Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

·•.•,•.•.•-.-.-.-.-.-.-•.•-•..:-.,•.•.•-.-.-.-.-•.•.•.•-,.·.·.-...-.-1.-.-.-....·.-.'.·.·.,.·.·.-8.·.,.·.,.-.-..·.·.·.-•.•.•.•.•'.-.-.-•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.".",•.•.•." , •.•.•'.-:.',r•••'.-.'.'''''.-.-''.'.'.'.'''.':J.''''. . •.•. Desert Hotline CRC Ro. .lto Beech GP winner Mike Martin motors through town. Park ,gets first D·37 overall win By Joyce May LUCERNE VALLEY, CA, NOV. 11 Although the Huntington Beach M.e. Hare Scrambles came within 15 minutes of being cancelled, Torco's Kern Park 22 (250cc Expert) kept his head and earned the official first overall ahead of a field of almost 500 riders. The day started at about 8:20 with a severely injured rider being found unconscious near the Desert Squirrels camp. It was Gary Fredrickson of the Squirrels. Rescue 5 was called and immediately transported him as far as the Lucerne ~alley Fire Department where the paramedics took over and raced him the 'rest of the way to St. Mary Desert yalley Hospital in Apple Valley. (See additional note on this at end ofstory.) The ambulance had not arrived yet at 9 a.m. fo~ the scheduled start; so the wait began. Ten o'clock came and went, and so did 11. By this time a few of the riders had gotten disgusted and asked for their money back. Others were getting an hour or so of extra shuteye, while still others were catching up on their visiting. HBMC had decided that if the ambulance did not arrive by 11.:50, they would cancel the race. At 11:16 the unit finally arrived. The crew had erroneously been directed to Red Mountain by their dispatcher. Finally, the race got underway with "Sizzlin' Six," Mike Sixbery, leading it to the bomb. .. The course was fast, even though the terrain was quite varied. HBMC had had quite a time trying to keep the markings up. Ribbon and markers were pulled and lime was rubbed out - on Friday, again on Saturday, with additional damage done again on Sunday morning by person or persons unknown. (A pick-up truck was seen on the course, pulling some ribbon during this time.) Eric MacCracken (Open Expert) . was back in the desert once again and had moved into the lead by the time he reached second check with Sixbery close behind. Veteran Bill Saltzman (Open Expert) was in the third spot. Ed Zarp had filled the third slot until his ignition failed. Rick Schumaker (aboard a big KTM) was next, with the first 250cc, piloted by Park, in the futh. Expert 250cc pilot Greg Thomas, well-supported by Dick Allen's Yamaha of Newhall, had moved In 1. • I • • I I close behind Park while Howard McCasland and Verlin Van lee (both Open Experts) were in the seventh and eighth positions. Veteran Benny Padilla and Chuck Miller (250cc Expert) riding rounded out the top 10. Charlie Hamill, doing surprisingly well after a "party-full" evening, was leading the "C" bikes in the 11 th spot. Close behind Hamill were Open AmateursJeffVaugh and Rick Burrys. Leading the seniors (this class seemed to be the biggest of the day) was Bob Daig followed only two slots back by "Doc" Morris Norman. First Trailbike, piloted by Cliff Thomas was quite a ways back, but still well ahead of the second Trail, ridden by Amateur Bill Mattox. Kelly Kline had the lead for the girls. Two pie platers led the Beginners, A. Lunsford (Open) and 1- Mobley (250cc), with Open Beginner Steve Knapp not far behind. Bobby Charters was the first Novice Trail while T.~. Smith was the first A. Armstrong Beginner Trail. followed in the first "C" beginner spot. Off the first loop came the beginners past the checkered flag with Knapp leading the group, followed by T. Clark (open). Pie Plate W. Axford was first 250cc. Armstrong stayed in there to claim first Beginner "C". Charters held onto the first Novice Trail slot while Andy Cossio earned first Beginner. John Van took the Senior Beginner honors while Tricia Farmer finished in the first Beginner gal spot. Although Saltzman (riding without a D-S7 license) was first to take the checkered flag, the overall win was officially given to Park. SchJ1maker, doing exceptionally well with the backing of KTM, earned first Open Expert. • G. Thomas added another good finish to his recent record as he earned second in class, third overall. Van Zee was fourth (second Open), followed by Terry Davis (Open .Expert), who had done some powerful riding to move himself from well back in the teens to fifth overall. McCasland was the next to take the checkered, followed by Miller (250) and Hamill (1251175 - 8th overall). Padilla (Open) earned the first Vet spot while Norman had moved in to take over the first Senior slot. Monte Lee once again rode to a first 250cc Vet position, adding another to his ever-lengthening list of firsts. Rick Burrys, in the 14th slot, was the first Amateur to pass the checkered, followed closely by fellow Amateurs Craig Wolfson (Open) and Mark Moullet (250cc). Dick Burley finally out· lasted I • 1, . . . . . . . a' George Zuber and earned the first Senior 250cc honors. Tom Elias outrode all other "C's" except Hamill to finish second C, first Amateur. AI Guzman had the Senior C slot tied down, while dependable Trudy Beck moved into the first gal spot. Dennis Marchand (Amateur) moved ahead of C. Thomas (Expert) to take over the first overall Trail spot, but Thomas still earned first Expert. When the HBMC started to pull ribbons after the race, they discovered that their "helpers" had once again been at it, ·'destroying" the markings. The "unknowns" had unwittingly helped the club by pulling a whole section of the course completely clean, making HBMC's job easier and faster. The Rescue 5 drawing was held late in the afternoon. Many of the tickets drawn for prizes (including the first prize) were not there. A full list will be posted at each race through January. The winn~r of the first prize (one full year of free entries to all District desert events) is holding ticket #401. Note: Gary Fredrickson of the Desert Squirrels used about twelve pints of blood through surgery, and also before and after the surgery. He has a rare blood type, and so the cost of the blood he used will be very high unless aU of you will rally to his cause. At least three times the amount of blood he used (any type) is needed to repay' his use. If you are able. please give of yourself (one pint of blood) at the nearest Red Cross Blood Bank, and be sure to tell tem it goes toward the account of Gary Fredrickson at Sr. Mary Desert Valley Hospital in Apple Valley. Both he and his'family will be most grateful. CRC Rosarito Beach Grand Prix By Terry Rezek BAJA, CA, NOV. 4 Grand Prix purists may discount this race as being !l true Grand Prix because the only paved road occurred at the start. Perhaps; but any off-road motorcycle race that starts on a country's major highway is certainly grand. Mexico's Highway One may not look like much compared to U.S. Interstate standards but it is still a major tounst route and the traffic into and through Rosarito Beach is not about to stop spontan· eously for a bunch of motorcycle racers. Enter Pedro, of the Rosarito Beach Hotel, and a huge coterie of enthusiastic townspeople. From somewhere came banners across the high· way and at the finish line. Another mysterious source produced beautiful four-color posters, in two languages, and stuck them in every merchant's window and on the side of most local cars. Workmen appeared Saturday morning and by 8:00 p.m. they had erected a dance floor and covered viewing stand with lights. right in the middle of the camping area. This camping area was in the middle of town and right above the beach. You were never more than 500 meters from the surf. For those who were lucky enough to arrive early, the partying staTted Thursday night and apparently never stopped. The residents were all friendly and remarkably tolerant, con· sidering the rowdy behavior displayed by some of their visitors, most of whom couldn't even speak the language. Not surprisingly, the poorest behavior , ~ 1 r 1 t t ." J I came from tourists with no connection with the race. Overall it appeared that the local residents were happy with the presence of the race and the racers and are eager to have us back next year. Good evidence of that came Saturday night when the musicians appeared. First was a mariachi band which played right through a light rain: most of their instTUJl1ents are wooden, so they simply moved into the audience, under the covered'stand, and kept on playing. Next was a Mexican rock and soul band. Mostly 60's type music, Presley, etc. but with a unique flavor; all the words were in Spanishl This was really the best part of the entire weekend; that special feeling that comes from doing something you love but in a new way, or, as in this case, in a different country. The racing was a little different, too. The Baja countryside is not laced with trails as is the desert of southern California, perhaps because they cb.n't have a BLM bent on destruction of public lands. The courses here are of necessity, mostly ranch roads. That means hardpacked clay with a generous greasing of pea-gravel. It also means that at any given moment and at any given point you may be sharing the course' with pigs, cats, dogs, goats, chickens, cows, kids, a4ults, ice cream vendors and pickup tTUcks. What could be more exciting than a go mph slalom? In fact, the start was delayed 10 minutes until a herd of 500 totally indifferent cows could be removed from the course less than two kilometers from the start. The stan was in the center of town, right on Old Highway One. Traffic was simply stopped by dozens of completely cooperative local policia. The racers started in rows of five, 10 seconds apart. At the flag, you went straight down the highway for about 500 meters and made a goo left tum over cobblestones and out the dirt street next to the bakery, under the toll highway and flat-tracked through a slickery right tum, past the most colorful cemetery you've ever seen, and out of town. From here on, it was a blur of houses, hovels, shacks and miniscule ranches, with people hanging on every fence, cheering you on and applauding anything that even looked like a wheelie (even if it was a mistake). The course went almost due east, mostly flat and very, very fast. There were hardly any hills, up or down. Some riders were so disappoint· ed by this that a few of them rode over the side of canyon dropoffs just so they could have the fun of trying to get back up to the trail. The-course turned right where last year's course turned left and continued on, all the way around the big plateau that could be seen looming east of town. Most of this area was more than a little eerie, having been burned by the enormous Tecate fire earlier this ye.ar. What a perfect setting for a "Close Encounters" sequel. Most of the close encounters today, however, were between riders or riders and the ground. The countryside was beautiful, if you bad time to spectate. Just as you were getting used to dodging trucks and rearing horses. you were back in town, tripping over kids and ice cream carts. Time for a hot shoe lap; Fortyeight minutes for 54 miles. As I said, a faaast course. Since this was a timed start race, . being first into the first tum did not necessarily mean you weTe in a good position for the win. At least two top riders were out of contention before the race even began. Gary Davies' plug got a case of the "tuista" and fouled J ( I) (1 • I, 1)

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