March 12, 1975
Vol. 3  Issue 9
    










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Bill Taylor, Tim Murphy


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AMC-MX at O.C.I.R.


Bill Taylor leads Tim Murphy into a corner while dicing out at OCIR during Friday night action. Corley photo.
Bill Taylor leads Tim Murphy into a corner while dicing out at OCIR during Friday night action. Corley photo.

AMC at Orange County International Raceway
Friday February 28, 1975
By: Tom
Corley

Every once in a while the weather presents a few problems. Whether it's the mud the wind or whatever, it seems like it usually bothers me more than it does anyone else and occasionally I add a little too much sensationalizm by exaggerating the natural phenomonons. So in the case of tonight's AMC Motocross race, I'll just say that there was a light fog that hovered over the track.

Now this didn't really bother the racers that much at all and the racing was still superb. And it gave everyone who had a van a chance to see if their fog lights really did work or not, darn't mine just burnt out! By now everyone should pretty well be aware of the fact that the OCIR track people have modified the track somewhat and have completely changed the corkscrew corners. Overall, I would say that the track is pretty tight and that you're not going to be able to win in competition unless you're hot in the corners. And they are also making such weird named jumps like Lover's Leap and the Moby Dick more radical so everyone can get high off of them. Alright O.C.I.R! Now that'ssomething that really turns a photographer on because it's kind of a drag when every squid's over the jumps with both wheels still on the ground. If you read my article on AMC racing at Saddleback in last issue of SCM, you may still remember when I told you that Jeff Ward hurt his arm. Well, it looks like it was slightly serious and he will be out of action and is going to leave the Mini Expert class in peace for a while.

Bill Jewitt sets his Honda XR into the air while racing out with AMC at OCIR. Corley photo.
Bill Jewitt sets his Honda XR into the air while racing out with AMC at OCIR. Corley photo.

I saw him munching over at the Jack In the Truck concession stand with friend racer Bill Jewitt, who was the night's star of the Mini Expert class. Bill was really hauling and he won his class pretty easily over other competitor Kurt Sofka, of Harry's Cycle Sales. Those two were rapidly being chased after by a pack of Intermaniacs who were led by Bryan Jordan, Bryon Antonacci and John Ruby while Dan Trant won the Junior class. I can still recall how Dan would do those wild front wheel dives while flying over the Moby Dick jump.

Now the 100 class was really packed with fast competitors. They seemed all evenly powered however there was a conflict in the 100 Expert class that I was told about Bill Taylor just got off of his ole Yarnmie 100 MX and got a new Elsinore and apparently the talk was that it wasn't sleeved down to a 100 yet Now, first of all I should say that I don't really know if it was a 100 or still just a 125 so I'm not going to take sides. The only sure way to tell is when the top end is taken off once the protest fee is posted, so I don't know and I'm just telling you what the gab was. Anyway, it came to an exciting final moto showdown between the two big guns of the race who were Pete Hillebrecht of Harry's Cycle Sales in Orange and Bill Taylor. Both riders were tied with one win and a second place. And then the gate dropped in the third moto, Pete got the best start and was really in command of the money while Taylor suffered from a not so super of a start. Taylor was really making a sensational effort to catch up when Bill "Willy" McCandless and him bashed it out before the finish line and Taylor hit the ground. So overall in the 100 Expert class it was Pete Hillebrecht, Bill Taylor and Chris Cayo.

Bill McCandless won the Intermediates while Tim Murphy and Ron Flores matched it off in the Juniors. The guys who filled into the first six slots of the 100 Beginner class were Joe Polizzi, Mark Golden, Steve Santoz, Mark Hobkins, Dale Himmerlrelich and Larry Morton.

Leo Saul is unstoppable in the 125 Junior class and not just in AMC racing because he beats everyone whenever he races in High School Motocross. He has two fine sponsors now who are Southland Cycle and DG Motorcycle Specialists and he smoked 17 other guys in tonights contest, Mark Wilson and Donald Bridgewater took second and third.