Racing Review
RACING REVIEW
CAROL SIMS
WHEN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S leading road race exponents gathered at Carlsbad Raceway for the track's first AMA-sanctioned sportsman event, a lively competition ensued. The course, recently expanded by owner Sandy Belond from a quarter-mile drag strip to an uphill-anddown, six-turn road racing circuit, is slightly more than a mile in length, and more than slightly demanding.
Twisty chicanes, marked by cones, kept riders from blasting full bore into a sharp right-hander at the end of the main straightaway, but spills still occurred. Fortunately, none were serious, despite such hazards as gravel on the track at several points.
A wide variety of equipment and talent showed up at Carlsbad, and spectators were plentiful, too, in spite of ominous clouds and cold, biting wind. Since many riders were checking out their Daytona machines, more than the usual amount of pressure seemed evident.
In the Open Class final. Cal Rayborn and his Harley led from start to finish beating Tom Holt (Triumph) and twelve other big bikes to the wire. Five-hundred class honors went to Dick Hammer; he also took the lead at the start and was never headed, finishing well ahead of Don Vesco (Matchless G-50) and Bruce Holland (Triumph).
Things were closer in the 250 division. A cut-and-thrust battle for first place pitted Ralph White against Chuck Jones and John Buckner, all mounted on Yamahas. White and Jones swapped the lead continuously, with Buckner close behind, just waiting for one little error (that didn't happen). White came out on top; Jones was a close second; Dickie Newell nosed into third when Buckner was forced to retire on the last lap.
Other events found Honda-mounted Bob Ledford outlasting Ken Clark (Ossa) in the 100-200cc feature race, and diminutive Y. Itoh pushed his little Suzuki to 0-l00cc class victory.
With increased local road racing interest evident, fans and riders are looking forward to more events at Carlsbad both amateur and professional. Good vantage points for spectators abound (including permanent grandstands) and the tricky course demands the utmost in pavement riding skills.
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MUD AND SNOW SCRAMBLES
In Colorado's tri-city area of PuebloColorado Springs-Denver, a moto-cross scrambles was held recently which lured 34 riders in seven classes, despite the inclement weather.
The course, laid out by members of the sponsoring Pueblo Rebel Ramblers, was about 3/8ths of a mile in length, with eight turns and a couple of hills thrown in. Track conditions, especially in the corners, were nightmarish mostly ice and muddy goo.
Every rider wound up in a horizontal position at least once during the day's activities, but no injuries resulted, due to the soft if slimy landings. Welldeserved trophies were awarded to first and second place finishers in classes from 90cc to 40 cubic inch yvCC lO -4U CUDlC men.
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MUD & SNOW SCRAMBLES RESULTS 90cc "A" CLASS 1. EDDIE GRASMICK, Pueblo, Cola Hodaka 2. BUSTER POTTOROFF, Pueblo, Cob Bridgestone 90cc "B" CLASS 1. JIM SCHWIENGER, Pueblo, Cob Honda 2. JIM HARRIS, Westcliff, Cob Hodaka 175cc CLASS 1. JIM SIMMERMAN, Denver, Cola Bultaco 250cc "A" CLASS 1. GARY MEYERS, Denver, Cob Bubtaco 2. DERALD NICHOLS, Pueblo, Cob Bultaco 250cc "B" CLASS 1. MIKE WILLETT, Cola. Spgs., Cola Bultaco 2. VERNON WHITEN, Cob. Spgs., Cola Bultaco 500cc CLASS 1. PHIL GOTHART, Cola. Spgs., Cola Honda 2. JIM HEISNER, Cola. Spgs., Cola BSA 40 CUBIC INCH CLASS 1. JOE BAUMAN, Denver, Cola BSA 2. DICK HACHENBERGER, Denver, Cob Triumph
THE ICEBERG DERBY
A sunny morning with sub-freezing temperatures greeted some 71 riders for the Annual Iceberg Derby in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Derby was laid out on a 4.1mile course over which competitors had to cover eight laps, and frozen ground and snow made each tour seem longer than the last.
High point of the run (literally) was a 120-foot hill that became slicker as the day progressed. On their first attempts at ascending it, riders were surprised to find a checkpoint just over the top of the rise. Even more startling were the arrows that pointed the route from there straight down! A few rode, most slid all the way to the bottom.
After completing the run, it was back to the clubhouse and the warm fireside. While numb faces and frozen fingers slowly thawed, tallies were checked, and Honda rider Jim Wedmore from Muncie, Indiana came out on top. His time for the almost unbearable 33-mile run was one hour, 17 minutes, though it seemed immeasurably longer to everyone, a shivering Wedmore included.
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RICHMOND SCRAMBLES TRACK A ROUGH ONE
As the years go by, California sportsman scrambles courses continue to look more and more like TT tracks - smooth, graded and extremely fast. The reverse is happening in Richmond, however, where the Richmond Ramblers M.C. have made their already tough track even tougher.
The new course is based on the old, but now includes a muddy creek, a 10-foot "cliff" to climb (you formerly went down it), and a long stretch up the side of a hillclimb-size slope.
Two events have been run on the new arrangement, the latest shortly after record rains fell on the area. Exhausted competitors endorsed the course as one that gives riders and spectators more than their money's worth, and everyone wonders what the fiendish Ramblers have in store for next time.
