Round Up
ROUND UP
JOE PARKHURST
THE INDOMITABLE spirits of motorcycling live nowhere stronger than in a group I recently joined, where I rode my first motocross. One would think that at my age I would be content with an occasional enduro, cross-country trip to Baja, or a nice hard days riding at Saddleback...not so.
The group is the Oldtimers Motorcycle Club. They are based in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, but are adding chapters in other States at a rapid rate as the word gets around. The primary prerequisite is that you be over 40 years old. The club rides motocross most of the time, mainly when they can find a place to run. Lately they’ve been riding at any of the several motorcycle parks in Southern California, including Saddleback, in events sanctioned by the parks.
I joined the Old Timers, and yes, I resent the name, at Escape Country park. New members select whether they regard themselves as experts, amateurs or novices. A riding committee decides whether they were overly optimistic after competing in three events. Since I had never ridden an organized motocross, but had spent many a pleasant hour on Saddleback’s International course, I decided I had better start at the bottom. It was a wise choice.
Members of the club represent just about every strata of society, but almost all are old-time California hare and hound style riders. The entry list looks like Catalina is being run again. Make no mistake...these guys are good! Age being what it is, heats are short, usually five or six laps, around 10 to 15 minutes each. It was a good thing, my arms wouldn’t have lasted much longer. I rode my old 250 AJS, but next time I’m taking the 608cc Clews. Most of the good guys are riding 400cc Maicos, AJS, Husqvarnas and CZs. I’ve never been beaten so badly in 30 years of riding. No restrictions are put on the bike you ride, hence the Clews.
As of this writing, the club is working on a rather special type of event for the month of June-the Old-Timers Fathers Day World Championship. We hope to have it at Saddleback Park, but plans are not finalized as of this date. Other than showing a lot of skin on top of heads, and a few thick places hanging over the tops of leathers and support belts, they look like any other group of motocross fiends. Fun is the main inspiration for the motocross Geritol set. It’s one of the few times you’ll ever see a rider stop to see if his friend was hurt in a spill. They don’t exactly move aside for you in a tight corner, but it’s far from the ruthlessness seen in professional racing. The degree of drive seems to vary from group to group. The experts are the toughest competitors, if it’s too rough a member slides back into the amateur class, where he can be fairly serious but not so bloodthirsty. The novice class is where a rider starts and where he ends when he is either too old to really push, or too tired, or just doesn’t want to.
I won’t go into how I did in my first motocross, except to say that I didn’t finish last. Anyway, the best race is always the next one. I haven’t had so much fun in years, and it is nice to feel like you are part of the mainstream again. It’s not too far removed from what I have been doing for years anyway, racing with good friends.
MORE ON MOTORCYCLE SALES
While parts of the country have been hit quite hard by localized slumps in sales, the national sales picture for motorcycles is still doing very well. Business Week magazine reported in its January 27th issue that motorcycles and miscellaneous transportation equipment sales will gain 8.7% in the next decade. This will be second only to miscellaneous plastic products as the big gainers for the 1972 through 1982 decade. The data was provided by the University of Maryland Bureau of Business & Economic Research.
Their forecasts show them gaining over such things as photographic equipment, electronic components, optical goods, machine shop products, etc. The gain will come mostly from consumer spending. At the same time, Wards Automotive Reports currently shows imported motorcycle sales running ahead of imported cars-1.6 million cars were imported, with 1.7 million motorcycles being brought in. These are not sales figures.
Of course Japan led in imports, with 1,145,045 in the last nine months, u4 from 975,837 in the same period in 1971. The trend toward bigger displacement bikes continues, with the second fastest growing capacity range being 91cc to 190cc. Harley-Davidson production is up 40 percent and is expected to increase again soon when they move all H-D bike assembly to a new factory in York, Pennsylvania. Never thought I would see a Harley from anywhere but Milwaukee.
TRANS-AMA SCHEDULE
International motocross returns to the U.S. this Fall with the Trans-AMA series. Total purse for 1973 will be more than $200,000, an incredible figure when the short history of International racing in the U.S. is considered. CYCLE WORLD will again close the series at Saddleback Park on Dec. 3rd. The 114 race series opens Sept. 23rd at Loudon; N.H., the day after the finish of the International Six Days Trial.
The CYCLE WORLD Grand Prix will be the only appearance of European riders in Southern California following the U.S. Grand Prix at Carlsbad, Calif., June 24th, and the Superbowl of Motocross at the Los Angeles Coliseum where several Europeans are tentatively committed to appear, set for Friday night, July 6th. Sweden’s incredible Ake Jonsson, who swept the series last year, will be riding for Yamaha this year. Suzuki is again backing five-time world champion Joel Robert and two-time champion Roger De Coster.
TRANS-AMA MOTOCROSS SERIES
Sept. 23, Loudon, N.H., $15,000; Sept. 28, Philadelphia, Penn., $15,0001
Oct. 7, Lexington, Ohio $12,000; Oct. 14, Washington, Ind., $12,000; Oct. 21, Atlanta, Ga., $12,000; Oct. 28, Orlando, Fla., $12,000.
Nov. 4, Houston, Texas, $14,000; Nov. 11, Phoenix, Ariz., $12,000; Nov. 18, Puyallup, Wash., $14,000; Nov. 25, Livermore, Calif. $14,000; Dec. 2, Saddleback, Calif., $ 18,000.
