Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128352
to collecting and resto ring vintage offroad bikes, including a quartet of show room-perfect Hercules, a rare 1984 Accossoto acquired from Carl Cranke, and the 490 Maico he makes look like a Mini-Trail 50 when he rides it. Friday's impo und and ben ch-racing sessions gave way to a beautiful Saturday morning, and the eighth Six Days Reunion Ride was under way. Riders were allowed to get the ir bikes from impound IS minutes prior to the ir starting time and the n had 60 seconds to get their machines fired up and under way before accru ing penalty marks. The trails were in great cond ition, with just a few wet spots left over from the previous week's rain. The Tulsagang put in just enough tight stuff to keep everyone honest, but they eve ned it out with so me fast sections acro ss pastures and down some of the dirt roads that crisscross the ranch . Most riders hit the check points with time to spare, and this is part of the Winte rs-Mann Reu nion Ride plan: to give the riders time at the checks to visit with old pals and take care of their vintage mou nts as needed . There were four special tests on Saturday. The first two were terrain tests on the course. Riders were started individually at 30-second incre me nts, and the ir finish times were recorded on the fly as they hit the exit gates. Times were recorded to a hundredth of a seco nd, and in many cases fractions of a second separated the top three o r four ride rs in a class. Afte r the 40-plus miles of trail and the two terrain te sts, riders had two more spec ials tests awaiting them before it was time to impound . The Saturday night banquet was held on the ranch at John Zink's personal museu m. The name Zink is synonymous with many facets of rac ing and includes wins at the Indianapolis team at Dalton in 1973 and who still com pet es today despite physical limitations tha t wou ld sideline most other riders . While the John Penton awa rd was new last year, the TulsaTrail Riders handed out ano ther new awa rd t his year: the Ironman Award. It was presented to John Bo re r, who pushed his 1974 Penton around the grasstrack special test on Saturday rather than calling it quits. John 500, the Baja races and many othe r road and off-road venues . Seve ral champi onship racecars and off-road trucks were on display, as well as the Kawasaki of topAmerican Ty Davis and the Yamaha of 1994 ISDE ove rall winner Stefan Peterhansel. Mr. Zink was on hand and gave a brief history of his involvement in racing and the overall theme of the ranch , w hich also caters to Boy and Girl Scouts and outdoo r sportsmen. There are several awa rds given out eac h year at the Reunion Ride. The oldest award is the Bud Ekins Pionee r Award, which was presented to Dave Mungen ast Sr. for his involveme nt in the ISDT and his support of the Reun ion Ride . The AI Eames Award went to Helmut Clasen, wh o has spons ored several German en duro aces each year and helps give the Reunion Ride an international flair. Jeff DeBell received the Leroy Winters Award for his help in spread ing the word about the Reunion Ride and flushing out ISDT ve ts in the event's early years . The Tulsa Trail Rider and Mr. Zink were given the Marcia Macdonald Award for hosting an excellent event this year. Last year, a new award was unveiled in the name of John Penton . It honors someone who exhibits the qualities of perseverance and courage found in the old ISDT. This year 's recipient was John Greenrose, who rode for the Triumph (Above) Retired pro basketball player Rik Smits came out to race his vintage Maico. (Right) The co urse was fun and cha lle nging for vi nta ge bikes. Here, Ron Ribo:di demonstrates. (Below) Dave Mungenast and John Sawazhki bench race in between special tests. Dwight Rudder had the fwU vintage look going at the Reunion Ride. Here, he draps down a hill. www.cyclenews.com later got his bike running and pushed on to third in his class! Sunday dawned a bit cooler but every bit as sunny as the day before, and riders were sent out on an abbrev iated trail loop, designed to give everyone a seco nd taste of the best of the Zink Ranch but still leave time for the final grasstrack motos. A pair of te rrain tests ove r fast trails and roads helped get everyone tuned up for the afternoon festivities. Afte r about 30 miles of nice trail, it was time to line up for the mo tos . Dick Mann ove rsees the layout of the grasstrack each year to make sure it is friendly to vintage bikes and all ride r skill levels, and he never disappoints the crowd. All too soo n, the weekend is over. Medals are handed out, team awards are annou nced , bikes are loaded and goodbyes given. The Reunion Ride is first a reun ion, and secon d a ride, sometimes with a bit of good-natured racing thrown in, but it is always the highlight of the year for a lot of riders . As for next year, the ride will be hosted by the Arkansas Dirt Riders and w ill be held near New Blaine, Arkansas, the weekend of October 22-23. For complete 2004 results , visit the Tulsa Trail Riders' website at www.isdtr2004.org. eN CYCLE NEWS • DECEMBER 1,2004 39