Dehesa Speedway Motocross
AMA
at
Dehesa Speedway
Sunday November 10, 1974
By: John Little
A beautiful day and a good turn out of riders made for exciting racing at the first MX race of the winter season at Dehesa. The race was put on by the Hi Boots Motorcycle Club. The track was over a mile long with some good hair pins and lots of whoop-de-does (Rough).
On the line first we saw the 125 Experts and Amateurs together. At the start of the first race it was Broc Glover (AM) with the hole shot with Dennis Curtis (EX) and Ron Turner (EX) close behind, all on Hondas. Glover held both Curtis and Turner off for awhile, then here came Turner on his new '75 Honda, smoking by both of them. There was no stopping him now. He stretched out a big lead over the pack and taking the checker flag with Curtis second and Bob Murray third for the 125 Expert. Gover was the winner for the 125 Amateur.The second MX was just about a repeat of the first. Glover out first, flying around the first turn with Bob Sherwood (Hon) (AM), Mike Jennings (Hon) (AM), Curtis and Turner close behind. As before, give Turner the width of a bike to get through and there he goes on to a repeat win for the first over all in the 125 EX class.
In a combined class of 250 Experts and Amateurs Mike Stearns (CZ) came off the line as expected in the 250 Expert class out front to stay, getting some pressure from Mike McGowen (Kaw) and Jeff Matthews (Kaw) with Randy Burns (Yam) close by.
At the finish it was Stearns taking the win, going wire-to-wire with McGowen following for second and coming up for third was Troy Stallings (CZ).
At the start of the second moto everyone left the starting line in a hurry, after the dirt stopped flying there sat Mike Stearns with his chain hanging on the ground. McGowen, Burns, and the whole pack were a half a lap into the race when Stearns got his chain on and started digging in. On the fourth lap Stearns had moved in to first place and finished 1-1 for the day with McGowen getting a second overall and Stallings the third overall.<BR><BR> In the Open Expert and Amateur class, Steve Rivara (CZ) got the hole shot in the first mo to, but breathing down his pipe was Ken Frost (Suz). On the first lap after Rivara decided to do an endo on the drop off, it was Frost, Stephenson (CZ), and Tim Barlow (Bui), all running like they were glued together.
On the fifth lap, Barlow took the lead and went on to the win, with Chip Ho well (Hus) getting the second place coming up hard and Stephenson getting third. On the next to last lap Frost lost his gas tank, putting him out of contention. <BR><BR>The second MX Rivara was out again like he was going to smoke up the track but that was not to be. It was Frost again out front but only for two laps as a broken rod put him out for the day. Next time Ken.
At the checker, it was Barlow again two for two, with Howell second and moving up for third was Tom Omelina (CZ) ahead of Mike Stephenson. <BR><BR>In the 125 Novice class there was a battle going on between Jim Wright (Hon) and Randy Leebolt (Suz) running one-two with Mark Jordan (Hon) coming up in third place. Jordan's bike seized on the third lap and Leebolt must not have wanted to ride any more as he came off hard, leaving Wright a no pressure win in the first moto. It was Steve Carson (Hon) coming up for second and John McCartin (Suz) third.
The second moto jumping in front was Randy Hess (Hon) followed by Jim Greene (Suz) and Wright. Hess was pulling away for four laps then Greene and Wright started closing. Hess dropped out from bad blisters on his bands. (You have to •wear gloves). While Greene and Wright were fighting it out for first place now moving up fast was Carson, so it ended up Wright finishing first for a double win with Carson taking two seconds and third was Greene with a fifth in the first moto.