Q
uartz Hill is a little burg in
the California's High Desert
region of the Antelope Valley,
some 60 miles to the north of
Los Angeles, nestled up against
the north face of the San Gabriel
Mountains. Motocross great Bob
Hannah grew up in Quartz Hill
and honed his riding skills in the
nearby desert and mountain val-
leys. Right down the street from
the Hannahs lived a buddy of
Bob's dad, Larry Wilburn. Before
Hurricane Hannah came along,
Wilburn could very well lay claim
to being the best-known racer
from Quartz Hill.
Wilburn, who is best remem-
bered for finishing second to
Mark Brelsford at the famous
Ascot TT Grand National in 1969,
never became a big name nation-
ally. A major crash in the Houston
TT in 1970 put the clamps on him
chasing the national series, but
during his racing career Wilburn
gained the reputation of being
CN
III ARCHIVES
P118
Larry Wilburn
The Original Quartz Hill Flyer
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
Larry Wilburn leads Skip
Van Leeuwen in one of
their many battles.
