Racing Review
RACING REVIEW
WARD TOPS WINTER NATIONALS
Three hundred riders from over 20 states congregated to do battle for the number one plate at the East Coast mini-bike nationals in Florida, and coming away with that title was Jeff Ward, a member of Team Motor Cycle Weekly.
Riding four motocross classes, Jeff seemed to be on the track all day and in stamina alone deserved the overall win. For his efforts, he received a beautiful trophy presented by the mayor of Jacksonville for the most outstanding rider of the weekend.
A close 2nd overall and also an excellent rider was “The Florida Flyer” (Rhett Radford) from Jacksonville.
MUFFLER RULE RESCINDED
American Motorcycle Association President J.R. Kelley recently announced that the muffling rule passed at the 1972 AMA Congress has been modified by action of the Executive ComÄnittee. This modification will exclude Novice and Junior-Expert combined professional road racing from the muffling rule.
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The muffler rule as passed by the 1972 AMA Congress stipulated that all short track races, novice dirt track events, novice road races, and juniorexpert combined road races would be run with muffled equipment. This change by the AMA’s Executive Committee leaves professional short track events, novice dirt track events, and professional motocross events running under the muffler rule.
In announcing the decision to exclude road racing from the mufñer rule, the Executive Committee stated that professional road racing is being held on closed circuit tracks in areas where noise pollution is not a problem, and the need for the requirement in professional road racing does not exist at this time.
EL TRIAL DE ESPANA
Bultaco riders swept the top three masters positions in America’s only full International trial, the 3rd El Trial De España, held recently at Escape Country in Southern California.
First was the man who was recently acclaimed by a British newspaper poll as “the greatest trials rider ever,” Irish maestro Sammy Miller (Bultaco 350 Sherpa T). Miller was on a special visit to California for this event, giving American fans a look at the style that has won him twelve British and four European titles.
Pressing Miller hard until the final stages was the 2nd placeman, Californian Layne Leavitt (350 Sherpa T) while 3rd was 250cc Bultaco Sherpa T rider Richard Bledsoe, from Southern California.
INDOOR SHORT TRACK
AMA Junior racer Rick Hocking regained the American Indoor Short Track point lead when he overhauled fellow Californian Gary Tonda on the seventh lap of the 20-lap main in Fort Worth, Texas.
Hocking, who also won the first Indoor Championship at Oakland earlier in the series, took an 85-point lead over another junior from California, John Gennai. Gennai finished 5th at the Fort Worth event.
Hocking also won his heat race and the semi-final while Mike Kidd, who fell in the final, recorded fast time for the night.
MX QUALIFYING EVENTS
Russ Coe, Coordinator of Professional Competition for the American Motorcycle Association, announced a 34-event qualifying series for the 1973 Inter-AMA and Trans-AMA motocross circuits.
Riders should compete in as many events as possible in the nationwide series in order to record the best possible qualifying score. The series will run almost six months, through June 3.
Coe noted, “In the International Class, 40 positions will be allowed with a maximum of 20 starting positions reserved for foreign riders. The rest of the field will be filled by American riders according to their performances in the 1973 qualifying events.
“In the support class, a maximum of 40 starting positions will be allowed (as compared to 80 in 1972) during the 1973 season. Riders for the support class will be chosen by their performances in the 1973 qualifying events,” he said.
The following are the remaining dates and locations for the 1973 qualifying events:
April 1—Phoenix, Ariz., $3000; Sligo, Ky., $1800.
April 8 —San Bernardino, Calif., $ 1800; Washington, Ind., $ 1800.
April 15—Santa Maria, Calif., $1800; Bloomington, Ind., $2000.
April 22—Livermore, Calif., $1800; Butler, Ind., $ 1800.
April 29—Medford, Ore., $1800; Lawrence, Kan., $1800; Pocono, Penn., $ 1800; Whitney, Texas, $ 1800.
May 6—Portland, Ore., $1800; Laurelville, Ohio, $1800.
May 13—Puyallup, Wash., $1800; Youngstown, Ohio, $1800.
May 20-Salt Lake City, Utah, $3000; Canal Fulton, Ohio, $1800.
May 27—Phoenix, Ariz., $1800; Clifford, Penn., $1800; Linnville, Ohio, $2500.
May 28—Proctorville, Ohio, $2000.
June 3—Lenhartsville, Penn., $1800; Midland, Mich., $1800.
ENDUROS ADDED TO CALENDAR
In an effort to alter a distribution it feels disadvantageous to the motorcycle sport, the Executive Committee of the American Motorcycle Association has instructed the AMA staff to issue sanctions for as many as six National Championship enduro events west of the Mississippi.
Prior to this decision, 12 National Championship events had been designated by the AMA Congress, but all were in the eastern United States. None of these were overturned by the Executive Committee in its rare decision, rather it was felt that additional dates would sufficiently correct the imbalance.
The Executive Committee of the AMA has the legal power to alter decisions of the Congress; however, it is an authority which is rarely exercised. The expansion of the National Championship enduro calendar was the first such action by the committee in two years.
Following the directive, the AMA Competition Department has added six dates to the calendar.
The remaining schedule is as follows:
April 1 — 125-Mile Red Garter National Enduro; Dirt Diggers Motorcycle Club, 12221 “B” York Ave., Haw-
thorne, CA 90250.
April 15—100-Mile Fallen Timbers National Enduro, Glass City Motorcycle Inc., 5325 Lewis Ave., Toledo, OH 43612.
May 6—150-Mile Burr Oak National Enduro; Mid-West National Enduro Riders Assn., Route 3, 1815-4th Ave., Sterling, IL 61081.
May 20—150-Mile Lonesome Pine National Enduro; Lonesome Pine Enduro Riders Assn., Inc., P.O. Box 1003, Bristol, VA 24201.
May 26-27—500-Mile Greenhorn National Enduro; Pasadena Motorcycle Club, 21 East Howard St., Pasadena, CA 91103.
May 27-250-Mile Little Burr National Enduro; Enduro Riders Assn., 3560 Homestead Dr., Columbus, OH 43224.
June 16-17—350-Mile Porcupine National Enduro; Michigan Trail Riders, 6136 Clark Rd., Bath, MI 48808.
June 24-100-Mile National Enduro; Straight Arrow Enduro Inc., 51 17 39th Ave., So., Minneapolis, MN 55417.
Sept. 30—150-Mile Sandy Lane National Enduro; Meteor Motorcycle Club, P.O. Box 67, Barrington, NJ 08007.
Oct. 7-125-Mile Black Coal National Enduro; Black Coal Enduro, c/o Jerry Schuler, Evansville, IN 47711.
Oct. 20-21 — 300-Mile National Enduro; Midwest Enduro Team, c/o Edwin A. Viermann, 3110 Ringer Rd., St. Louis, MO 63125.
Oct. 28—125-Mile Cotton Boll National Enduro; Track & Trail Sport Riders Assn., P.O. Box 9251, Amarillo, TX 79105.
Nov. 4-125-Mile Redwood National Enduro; Redwood Scramblers Motorcycle Club, P.O. Box 760, Crescent City, CA 95531.
Nov. 11 — 100-Mile Kaw Valley National Enduro; Wheelsport Motorcycle Club of Lawrence, Inc., P.O. Box 831, Lawrence, KS 66044.
Dec. 2—125-Mile Swamp Fox National Enduro; The Family Riders Inc., Box 497, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464. |§]
