Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

VINTAGE AHRMA/SDFTA Skip VanLeeuwen Short Track BIKE W W EEK EST (Left) Speed way race r Eddie Cast ro (14) won tw o classes on his early· '50s Ari el at th e secon d ann ual Skip Vanleeuwen Sho rt Track on the Del Mar Fairg rounds. Castro won the Classic Vin tage 500cc and Dinosaur classes. (Above) Mall Hilgenberg (52) put In 10 smo oth laps to claim the Clas sic Vinta ge 250cc maln-event win over Jim McMurren (11), Rich Trait (partially hidde n) and Cary Buck (81). (Above) Matt Hilgenbe rg (52) put in 10 smooth laps t o c laim the Clas sic Vinta ge 250cc main-event win over J im Me Murren (11), Rich Trait (partially hidden) and Cary Buck (81) , By Scott Rous s e a u Photos by Mike Basso DEL MAR, CA,OCT. II ~ fte r a d ay 01 legend s a nd legendary motorcycles on displ ay at the 26th ann ual Del Ma r Concours d 'EJegance Intern ationa l, it wa s time lor the vintage racers to do their thing during the second annual Skip Vanleeuwen Short Track at the Del Mar Fairg ro u nd s ho rse ar en a o n th e Sa tu rd ay night helore the Del Mar Grand ational Mile. Speedway racer Ed die Cas tro p ut in one 01 the most noteworthy vintage perlormances in the short track' s brief history, as he pil ot ed an ea rly-'50s A riel to win in two classes ove r the cou rse of the s evening . Castro's first victory came in the Classic Vintage 500cc main lor bra keless twins and si ngle'S. Althou gh he had not been th e m os t conspicuo us rid er in his heat races, that cha nged w hen the ](Hap leature ro lled arou nd. Cas tro g rabbed the holeshot and flat left the thr ottle cranked wide open as he pulled away lrom the pack. The Californian lrom Ojai threw the anc ient hardtail sideways, keepi ng the power on just like a speed way bike, and it wa sn't long before he had complete contr ol of th e race, as ru n ne r· u p Bu tch Coch ran lai led to keep pace on his Triumph . Castro p ut it on cruise a ro u nd seven lap s in to the race and crossed the finish line comfortably ahead 01 Cochran and third -place finisher Dave Miller, wh o was also Triumph-mounted. Castro return ed to dominate th e Dinosaur class aboard the same machi ne in the very next main event, although he laced healthy competition - lor showmanship, anyway - lro m Ind ian Scou t rid er Ronn ie Brown, w ho m at ched Castro 's wide-ope n sliding technique tum lor tum en route to a second-place finish. Pe rha ps not surprisingly, the evening's 250cc classes showcased some 01 th e most in te nse co mpetition 01 the nigh t, with bo th the Mod ern Vintage and Cl ass ic Vintage 250cc li nales coming d own to the wi re. SOFTA regu lar Don Frauen be rger tried to d istance hims elf from the pack a fter the g ree n lig ht signaled the start 01 the 250cc Modern Vintage main, but by the time the race was lour la ps o ld, Iri endl y club ri va l Brad Holt hega n to ease his Bultaco closer and closer to the rear w heel of Fraue nberger' 5 ~ - 0'\ N .... (lJ ..a .8 u o 20 Yama ha . On ce Frauenherge r knew Ho lt was there, he attempted to up the pace, but Holt refused to give up. The pair ran nose to tail righ t unti l the last com er, with Holt leaving it on just a bit longer in the hope of getting around Frau enherger on the outside. He came u p short by inches in the d ash to the checkered lIag. Frau enbe rger took the win, followed by Hol t and Maurice Ortega. . The 250cc Classic Vintage main turned out to be a n ex treme ly close co n tes t, a sta r k co nt ras t to the di vers it y 01 th e machi nery wh ich mad e the r ace most in teresting. Jim McM urren lined up on the po le on his Harl ey-Davidson Sprint, b u t he to ok a ba ck sea t both to Matt Hilgenherg on a Suz u ki X6 twin and Rich Tra it o n a n Ossa DMR . Cary Buck 101lowed th e lead tri o closely o n a not he r Sprint, but the winner ap pea red certa in to come lro m the fron t three. McMurren got undern eath Trait in tum three on lap six and the n we nt to work on H ilgen berg, attem pti ng se vera l ou tside pa sses - bu t the Speed & Sport owner an d vintage d irt tra ck "rookie" pu t in 10 smooth laps to pick up the win. McMu rren was second, and Trait held 011 Buck lor third. Fresh 011 his win at the Cal-Expo Vintage Na tional Mile in Sacramento, Calfurnia, two weeks ago, Jell John son - the Jell' Johnson from Rialto, California - showed up to con test the Skip Vanleeuwen short track on the same stock-framed Triu mph tha t he'd used to win the mile. And he me t with more success, as he grabbed the holeshot ahead 01 Yamaha-mounted Art Fredenburgh and a pa ir 01 T riumphs p iloted by Butch Co chran a nd Ken Thiebaud. While Johnson showed them a dean pair of heels, his pursuers hegan to shuffle the order a bit in an attempt to ca tch up. Fredenbergh's machine was bucki ng around under him like a bro nco, and this allowed Thieb aud and Cochra n to displace him to fou rt h. Coch ra n the n got under Thiebaud on lap seven lor second place. Thiebaud tried to respo nd 011 tum four as they too k the whi te flag. but Cochran shu t the door to remain in second as [ohnson scored the win, In other racing action, AMA Gra nd Nationa l Cha mpions hip Ser ies regular Joe Kopp gra bbed the holesh ot and was never threatened as he went on to tak e the wi n in the 2o-Iap 600cc Semi-Pro main even t. Ed Stovin kept Joh n Proto and Mod ern Vintage 600cc main -event wi nner Dana Perri at bay in the Open Sports- (Above) Don Frauen be rger (76Z) and Brad Holt (50S) were ti ed together for the last hall 01 the Mod ern Vintage 250Cc main. Frauenberger won affer Holl's lastcorner pass atte mpt came up short by inches. (Right) Jell J ohnson of Rialto, California. rod e his stock-fra med Triumph to the win in the Modern Vintage Open class. man feature. Triu mp h-mo u n ted Mickey Alzola held off the Harley-Da vid s on Sprint o f McMurren in the Senior class fina l. Richard Pollock a nd John Garcia won the 250cc Semi- Pro an d 250cc Sports,~ man main ~v~nts, respectiv ely. Del Mar Fairgrounds Del Mar Calilomla . Resuhs :~ober l l . I997 MORN VINT 2SO: 1. Don Praucnbcrgcr (Ya m ); 2. Brad Holt (Bu l); 3. M.lurice Orte ga (But) ; 01 . Rich Tro ul (Q.s); 5. john Bova {Bun . SPTSMN 250: John Garri.t (Ya m ); 2. Wilrd McJ(l" ( !(aw); 3. Jim );ohl_1 (Vol l); 01. 01.KI Mor!-e(Vilm); 5. Bri.J.n n Burkh.1Itt"T (V.1m). C15SC VINT 250: 1. M.ltt Hil gll"llbt·rg (Sur.); 2. Jim Mc.\1um. n (H ·D); 3. Rich Trait (0s.'\1 4. C.l ry Buck (11-0>; : ; 5. St l"Vl,.'n Poggi (H -DI. MUR."l VtNT OPEN: I. jdf John'lOl1 (Tri); 2. Butch Coch ran (Tn ); 3. Ken Thiebaud ITri); 4. Art FI't"den bn'gh (Yam); 5. Da ve M,nw eU (Tri). MDR.1rrtJ VI NT tlOO: 1. O;lI\a PI.'Tn (Bul); 2. Brad Holt (BuI ); 3. Maurice Ortega Brown Onol); 3. I tem Wolf (AJ5); 4. Gordo n ~t t"R ljt" (R· E); 5. D.wi d DuvoUnC")' OOOf. 2SO SE M I-PRO: 1. Richard Po lloc k (Kdw); 2 John Dupree (H an); 3 . Brad Oxley (Ya m l; 4. Donal d Pa u l (Hon); S. Brad Ho lt inwr (Hnn ); 4 Ad am St-bt.odra (Hun ); 5. Eddie [)jll;llfl (Rtx ).

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