Racing Review
RACING REVIEW
CANADA/USA SCRAMBLES
Represented by two strong New England teams, the U.S. defeated Canada soundly in the second round of the Canada/USA Challenge Scramble at Copetown, Ontario.
For both teams and spectators, the American whitewash was at least a surprise but, just as emphatically, there was no denying the first win in four years was deserved.
Characterized by a corporate spirit and superior stamina, the Yanks, with stars and stripes prominent on either racing sweaters or helmets, finished their day with an 84-point lead.
The first event, held three weeks before, gave no indications of the trouncing the Canadians were to take. On the well-rained-on, Loudon, N.H., track, the Canucks slipped ahead in the ooze with a 10-point lead. The Canadians must have sensed something, though, for there was little overconfidence in speculations on Copetown.
The action on the roller-coaster Copetown hills left almost everyone’s jaw hanging and justified the subtle malaise felt in Canadian bones. The New Englanders flew, and one wondered if Glen Vincent, the Connecticut racing veteran, was taken seriously by his counterparts when he wisecracked this riding strategy: “If you fellows make the jump at 100 miles an hour, you won’t have to worry about the bumps or the Canadians.”
In the three 250-cc races, and the three 500-cc races, they sped around the frequently bumpy, always dusty, course at what would have been considered “European velocities” a few years ago.
Bruce McGuire, the New York heavyweight, led the 250-cc team assault and was followed in every race by CW’s Eastern Editor, Joe Bolger. McGuire’s glued-to-the-seat riding style is what European-bred purists used to feel typified American scramblers; but Bruce proves not everyone has to emulate Robert or Hallman to go quickly.
Seemingly born without kidneys, he just sits and muscles his way around a course. He kept ahead of Bolger’s lightened Bultaco on exuberance, but the grey-haired veteran (it’s hinted he used to break horses for a living) was superb.
Both McGuire (who missed the second round last year because of a broken collarbone) and Bolger were members of last year’s defeated teams, along with Glen Vincent and Ron Jeckel, who finished 2nd and 3rd in the first two this year. In the last race, they were separated by Canadian Ray Boasman, (Continued on page 68) whose presence was a paradox.
A team member of the early years, Boasman was requested as a last-minute, final race substitute. Despite an ailing engine, and fatigue from an earlier 250 race on the regular agenda, he rode with more spirit than any other Canadian.
Why the Canadians lacked vivacity generally can be contributed to two things—several injuries and no substantial effort to bolster sagging morale. For these two reasons, and the fine gutsy riding of the Americans, they lost so severely.
On the 250-cc Canadian team, Pauli Manninen, a former Finnish junior, was the most consistent Canadian with 7th, 5th and 6th spots. The best performances were expected from him and Bob Fisher, but Fisher collided with another rider in practice, and rode only the last two races with aching limbs.
Heikki Ylonen, a mechanic turned rider this year, deserves praise for his quick rise to the top. He finished all three.
Barry Higgins of New York was the pied-piper in the open races, winning the first two and finishing 2nd in the last behind young John Bettencourt, son of now-retired Dick Bettencourt.
Canadians managed 3rd to 5th in the first 500-cc race, but after that it was a parade for the Americans, finishing 1st to 4th. Present District 1 points leader, 17-year-old Jim Weinert, and Charlie Vincent, on his growling Cheney Triumph, were the other two.
Ron Keys of Ontario presented the most formidable opposition with 3rd, 6th and 5th places, but with all due respect for a fine rider, team power should have come from Sepo Makinen, Doug Sehl or his older brother, Dave, who was out long before with a broken leg incurred at the Santa Fe dirt track.
Makinen claimed all but one race in ’68, but injuries hampered him this year. He was trying very hard, never finishing below 7th, but lacked his established prowess. “What happened to Sepo?” was echoed everywhere.
Doug Sehl received the award as the most “flippant” rider of the day. On one of the dandy 45-degree slopes, he lopped man and machine on the last lap of the first race. A resultant wrist injury forced him out after the second feature.
Zendo Syrovy, called Super-Czech after only one half the scrambling season, injured his hand before the second round and left a difficult vacancy for the Canadians to fill.
Despite the severe Canadian loss, Canadian spectators enjoyed their finest race of the year. Both the chief sponsoring club, the Steel City Riders, and the three associate clubs did a fine job of organization.
HILLCLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP
The thrill of a hillclimb is something almost every two-wheeler fan has enjoyed at some time. The 1969 National Championship would have topped them all, as it got off to a spectacular beginning. From a muddy start, the first Class B rider left the bottom of the hill like a rocket, and exactly 6.72 sec. later, he left the top of the hill, skyward bound, as if he had been launched from a Cape Kennedy pad. Twenty or so feet in the air Doyle DisBennet and his BSA parted company, each crashing to the turf with a resounding thud. This brought a resounding “Ooooh!” from the 8000 fans far below.
This was the scene on Bankert Hill, a partially man-made incline overlooking the clubhouse and grounds of the White Rose Motorcycle Club. It is located in Jefferson, Pa., in the Amish hill country. It was a gala event, crowds cheering and hot dogs sizzling as the climbers’ chains dug ruts up the 65-degree hill. There had been rain for weeks; mud was everywhere and the sky was threatening, but the rain held off until just after the event.
Unlike some other phases of motorcycle competition, the competitors’ mounts are available for all to inspect from hub to hub. The unlimited machinery leads to some interesting discussions with the owners. Throughout the past season, these men had been competing for points which determine the championship contenders. The riders at Bankert Hill were the top 17 of the nation.
DisBennet was content to sit back and watch the remainder of the B entties try three times each to better his time. They were unable to accomplish this, so he went home with the B championship on one ride.
In an attempt to repeat this maneuver, local contender Beese Wendt of York, Pa., backed his Vincent up to the wall, gritted his teeth and came up with a 6.95. National Champion Earl Bowlby of Logan, Ohio, was next. On a BSA that looked like a flat tracker right off the showroom floor, he came up with 5.98. Beese didn’t care for that action, so he put up a 5.98 to tie Bowlby. This was rather remarkable-a first for a National Hillclimb Championship.
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After all the other fellows had tried to beat these times, a runoff was held. Vincent rider Wendt turned up a 6.45 to win the championship from Bowlby, who rode 6.57. Joe Hemmis, one of the old guard, put his Triumph into 3rd with a 6.01-sec. run.
EUROPEAN SPEEDWAY FINAL
In heavy rain, Russia's sole represen tative, Walerij Klementiew, proved him self Europe's fastest speedway rider. On the fast quarter-mile track at Olching, near Munich, West Germany, 16 top men from Norway, Sweden and Poland, plus the Russian winner, clashed for the Continental final, decider for Continen tal competitors to meet in the World Final at Wembley Stadium.
In the speedway manner, groups of four did four laps; 20 heats gave each racer a chance to start against all others. Winners were awarded 3 points, seconds 2, thirds 1, fourths zero. Klementiew came out with 12 points, gained in four wins and a 4th place. Poland's Edward Jancaraz had an equal 12, but organizers ranked him 2nd because of his lesser number of wins. He had two ists and three 2nds, as he was three times beaten by his compatriots, who either had a highly complicated tactic which did not pay off, or none at all or no team spirit. Originally, there was to be a run-off to decide the winner, and Jancaraz pre viously had beaten the Russian. But, because of the rain, the number of wins determined the outcome.
The Swedish and British leagues took a heavy beating. Little Torbjorn Harrysson finished 3rd, one point be hind the winners. He did not like the track, a slick layer of black stuff, most of it ending up on spectators' faces or in riders' eyes. The rain, producing puddles on the dirt, made it hard to ride and a bit slower than expected.
Poland’s Andrzei Pogorzelski and Andrzei Wyglenda came in 4th and 5th. Soren Sjosten, one of Sweden’s best, could not make it higher than 6th. Another Pole, Henrik Glücklich, took 7th and Hans Holmquist from Sweden was the lucky 8th. These eight men go to Wembley.
TWO FOR BUGSY
Dick Mann, National No. 2, is a rider well-known to those who have followed AMA National Championship motorcycle races over the past 10 or 15 years.
The sight of his 500-cc Gold Star Single battling against the Triumph Twins and 750-cc Harley-Davidson flatheads brought joy to the hearts of thousands of Beezer owners and others who appreciated his mechanical handicap. But the American Motorcycle Association’s new ruling, allowing up to 750 cc for all makes, made Mann’s screaming Gold Star a part of AMA history. With the No. 2 plates bolted on a 40-inch BSA, 1969 held promise for Dick Mann.
While sorting out his new machinery, Mann worked his way well into the top 10 standings by mid-season, getting most of his points on half miles. A month before the Santa Fe Short Track National Championship, Mann scored a 3rd at the Castle Rock National TT. The next weekend he nursed a sour motor to 6th on the Santa Rosa Mile and took another 6th in the 50-mile Am-Ex road race at Indianapolis.
But it was Dick Mann’s 1st place finish on the Santa Fe track, exactly one week before the national points race there, that was something of a sign. Dusty Coppage was one of the riders chasing Mann that night and testified, “That Mann was really going. No one could have caught him there.”
When rain canceled the Jennerstown half mile, the Santa Fe National became more significant. Three weeks had passed since national points had been contested on the dirt, and a lot of riders were anxious to make up for points lost to the road racers at Indianapolis.
The Santa Fe grandstands seemed to know something. When the field was introduced for the 25-lap National, it was Ossa-mounted Dick Mann who got the biggest hand and loudest cheers. Mann, Sid Carlson, Mark Breisford, and Neil Keen had won the heat races; Carlson and Keen were on Yamahas and Brelsford carried the Harley colors. Four-time world champion Barry Briggs had qualified 5th on a Yamaha-powered “speedway-looking” machine but loaded up at the start of his heat and missed the transfer. Bart Markel, who had to settle for 2nd in Mann’s heat, had come back to win the first semimain, with Carlson and Mann chasing after his Harley Sprint. First year Expert Mark Brelsford had won the second semi, Cal Rayborn had taken 2nd and Keen’s screaming two-stroke followed the Harley teammates.
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Markel looked the fastest so far. Brelsford was in good shape for the win, too, having won the Amateur National there in 1968. But the grandstands had picked Dick Mann, so he gave them something to scream about. Markel got a bad start, and it was Mann chasing Keen and Rayborn out of the first turn. Brelsford was 4th, and Markel was up to 5th. As they came around the next time Mann had moved into 2nd.
During the next few laps Keen stretched his lead to perhaps two bike lengths. Markel had Brelsford and was working on Rayborn. Keen’s lead didn’t last. Mann moved within inches in the turns, dropped back a few feet, then challenged again. Each time coming closer, each time in more perfect form. They rode most of the 13th, 14th, and 15th laps wheel to wheel. Then Mann took the lead and kept it. Keen was a close 2nd, and Brelsford got 3rd back from Bart for the finish.
Anyone who saw the race knew luck had little to do with Dick Mann’s first national win of the season. Two days later there was no doubt, as Mann returned to his 650 BSA to capture the National TT Championship at Peoria, making it two in a row for National Number Two.
SALINAS BENEFIT SCRAMBLES
The eighth running of the annual Cerebral Palsy Benefit Scrambles at Salinas, Calif., drew a record number of entrants and spectators, and added to the laurels of the already decorated Salinas Ramblers Motorcycle Club and the Salinas Elks Lodge No. 614, cosponsors. In 1967, the Ramblers won top recognition among AMA clubs in the nation and the Elks received acclaim as the outstanding club in the California-Hawaii Association in 1968, largely through their successful handling of this event.
A clear purse of $14,140 was the result of the 1968 effort, and this year’s amount should be even larger. Every cent goes to support the Elks Major Project for California, that of furnishing financial help to children crippled with cerebral palsy.
Held at the California Rodeo Grounds, the event attracts riders from a large geographical area in California, and generates considerable enthusiasm in local circles. Favorable comments have been forthcoming from Salinas Major Sid Gadsby, Congressman Burt Talcott, Monterey County Sheriff William Davenport, and City Police Chief H.W. Roberson.
Starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday, races continue until about 6:30 p.m., with finals being run in reverse to enable spectators who must go home early to see the 650-cc Main and to witness the presentation of the huge perpetual trophy to the winner.
For the second year in a row, Allen Kenyon, Cupertino, copped the sweepstakes on his 650 BSA. A close 2nd was 1967 winner Rick Otto. Next year’s race should be an interesting one if both men enter. With Kenyon’s name appearing on the trophy twice and Otto’s once, a win by Otto in 1970 could throw the permanent possession of the trophy into an all out battle in ’71. If Kenyon wins in 1970, the trophy is his to keep.
Kenyon, a stockily built young man, rides strongly and smoothly, handling his big BSA well in the curves and forging out in front in an aggressive fashion at the start. His nearest rival, Otto, pushed him at first but fell back slightly in the last laps. Kenyon won his heat as did Otto.
The Salinas race attracts a horde of Novices and Amateurs as well as a good slate of Experts. The greatest number of trophies went to the 250-cc Expert Class (won by Harry Dring, Yamaha), followed closely by the 250-cc Novice Class and trailed by the 250-cc Amateur Class. Obviously, it is the most popular class at this event. The lighter twostroke holds complete sway in the 250-cc class with the dominance of the Bultacos being seriously challenged by Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Suzuki. Several Montesas, and a few Ossas and CZs are thrown in for good measure.
Intermission activities included the drawing for a new Harley lightweight two-stroke and a rear wheel contest.
The crowd greatly enjoyed the wheelie bit, and after an especially good performance responded with a great roar. Gary Dillard of San Jose, who has won the contest hands down for three years running, had to settle for a tie this time. His main challenger, Russ Powell (Triumph) from San Alselmo, equalled or bettered Dillard’s best tries time and again until a stand-off was declared. To the crowd’s delight two trophies were awarded. Dillard was riding a Yamaha.
The rodeo grounds track, when well prepared as it was this year, is one of the best in the country. It utilizes the front straightaway and a portion of the south end of a fast half-mile oval, then swings sharply inside for another curve, two jumps, and a final bend back onto the front stretch. A “coffin corner” bend where the course leaves the south turn of the main track is where many novices and amateurs end up in the hay bales, but no serious injuries occurred.
AUSTIN STREET RACES
Texas must have something going for it other than cows, Cadillacs and air conditioning. How else do you explain one of the few road races to be held on the streets of a large U.S. city?
This one coincides with the Aqua Festival in Austin, the capital city of Texas, and, in its second annual running, was videotaped for ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.” The race course boasts such natural landmarks as the “Riverside Drive Hairpin” and the “Boulding Avenue Chicane.”
Rusty Bradley, one of Texas’ finest road racers, won the Upper Division Final (500 and Open machines) on a Triumph Trident 750, followed by Joe Delgado (Honda 750), Bill Darrow(750 Norton) and Norman Fulkes (883 H-D). The 500 Class was a 1-2-3 sweep for Ducatis, the riders being Paul Liner, Lee Armer and Gordon Duggan.
In the 250 Class, Jimmy Phillips (Suzuki) beat Bennie Campbell (Suzuki) to the checkered flag. Frank Gourley, on a Honda, was 3rd. James Lutz won the 200-cc Class on a Bultaco, while the 125-cc Class went to Suzuki rider Ed Green. (Oj
