De Anza Cycle Park
Moreno Valley MC
at
DeAnza Cycle Park
Sunday January 26, 1975
By: Richard Perkins
The $600.00 cash purse brought out some fast Experts, but after the dust settled it was Jeff Wright 500cc, Russ McAfee 250, and Dave Williams 125 that took home the top money in the Pro classes.
Richard Franklin, the star of Covina Cycle Center, leads Mike Todd, star of Mid-Valley, around during the 250 Pro class at DeAnza. Perkins photo.There was a top line up of 500 Pro's including Terry Clark and Andy Baines back from the Trans-Am series, and Mark Sullivan the local hot shoe, and Jeff Wright. At the drop of the flag, they all thundered off up the hill, and Wright got the lead on his Mid-Valley CZ. Andy Baines was right behind on his fast Maico, Dennis Hazlett was next on a Yamaha, followed by Sullivan on a Bultaco. Baines pushed Wright for about four laps, then Sullivan got moving and charged past Baines and took after Wright, who got the go sign from his pits, and the battle was over, they moved out from the pack and started lapping the other riders, with Wright always thirty feet in front, with just a couple minutes to go in the thirty minute moto, they came up on a rider who wanted to race, they were in the up hill hoop'de'dos. Wright took the outside, Sullivan took the inside, Wright squeezed by and took the moto. Sullivan was close behind and Baines was next followed by Hazlett.
The second moto looked like a repeat of the first, Wright had the lead, Baines held second for awhile and Sullivan charged by and took after Wright, who held a 100 foot lead, but Sullivan killed his engine on one of the turns and that was the end of his threat, and Wright went on to win, lapping the entire field. Hazlett moved up to second and took second for the class, and Baines was third. Terry Clark had a bad day also. Sullivan pulled into the pits in the last moto.
There were nineteen riders in the 250 Expert class, but Russ McAfee on a Kelsey Alloys Bultaco grabbed the lead, and really moved out, the battle was for second place at first, Mike Todd had it on a Mid-Valley Ossa, but then his team mate Tracy Oswell, took over on a Mid-Valley CZ, also Richard Franklin moved up to challenge on his Yamaha. At the end it was the high flying McAfee, then Oswell, followed by Franklin and Todd. McAfee again got the lead in the second moto and charged ahead. Oswell moved up to second and set sail after the leader, but he lost a foot peg, and lost ground. Now it was Tim Battenschlag Maico mounted, battling Todd, and Franklin for the second spot, three abreast in the turns. Finally Tim broke away from the group as McAfee got the checkered flag. Battenschlag got second, Todd was third, but took second money for the day. Franklin fourth in the moto, which gave him enough points for third money as Battenschlag got a sixth in the first moto, which hurt his chances.
David Williams dominated the 125 Expert class winning both motos on his fast Honda, he would get the lead at the top of the hill, and that was it. Second spot was up for grabs. Steve Bauer on a Honda got it in the first moto, but Jim Lowe mounted on a Honda, put together a sixth and second to take second in class. Mike Pillar on a Flying Machine Factory mount, picked up third money with a seventh and a fourth.
The Mid-Valley CZ team picked up a couple more Open class wins, with Lorenzo Garley in the Intermediate and Victor Danell picking up his first win ever in the Open Beginner class. Greg Lundquist showed the boys how to do it in the Open Junior class. The 250 Beginners fell to Don Thomas. And Herb Carbaugh put together a first, second, first taking 250 Junior class.
There were seventeen riders in the 125 Beginners and Ron Corwin kept his cool and took top gold with a second, third and first, Marc McClure had two seconds going into the last moto but blew it with a fifth and settled for second in class, but that's racing.
The Moreno Valley MC group put together a good race program, the course is well prepared, and a challenge to the riders. It's a family affair with three families doing all the work, there is overnight camping and the whole bit.
Russ McAfee checks out the competition as they come off the line during one of their motos. Russ lead both of them with little trouble, especially with starts like these Perkins photo.