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Ol") ~ QJ ..0 o ~ u o Fest end 8IIIOOth .. the WIlY. Bruce OgIlvie - . the Open Expert win. Ogilvie dominates So Cal M.C. Cal CityGP By Dale Brown CALIFORNIA crTY, CA, OCT 20·21 Bruce Ogilvie led n.early start to finish as he took the Open 'Expert win in the final event of the two-day AMA D-37 Cali- 8 fornia City Grand Prix. hosted by So CaIM.C. Ogilvie riding a Dale's Modern Cycle 400 Yamaha, ran in the top three in the early going, took the lead near the midway point, and pulled a two-minute-plus lead by the end of the 84-mile race. Mark Zoller finished second, first 250cc Expert, on a Husqvama. After an exciting battle with Zoller through much of the race, Chuck Miller took third. The 250cc/Open Amateur/Expen race was the sixth event of the weekend. Ogilvie and Zoller started on opposite ends of the dead-engine, LeMans·5tyle mass start. Both got good stans, but found themselves heading on a collision course as they neared the marked course. They narrowly missed the collision ending up side by side and barely inches apart - and Zoller took the early lead. them were Ogilvie's Behind teammate, Chuck Miller on a 250 Yamaha, and Kevin Davis, on a Vegas Cycle Center 450 Maico. Davis passed Miller and started mixing heavily with the leaders. At the end of tbe first 21-mile loop, Ogilvie had the lead with Davis pressing him bard. Miller had moved into third with Mike Eckardt (Yam) fifth. Kem Park (Hus) rounded out the top six. Ogilvie and Davis continued their battle on the second loop, until Davis crashed about midway through the course. He finished the loop slowly, but did not continue after that. With Davis out, Ogilvie no longer had a challenge for the lead. "r tried to take it easy on the bike; used the clutch when r shifted. The course was so rough in a lot of places that r just made my own course out in the bushes," said Ogilvie later. (One section, shortly after the start, was particularly bad. The soil composition caused it to break down quickly into silt. So Cal changed the route through there after the first day of racing, but giant silt holes had formed by early afternoon. Many riders were riding off the main trail, and bushes often tore parts of their numbers off, making scoring and identification difficult.) At the finish, Ogilvie expressed thanks to sponsors Bel· Ray, Hi-Point Racing Products and White Bros. Zoller and Miller continued their dice through the rest of the race. Eckardt was with them for the first three loops, but dropped out on the last loop, with unknown difficulties. Zoller, who had made the decision to race the night before, finished second with Miller only a very short distance behind, It was Miller's first race since he broke his colla rb?ne a coupie of montbsago. Fourth on the unofficial tally went to Kem Park, who was third 250cc Expert. Bob Rutten (Hus) and Howard McCasland (Yam) finished next, and took second and third Open Expert. No word as of this writing as to who won either of the Amateur classes. In the Senior and Women's D'ivision race, held earlier in the day, Lynn "Quickdraw" McGraw took the overall win on his 400 Yamaha. McGraw was third as the start, behind the amazing Gary Charters on his 125 Suzuki, and Bill Saltzman. Saltzman, winner of the previous day's Veterans race, soon fell VIctim to mechanical troubles. McGraw, meanwhile, passed Charters on a fast section and took the lead, never to be headed. Third on the first loop was Morris Norman (Hus), but Trudy Beck (Hus) and Bob Torgerson (Hus) passed him on the next lap. Trudy remained in third on the following lap, but at the finish she was fourth overall after Norman had gotten by. Torgerson DNF. McGraw finished with a healthy lead over Charters, who was doing a fine job considering the course was strictly big bike territory. Norman and Beck finished next, ahead of Gus Paull (Yam). At sixth overall, George Zuber (Yam) took first 250cc Senior Expert, followed by Al Guzman on a 125 Suzuki. Big bike riders J. Owen (Hus) and J. Beems (Yam) were the first two Amateurs to finish. The other race held Sunday was for 250cc and Open Novice, Beginner and unclassified riders. The overall winner there looks to be 250cc Novice M. Easley (Yam), with unclassified rider Rich Mark (Hus) taking the big bike honors at second overall. Novice B. Cushing took third, but we don't know what size or type of machine he used. C.R. Brunson (Yam) took fourth, second 250cc Novice, abead of the first two Open Novices, K. Johnson (Yam) andJ. Keener (Kaw). Results for this race were difficult to determine.' Because of the length of time some riders were taking so complete the course, and wishing to keep the program running on time, So Cal decided to put out the checkered flag at the two·hour mark, rather than waiting for the leader to complete his fourtiliap. Saturday's final race was for up' to· 200cc Amateurs and Experts, and the sidehacks. Riding for Pritchett Cycle, Darren Pritchett (Yam) led it all the way, but not witbout a close call. Two· thirds of the way through the second loop, he had to go on reserve. Luckily, he found spectators near the asphalt jump on the coune, and they gave him enough gas to make it to the pits. To the folks who gave him the gas, Darren says "Thanksl" Mike "Downhill" Alexander ran second to Pritchett on the first loop, abead of Scott Atchison (Yam) and C. Austin (Yam). The second loop found Atchison moving into second and John Foster (Suz) moving from seventh to fourth. The top four remained that way for the rest of the race, and Pritchett finished with a three-minute lead. Austin finished fiftb, followed by Robert Pfetzing (Yam), Jim Connolly (Hon) and D.L. Dorman (Yam). At ninth overall, B. Mattox (Yam) was first Trailbike, and ftnt Amateur. Rounding, out the top 10, S. Anderson (Yam) took first Division I[ Amateur. In the Veterans race, Expert Benny Padilla and his 400 Yamaha jumped into the lead at the start, followed by Bill Saltzman"s 450 Maico and Gary Charters' '77 Suzuki RM125B. Out in the rough stuff, Charters passed Saluman, and Bill had to foUow for awhile until the course moved into more open territory. A flat front tire on the second loop slowed PadiUa, and Saltzman passed him about a block from tbe finish line. Siezures eventually put Benny on tbe DNFroster. While Saltzman concerned himself with leading, Mart Force and his 400 Yamaha took over second from Charters. Monte Lee (Yam) was running first 250cc Expert, tr-ailed by fellow 250cc riders Bill Friant (KTM) and Vern Heth (Yam). With the exception of Friant dropping out, positions were the same when the checkered flag came out after four loops. Behind Herb were Expens J. Bringhurst (Hus) and Jim Lang (Yam). Amateur R.R. Chase (Hus), Beginner K. Hanggi (Yam) and Novice C. Chrisman (Yam).