The Hopetown Grand Prix

THE HOPETOWN GRAND PRIX

MAUREEN LEE

IN SOUTHERN California, the major event in dirt riding circles in Hopetown, or Corriganville, as the diehards still call it. It is quite a race.

Hosted by the Dirt Diggers Motorcycle Club, it’s held at an old movie ranch near Chatsworth that was once owned by “Crash” Corrigan, and most of the old horse operas seen on the Late Show were shot there. In the early days of the event the ranch was operated as a tourist attraction. There was a bar and stuntmen re-creating the gunfight at the O.K. Corral and it created an atmosphere not to be found anywhere else in the country.

The atmosphere is still there, although Corrigan long since sold out to Bob Hope, a fire destroyed a lot of the town buildings, and movies are no longer shot there—only a few commercials, and everyone wants to ride Hopetown.

The Dirt Diggers were the first to show Torsten Hallman to Southern Californians, and the following year Joel Robert and Roger DeCoster made their West Coast debut there. Don and Derek Rickman have both ridden Hopetown, along with other International riders who have given up competing in other events just to appear there. It’s no wonder that it is the greatest Grand Prix left in this country since we lost Catalina.

This year European sidehack motocrossers appeared. The three hacks put on a magnificent exhibition at the same time the regular sidehacks were racing for points. All had Wasp frames. Two were powered by Norton and one by Honda. The bike frames were specially built, too, with oil running through them. Wheel sizes were different, with one favoring a 21-in., which rather shook the American riders who have never gone to a 21-in. But these men, being professionals, have their rigs set up expressly for themselves. Every team either is or has been a national champion and it showed.

Because start money could not be paid at a sporting event, the spectators and riders kicked up a kitty and the visitors went home with just under a thousand dollars in bills and loose change. It did a great thing for American-European relations, as the Continentals are here on their own money just to see America and they found the average American dirt rider to be very human.

The weekend’s racing started with a bang. What is known as the Infamous Dirt Diggers Mudhole was even more infamous. Legend has it that there are two Triumphs, a BSA and some lOOcc machines still buried there from the year it rained both days. It still is one of the worst mudholes seen on any course anywhere. It’s actually a long wash the riders go down into; this year they hit the water first, then had to hop over a jump into more water, ride through sloppy mud to where they came out and that was where some of the scoring team was set up. Disaster! After the first two events the scorers couldn’t recognize anybody and it will be quite a long time before true results get ironed out. To please the spectators, haybales had been placed along the sides so the riders had to go into the deepest water, but these were finally moved and some of the water drained out to give the scorers a fighting chance. The event pays District 37 points in all three divisions— scrambles, motocross and desert—and those points are important.

In an event of this size with so many riders and so many spectators, it’s impossible after awhile to keep an eye on anyone except the front runners. The course meanders through rocks, over mountains, into gullys and through the western town where spectators could sit on the porches and watch riders hit a sweeping TT-type turn that built up a beautiful berm as the racing continued. The terrain offers something for every type of rider but usually it’s the people who ride desert or motocross who win over the scrambles riders, who like the smooth, slidey stuff, because there’s not much of that.

Even though the AMA forbids professional experts from riding scrambles or motocross they can still ride Hopetown by signing up with a district desert card, as they are allowed to ride desert events and a Grand Prix encompasses everything. So every year you can find your fair share of the big names there. Eddie Mulder’s rides there are legendary, but this year it was his protege John Hateley who was the hero of the weekend.

In the 250 Expert class John had a beautifully prepared Triumph Cub with a Trackmaster frame and he proceeded to do in the likes of Steve Scott, John Rice and Keith Mashburn. A flat tire put him out, but Gene Cannady on a Honda had been running in 2nd and proceeded to turn in the fastest time of the day. Gene was riding one of the 250 Honda motocrossers but it was not exactly stock. Long Beach Honda’s Bill Bell is doing a super tuning job on these machines and Cannady’s even had a different frame on it. If things work out, these machines will be offered to the serious racer. It did four-stroke lovers a world of good to see and hear that machine out in front. Bell rode one of his own Hondas in the 350 class Sunday, an event won by Preston Petty on a fast Bultaco, but Bell himself did in his collarbone.

Come Sunday, John Hateley was the crowd’s hero. He handily wrapped up the 500 Expert class, again on a beautifully prepared Triumph. Gene Cannady and Carl Cranke, back from the ISDT, were really mixing it up with AÍ Baker on a prototype Kawasaki, and it was a tremendous race over the difficult circuit. But then misfortune set in. Cranke lost his brakes, then he got a flat. Cannady broke a fuel line and John Rice, who had been right up there with them, was out with mechanical troubles. But Hateley’s Triumph and Baker’s Kawasaki never missed.

Two races later there was Hateley again in the Open class and winning it. The only trouble was he was still on the same 50Q Triumph and that’s not exactly legal! He was told he’d be disqualified if he did it, but he wanted to ride so badly he went ahead. The Dirt Diggers try to keep this a fun event, but won’t bend rules to the point where someone who is really riding for District points could get hurt. “Little John” as he’s known to friends really showed the crowd that a motocross machine is not needed to win the 500 class and a 650 is not needed to win the Open. Gene Smith, who is one of the top desert riders, eventually ended up with the win and he’s another man who can do things with a big bike that most people believe impossible.

The weekend ended with the flagman, who was considerably cleaner than any of his fellow club members, being ceremoniously dumped in the mudhole. If you’re ever in Southern California when this event is held, don’t miss it! The racing is unequaled anywhere. [Ô]