Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

luck struck again in the third moto as he fell while trying to pass another rider. Elmer stated later, "I was overanxious and stuffed my head into the dirt." He lost the war placing ninth overall, but .he won the respect of many for his efforts. Ken Hodison rode consistently through all six motos w~ich gave him a well deserved overall WID. Here come the Oldtlme,.1 Vern McCall leeds Amateur" at Clam Branch. Clarks Branch hosts 8th Annual Oldtimers Natl. By Delbert Longbrake Photo by Jan Newman ROSEBURG, OR, AUG. 30-31 "That's the ugliest tr9phy girl I've ever seen" said a smiling Zoli Berenyi as he accepted his first place Master dass trophy from 26 Jim Geddes, president of the Oregon Oldtimers. The event was the 8th Annual Old. timers National held at the Clarks Branch Motocross track. Approximately 115 oldtimers (no one under the age of 40) were present to represent the states of Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada at -the two day event. Add America's best friends, the Canadians, and it was then an International event. Saturday morning the Old timers, the neighbors, the peacocks, horses and sheep and anything else close to the track were awakened by the bullhorn-amplified voice of Jim Ormsby, the man in charge of this National, as he' tried to start the riders' meeting. Ormsby's riders' meetings resembled one or both of two things, a . lynching mob or the 12th Cavalry in full charge formation. One thing, however, would continue to become more obvious as the weekend progressed and that was that Ormsby and crew had everything in compelte control from the word go. When asked why he was chosen to be in charge of the event Ormsby replied, "Oldtimers are 'like sheep. When one leads, the rest will follow, and I just happened to b'e leading." Saturday contained an over-full day of racing with the Masters, Experts, two divisions of Amateurs and Novices and two dasies of Over The Hill Gangom all racing three motos, and four support classes all running two motos. Ralph Huffman had the track prepared in such a way that when walked upon, the tread des:gn and brand name of your shoes were perfectly imprinted in the fluffy, moist soil. The Masters were the first to race and it was a talent·padred class, Past AMA Grand National Champion Dick Mann. was present and racing for the nonhern California club called Sierra Oldtimers. But Dick wasn't the only past National champ on the line. Past National Canadian Motocross Champion loli Berenyi, who held that title once on a Greeves in 1965 and then again on a twin pipe Cl in 1967, was also present and accounted for. Berenyi, now a Honda dealer, rode for the Alberta Canada team. Oldest rider in the cla~ was 60-year-old Dave McCoy from Los Angeles. The Masters left the line with Dick Mann aboard his four-stroke Honda side by side with Bob White who was riding under the Washington banner. Before one lap could be completed, though, Mann went down, restarting in last. This put Washington riders in first and second, Bob White and "Maico Joe" MacKenzie. Berenyi was moving up and he soon reeled in both riders for first place, loli crossed the finish line in first while his 77 -year-old mother, on a visa from Hungary, looked on. The second moto saw loli lead from start to finish with Mann in second, but the third moto was a disaster for Mann when he crashed, hurting his collarbone. Mann, who was just re-. covering from an injury, was now out of the competition and Saturday night left for home to have his doctor look him over. At the end of Saturday's racing, Berenyi led the Masters with three first-place finishes. White was second and "Maieo Joe" was third. The Expen class cOntained 27 riders, but the first moto belonged to Oregon rider Elmer Reimer. It looked like Elmer was going to have a good day after his first· place finish, but what actually took place was an incredible string of bad luck starting with the second moto. The second moto began with £¥ner again pulling into first and it looked like he was going to chalk up another win, but halfway through the moto a rock· got lodged in the chainguard of his Suzuki putting him out of the race. The third moto saw a huge pileup just after the start and the last rider to get untangled was, you guessed it, Elmer Reimer. But with almost everyone who was along the track cheering him on, Elmer moved back up to seventh place. The day's racing came to an end at about 7:30 and afterwards there was a wienie roast with a beer wagon close by. But the Oldtimers didn't have a drunken brawl because at just the right time the beer wagon was locked up and most of the Oldtimers went to bed. Sunday started the same way as Saturday with Jim Ormsby on the bullhorn. loli Berenyi also picked up where he had left off by again winning all three Master class motos. Joe MacKenzie took two seconds and one third for second overall. Elmer Reimer had been working on his Suzuki all morning and with the help of Tom's Suzuki in Roseburg, he had new parts for his scoot. Elmer placed third in the first moto and second in the second moto, but bad Every class had its own battles and stories, but with so many classes it is impossible to share all of them. There were a. few which were particularly close. One was in the Amateur 1 division as Fred Pariani and Jim Newman bat· tled both days for top honors in that class. When it was all over, Jim held a one-point lead over "Fearless Fred." Two riders from the Over The Hill Gang A division, Gordy Ochs from Washington and Ron Long from Oregon, raced every moto duking it out for first place. After two days and six motos of this madness, Ochs came in for first overall with Long getting third. After the last moto, the two were seen congratulating each other while they shared a cold drink. The weekend ended as it had began, with Ormsby on the loudspeaker yelling, "Hey you guys, what are you doing over there? The beer's over here!" Results MASTERS: 1. Zoli Berenvi IHonl: 2. Joe MacKenzie IMail: 3. Bob White IMail. EXPERT: ,. Ken Hodlson; 2. Jack Coulombe; 3. John Berzowecki. AMATEUR I: 1. Jim Newman (Yam); 2. Fred Pariani IKTMI; 3. Dave Adams IHusl. AMATEUR II: 1. Ron Farmer: 2. Vern McCall: 3. Bud Coles. NOV I: 1. Melvin Deeds: 2. Bud Rutherford: 3. Rav McArthur. NOV II: 1. John Robinson; 2. Val Vanleuven: 3. T.W. COfdray. OTHG A: 1. Gordv Ochs; 2. Bob Ince; 3. Ron LanQ. OTHG B: 1. Tim Green; 2. Dave Waber: 3. Fred Strunk. OTHG C: 1. Frank Sterker: 2. Bill Jones: 3. Greg Stow. SUPPORT 25OIOPEN: 1. Ed Marchini: 2. Ward Zeiler: 3. Derek Wells. SUPPORT 100/125: 1. Kent Egli: 2. D'n Dossey: 3. 8i11 8aumardm8f. Oveland in overdrive at Clarks Branch MX By Delbert Longbrake ROSEBURG, OR, AUG. 24 On a track which most riders called perfect, Phillip Oveland from Saratoga, CA, and local rider Roy Davis won the Pro classes at the Clarks Branch Motocross near Roseburg, OR. Oveland won both the 250 and Open Pro classes, but it was Davis who took home the lion's share of the 200% Pro moto money by winning the 125cc class and placing second in the 250cc class. While Davis' riding could only be described as hot, his Davis Discount Cycle Supply Yamaha could only be described as cool. Water-cooled that isl There were in fact three water pumpers in the 125cc Pro class as both Davis and other local Pro rider Carey Lund unveiled their newly modified machines. The other water·cooled machine belonged to Robby Watilo. The 125cc Pros were led out of the starting gate by Watilo, but before one lap could be completed, Robby was moved back to third as Steve Pless and Jeff Cropper got by him. Davis was back in sixth. By the second lap, Crop' per moved his M and M leatherssponsored Yamaha into first and stayed there from then on. On the third lap, Davis seemed to come out of nowhere as he moved into second. But it was a short stay by Davis in that spot as h:: fell, thereby moving back to eighth. He quickly moved back to sixth and then it was freight train time. The train started at third place with engineer Mike Sommerville at the controls of the engine and went on to James Wiant, Lund and Davis. But Davis didn't stay in the. caboose for long and in one lap moved around all three riders for third. On the last la p he replaced Steve Pless for second. Pless finished third with Sommerville in fourth. LUI;ld, who nearly lost his radiator, came in for fifth. In the second moto, Oregon City rider Pless grabbed the early lead with Lund, Watilo and Summerville close behind. Cropper and Davis were in lIth and 12th ~fter both fell. Cropper moved up to eventh place, but then dropped back. Davis, however, moved from 12th to first in just six laps. In doing so, he passed such riders as Rick Smith, Watilo, Sommerville and Lund which was the order of the finish. There was a short delay in the program when aJ stray horse wandered onto the track 0 watch the 250cc Pros, but when the steed saw 'it was the 125cc Juniors on the line, he quickly vacated the track. Sheep on the Clarks Branch track is one thing but a full grown horse? The 250cc Pros finally did get their turn on Ralpl!J Huffman's beautifully prepared track and it was a Phillip Oveland show all the way in the firsl moto as Oveland's Yamaha was in front from start to finish. In second was Davis with Gary Rost riding his Herbs Cycle-sponsored Yamaha in tbird. Rost rode in third for all but the last two laps when Mike Sommerville passed him. In the secot;ld moto, Oveland again was first out of the gate leading Som· merville and Steve Williams. Davis, because of a bad start, was in fifth but started moving up one position per lap and by the halfway flag was in second. An astounding battle between Davis and Oveland for first followed. Davis got by Oveland and led for one lap but fell letting Oveland by. Davis finished second with Williams getting third. In the Elderly Gents class. Lennie Riedinger out-placed Elmer Reimer in the second moto for first overall. Larry Fagan was duking it out with Medford KTM rider Fred Pariani for third, but it ended when Larry "bought the farm" after he decided to adjust his official green colored Boise Cascade suspenders while trying to negotiate his Suzuki through an S turn. It's a good bet that Larry will confine his suspension a&justments to shocks and forks from now on. • Results 125 PRO: 1. Rov Davis IVaml; 2. COfev Lund ISuz); 3. MIke Sommerville (Yaml. 250 PRO: 1. Phillip Oveland (Yaml; 2. Roy DaVIS (Yaml; 3. Mike Sommerville (Yam). OPEN PROS: 1. Phillip Oveland IC·AI: 2. Phil Randall IVaml. MIDGET: 1. Ryan Huffman (Suz). PEE WEE: 1. Jason Jansen ISuzl; 2. Andy Byrd (Yam): 3. Jimmy Row (Yam). PEE WEE INT: 1. MontV Spalding ISuzl: 2. Jeff Dailv (Suz): 3. Andy Markiewtez (Suzl. MINI BEG: 1. Counnev Shaffer IVaml: 2. Todd Kephart (Yam); 3. Curtis Cunningham (Suz). MINI JR: 1. Justin Geyer (Hon); 2. Tony Guido lSuz); 3. T any Kephart. MINI tNT: 1. Terry Davis (Suz): 2. Gary Yarbrough (Han): 3. Russ Reimer (Hon), MINI EX: 1. seth Malkon (Yam): 2. Troy DaVIS (Suz). POWDER PUFF: ,. Beckv Roberts ISuzl; 2. Paige Dickenson lSuz); 3. Sandy Davis (Yam), 100 JR: 1. T;m Hackett ISuz); 2. Seth Malkon ISuzl: 3. Tim Kravness (Yam). 125 JR: 1. Ted Perreard (Suz); 2. Mark Wanman tHon); 3. Dave Croy (Yaml. 1251NT: 1. Kent Egli IVaml: 2. Randy Alliman ISuzl: 3. Dwayne Tavtor IHon!. 250 JR: 1. Jack Hudson tHonl: 2. Scan Elder IMonl: 3. Steve Hurley IHonl. 250 INT: 1. Wes Roberts (Horll; 2. Duncan Davis IVam): 3. Jim Jamieson IKTMI. OPEN JR: ,. Ken Kulluson IHusl; 2. Many Webb IVem): 3, Jim Jones IKTMI. OPEN INT: 1. Kent Reynolds IKaw): 2. Jim Sargent IVam): 3. Elmer Reimer ISuz). ELDERLV GENTS: 1. Lennie RNldi~ IVam); 2. Elmer Reimer ISuzl: 3. Frederick Pariani IKTMI.

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