '76 and had to only qualify for the final to take the title. But he went out and won the race, riding as hard and tough as if had to win it all. Tha't's a mark of a champ. I hope that Steve will keep that in mind on the Sept. 29; he has yet to win a National half mile at Ascot. Fer added flavor at San Jose, there is again aJunior Invitational Based upon the one I saw at Syracuse, I called it a triple dead heat, the fans are in store for a good race now that the Juniors have a full season behind them. The California swing of two events is the last ride as a yellow plate for Freddie Spencer who now is old enough,· experienced enough and has points enough to be a full-fledged and honest-to-gosh Expert in every sense. But Freddie, who won the San Jose May Invitational, is going to have some new company. His name is David Jones. He hails from Oklahoma and is one of the top short trackers in the land this season. He is also one of the three riders that crossed the line as one in Syracuse. Speaking of last rides, San Diego's Dorothy Rowe will be moving to Expert after San Jose and Ascot. becoming only the second young lady to ever make the grade on dirt. She finished fourth at San Jose the last time out - ahead of numerous Juniors that are considered better than average dirt trackers. Roxy Rockwood 7

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