Berkshire 1968
BERKSHIRE 1968
John Penton made much of the Massachusetts Muck
JOE BOLGER
MASSACHUSETTS ski country in the
spring is green and watery. Snow and
skiers gone, the countryside turns into quick-running streams, burgeoning underbrush, and miles of mire for motorcyclists. Intersport, Inc.'s 4th annual Berkshire International Trial made much of the seasonal muck. The event appealed to hardcore professionals, and wasn't overly difficult for novices.
The Berkshire was comprised of two days of enduro competition, plus a series of special tests at various intervals during each day. Classes were 125 cc, 250 cc and Open; all were run on the same time schedule of 24 mph. Special tests were a timed hillclimb of more than 1 mile, a cross-country race over rough terrain for a distance of 1 mile or more, a timed speed test on a private road which offered high speed maneuvers over a distance of 1 mile or more and an acceleration/brake test over a 100-yd. flat, firm, straight section of dirt road. All were timed from a standing start.
Saturday's course originally was designed to give novices a day of fun and as a warm-up for the expert riders. Sunday's course, for those who survived Saturday's test, was a much greater challenge, demanding far more from rider and machine. Heavy rain Saturday night turned many of Sunday's relatively easy sections into mud traps. The organizers decided to run only one lap of Sunday's 93-mile course and only one special test, the hillclimb.
Of 241 starters Saturday morning, 119 completed the first lap, and only 61 finished the two laps to become eligible to compete on Sunday. Of these, 58 got under way Sunday morning. Finally, 46 eased into the finish at noon Sunday. Many of the newcomers to the sport were soon out of the fight, but a few did go the distance to finish at the '68 Berkshire.
John Penton (350 Husqvarna) did the impossible one more time, and forced his way through for his umpteenth win in the bigtime woods game, for the only gold medal of the event. A Gold Award is given to any rider who completes the enduro section with no points lost, a mean feat on its own, and tallies 85 percent or better on the total bonus point score for the special tests. The Silver Award is given to riders with no more than 25 enduro points lost and a bonus point score of 60 percent or better. Ten riders received silver medals. The Bronze Award is given all other riders who complete the entire event within 1 hour of their prescribed times and score 25 percent, or better, bonus points. Thirty-five riders were eligible for bronze medals.
The acceleration/brake test during Saturday's enduro caught many of the acclaimed aces napping when they overshot the finish area and were penalized bonus points. On this test, competitors were required to accelerate from a standing start and cross a finish line 100 yd. away, stopping their motorcycles within a 10-yd. free zone just beyond the finish line. The rider with the fastest elapsed time in each class determined the standard of scoring in each of these special tests, and received a total bonus point score of 100. Other scores were based on a percentage of the competitor's time against the best time established. A total of 130 riders reached the acceleration/brake test, and only three managed a perfect 100 score. The most popular method of stopping was to relax and fall.
Special test of the day, the cross-country, was turned into a grueling ordeal by deep mud and "slippery rocks." The test ran through 5 miles of the Beartown Forest; three riders scored perfect marks with an average speed of 18.75 mph for the 5-mile forest route.
Saturday night's rain cancelled the scheduled speed test for Sunday, but the hillclimb was conducted as planned. So popular among spectators was this test that the organizers are considering admission charges for next year. The hill ran nearly a mile up a rain rutted private road. With so much rain the previous day, the going was treacherous to say the least. A spill here in the late stage of the enduro ruined many a prospective Gold Award winner. An incredible time of 40 sec. was recorded for four riders, 4 sec. better than any of the other 43 competitors that survived to the hillclimb.
On total bonus point score, Leroy Winters was the only rider to tally a perfect mark of 300; John Penton was a close 2nd with 291. Winters, however, lost 3 marks on the trail portion of the enduro which relegated him to a Silver Award.
The club team award was won by the Connecticut Rams; riders were P. Boonstra, W. Peck, P. Bourdan and D. Latham. This was the only club whose members all completed the run. The manufacturers team award was taken by the Penton team.
Al Eames, trial boss for the event, did the usual faultless job setting up the Berkshire. Everything went off extremely well, considering the adjustments made necessary by rain. Al's work with watch, tripmeter and local citizenry amounted to a near crusade. After the awards presentation Sunday afternoon, Eames was presented a new five-speed Bultaco Matador for his outstanding effort in organizing this international event. He may even now be using it to map out the 1969 Berkshire route. ■
