Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

By Rex Reese ORANGE, CA, SEPT. 10 Saddleback Park is closed. Permanently. According to a source close to park operator Marvin Hendricks, Saddleback was requested to close its gates for good at 4:00 p.m. Friday, September 7. The majorreason for this, said the source, was the high liability insurance requirements of the Irvine Com- 26 pany, which is the park's landlord. Another factor was the number of lawsuits - reportedly for millions of dollar in claims - which have been filed against both the land company and Hendricks. The source reports that the park closure was by mutual agreement between Hendricks and Irvine Company officials. Additionally, continues the source, as part of the lease agreement between the operator and landlord, Hendricks is required to return the Saddleback area to its original condition before it opened in 1968. According to another source, the closure came at the same time Orange County had apparently granted SaddIeback a new nine-year operating permit, which would have guaranteed its survival into the early 1990s. Towards the end, several rumors circulated within industry about Saddleback's future. One rumor had ~e or more promoters taking over as a new operator. Another rumor was that an operator of the Irvine Company's own choosing, or even the company itself, would replace Hendricks. Condominiums and/or housing developments do not appear in the foreseeable future since Saddleback is adjacent to a county landfill (dump) site. General response by members of the motorcycle industry to the closure has been, as expected, one of despair. "It's a very bad situation," said Honda's Dave Arnold. "A real deficit to the sport," commented Keith McCarty of Yamaha. Others who have been involved with Saddleback concurred that the closure will have "a negative effect on the sport, and in the long-run there won't be any new blood (participants) because Saddleback offered riders the chance to go to a place that was nearby." With the option of travelling to Indian Dunes in Newhall, DeAnza in Sunnymeaa, Carlsbad, or the newly established Los Angeles County motorcycle park near Lancaster, mused one promoter, "dads will tell their kids, 'No way. You're not getting a bikel But I'll buy you a wetsuit and a board, and you can go surfing instead," explaining that the beaches would be closer for recreational activities. Since its closing. addle back operator Marvin Hendricks has been unavailable for comment. In response to Hendricks' implication that the National Motorsport Association was allegedly responsible for the death of minicycle rider john Shaver (Cycle News, September 12), NMA President Ron Henrickson recently said, "The NMA doesn't feel that it has any association with the accident, which happened elsewhere in the park on its open trai Is, and not during any racing that was being conducted." CMC President Stu Peters stated that there are no lawsuits of any nature pending against his organization. Likewise, jack Barbacovi responded that there have been no suits filed naming the CRC. ~aLUrday Saddleback promoter jim Beltinck was unavailable for comment. The closing of Saddleback Park brings to an end one of the most colorful chapters of American motorcycle history. Founded in 1968 by then Cycle World publi her joe Parkhurst and Vic Wilson, Saddleback brought together all the elements of open uail riding, hill-climbing, crosscountry racing, motocross, trials and other cycling activities, in a single area under the novel concept of a "motor playground." Rider could go where they like, or, ample the variety of terrains that the park had to offer. Until then, off-roaders had the option of going to an established track facility or open land where riding was allowed. Signs marked areas of interest, such as the Matterhorn hill climb where riders could sign their names at the top to record a uccessful run. And according to Parkhurst, trails were marked with directional signs for the safety of riders, but this was when there were few trails in the park, he admits. The cen terpiece for SaddIeback was the International motocross track, which was designed by multi-time motocross World Champion joel Robert. Located at the north end of the park, the International track was the state-of-the-an for its time. A few months later, the track was relocated to its present site. There, it included the wide right-hand sweeper on Webco Hill and numerous turns and jumps which changed as the years passed. But one thing didn't change: Banzai Hill, a wide-open charge off the starting line, followed by a screaming drop down the other side. Banzai turned boys into men and bikes into airplanes. In 1971, the International track was the first motocross course in the country to use a starting gate, a major im provement over flags and rubber bands. In the 1970s, when stadium-type racing began growning in popularity, the International track was changed to reflect the times. Double- and tabletop jumps were included to te t the skills of Novice and Pro riders alike, with "Kamakazi Hill" - two updown runs from the track to the tOP of the terraces west of the track used for Nationals. Since the first motocross was held by CMC on March 24,1968, Saddleback was the site for hundreds of races. The first big race was a grand prix on july 4, which promised the appearances of European stars Torsten Hallman, BiU Nilsson, and a youthful jaak van VeLthoven. More Europeans came later, competing in the Nationals, Inter-Ams and TransAms held at the park. Americans gOt the chance to compete against the then superior European riders, who showed everybody what the pon of motocross was all about. More importantly, those early races gave young local riders the inspiration to emulate their European heros, ride and train harder, and in ttirn become champion themselves. Over the years Saddleback has produced a number of riders who have gone on to prove their worth, including Bob Hannah, Gaylon Mo ier, MiJ

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