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/146684
loop were held under mostly sunny conditions, the clouds opened up as the first riders began their second loop on the course: Rain persisted for much of the day, creating difficult conditions for riders and scorers alike. While the trials sections were not nearly as challenging as those of contemporary courses, one trap did prove particularly challenging for the competitors. Most riders handled the majority of the section with ease, but an off-camber bank drop-off at the exit created many problems. On the morning loop, most riders were able to ride down the bank with one or no dabs, but as the bikes and rain took their toll on the section, a muddy rut began to form at the bottom of the bank, Jforcing competitors to leap off the top of the bank and through the exit. Successful efforts were impressive, especially considering the old machinery, but several riders ended up pulling themselves and their bikes oUt of the mud, accepting scores of five. Another section forced the top riders to climb up two vertical rock steps, and another had competitors riding through a stinky, muddy sulphur stream. Soggy score sheets made an accurate tabulation of the results difficult at best, but it was clear that Barry Higgins had the lowest total tally on his 1958 BSA. Again turning in a strong performance was versatile Geoff Eldridge, who won the Modern Classic C class on·a 1974 Honda. "Thi.s is my first trials ever; I quit!" said Eldridge. Motocross One of the highlights of the week was the Vintage Iron National MX, the final round of the AHRMA National Vintage MX Series. A long, twisting track was set up in a grassy field on the east end of town. While a couple of sharp dips kept things interesting, the emphasis was more on turns than on jumps. Many riders mentioned that the track reminded them of an ISDEtype grass track, while others felt it was reminiscent of older European MX courses. There were 371 entries in the MX, up over 100 from last year. Rain the evening before made for slippery turns in the first few races,. but once the top layer of grass was worn off, conditions were perfect. They stayed that way for the remainder of the first round of motos, which all ran four laps. After the sun beat down on the track all morning, conditions became dusty and the second round of motos were shortened to three laps each after the lunch break. While the first two days of the meet had been rather relaxed, riders seemed to take the MX a little more seriously. Competition was very close in several classes, and results were delayed slightly at the end of the day when several riders launched protests as to the legality of their competitors' bikes. A rider who wasn't quite so serious was one of. the three Australians present, Edgar Phipps, who along with fellow countryman Craig Harradine was making a vintage tour of the U.S. . "Marsh Runyon came over (to Australia) and stayed with us for a month and rode some stuff over there," said Phipps, "So he returned the favor and asked us to come ride with him. We're having a great time and doing a lot of riding, but we're doing even more drinking'" Barry Higgins signed up to race in six cla~ses, and started his day off with a holeshot in the 500cc Expert division on his 1974 KTM. Gary Tucker moved his 1974 HusQvama into the lead in Motocrossers competed on a natural grass track at the edge of town. The morning motos featured moist conditions. the first turn, and led the pack until Higgins retaliated midway through the moto. Tucker tried to get back into the lead, but he killed his engine one lap later. Tucker ~ell back to fifth before he could re-fire his motor, and he stayed there until the finish, with Higgins scoring the moto win. . After experiencing problems and finishing last in moto one, Jonathan Terry holeshot the second moto, with Higgins right on his tail. Higgins was able to nab the lead on the second lap, and Tucker then moved up to challenge Terry for second. At the end of the second lap, Terry retaliated with a pass that put Higgins into the hay. bales, and pulled away for the moto win. Higgins recovered for second place in the moto, which was good enough for the overall win. With so many motos to compete in, Higgins had his work cut out for him, and he did experienu some problems. "The Open Twin class was my third race in a row, and I missed the start of moto one," said Higgins. "I guess they forgot that I was in the race, so by the time I started, those guys were long-gone. I worked my way up to second, when all of a sudden my bike just made one of those expensivesounding clanks, and stopped. I'm down to five classes now." _ Vintage Iron's Rick Doughty dominated in both classes he entered, winning all four motos by substantial margins. His wins came in the Sportsman Open Twin Expert and Premier Lightweight II Expert· classes, and were enough to clinch the titles for him in both divisions. The championships were Doughty's third and fourth of the season, and upped his total to an impressive 10 class titles in the last four years. "I had a scary moment in the first Premier Lightweight moto, when my fuel line vibrated off while I was leading," said Doughty, who hails from Fresno, California. "Luckily, only one guy got around me while I fixed it, and he wasn't in my class. I didn't ride as many classes as Barry (Higgins) because I wanted to concentrate on the· ones where I still needed to clinch the championships. I was a . little nervous this morning, but it sure feels good nowl" . Vintage road race The BMW Classic Cup Vintage Road Race has consistently-been one of the most popular events for spectators at Steamboat Motorcycle Week and like the other competitions, rider attendance was up from last year, with The scenic nine-section trials loop was laid .out at the base of a ski jump. a total of 220 entries. A good number of fans watched the action from balconies of the many condominiums that line the course, while others chose to bring out the lawn chairs and watch from up-close. The 1.8-mile, nine-turn circuit twists through the streets of Steamboat Springs. Unfortunately, some of the very same aspects that make the course so great for spectating also made it somewhat dangerous cornpared to normal road circuits. Trees, curbs and other obstacles lined the track at several points, but most riders felt that organizers did a good job using hay bales to make conditions as safe as possible. The unpredictable Colorado weather again struck when rain began to faIt as the riders gathered for Saturday morning's riders' meeting. The precipitation cont:inued for the first half of the day, but the sky cleared in the afternoon for the last few classes. Traction was hard to come by on the wet pavement, and a few riders went down while braking for the turns. 23