RTMC-MX at Carlsbad Raceway
Rolf Tibblin MX
at
Carlsbad Raceway
Saturday January 4, 1975
By: The Scene & Bonzai Billy
Ya know what? My first day of the year was spent feasting on exotic Japanese foods in the local hospital visiting an ailing banzaier. This dude's been in there for about three months with a damn broken leg, total bummer. This Carlsbad Raceway Team member is a total crackpcrack-up, I mean, he's funny, but his name is even more funny, get this...Lane, now, only enduro riders have that name. Huh? Lane Fukuda. Ha-ha. Whoiee, I musta drank too much the night before. Oh! My head! Now, I gotta -sort out my head, get serious. While Lane was lying around with some "ca-ute" (cute) nurses, I was playing with the pit-tootsies at Carlsbad on the fourth day of the year.
Yeah, I was racing all right, but I didn't necessarily look at the track. And ya want ta' know somethin' about the track? They didn't use the International track! (that's international with a capitol "I".) Instead, they used the old AME track! Don't you get me wrong, the track was a total joy to ride on, I had a ball. First off, the start is really loooong, it continues on and on, until you get to the first jump. Then it's all up and down for a while. You go off a jump, then you gas it about ten more feet, then you encounter the next jump, about this time you get to notice something. It's fun! Then you cross-up on the last of the five or so continuous jumps and you enter a left hander 'carousel". Get into a wide sweeper and turn right own the whoops on a slight downhill, if you get outta shape here, just gas it! And you'll straighten out, no sweat, but it's a little harder for me, 'cause I landed on my head once. But only once, now! (Squid).Then you take another turn right in a wide off-camber turn and under the trees, for a sharp left through the mud. After you pass the water hole, there's another off camber turn, right. Then left, then left-off camber, then right, up over a large mound, right, turn sharply left, does this give you the impression that this track is a little tricky? Thought so. Anyway, you turn right again, on a off camber turn. Up over the double whoops, "brrrrreeeeee", and gas it after the left hander to the finish. After you smile at the scorers, there's a wiiiiide right hand sweeper. That's soooo much fun, click it in the highest gear you can find and stick it wide open, then you hit near the start line again and continue on your merry way for the second lap. Now, that's a different Carlsbad! Since you've gotten a detailed report of the track, wake up, and read on. Some of the guys got it wired, and others missed it. (I got it sort-of frayed, you know, how your cable frays and it breaks? Same thing, only I scratched my helmet). One guy who really got the whole thing wired was Scott Prante, getting the holeshot on the rest of Open Juniors and Intermediates.
While Scott had his black Yamaha smokin' it out front, Steve Catrell was trying to stay ahead of Jim Montgomery, riding for Sosna MX. Jim pushed his CZ to within inches of the Husky Catrell was riding, he couldn't get by. You really gotta be good to pass on that track, 'cause it's so tricky and different than some other tracks. Gus Gramer cruised his Husky in fourth, but third in his class. Then the Pro riders and the 250 dudes ran the second moto. Terry Turner of the Carlsbad Race Team pulled the string on the others, but was passed by Ron Turner on his Honda about halfway through the first lap. Terry out-smarted Ron, and passed him back before the first lap ended, it began to look like a good race, when Ron came off the fourth jump a little too crossed andlanded right in front of Terry's dad. So Ron was out of the money and left Terry to clean up.
Tom Robbins rode his Honda to a first in the 250 Junior class, followed by Sherman Markland on his early RT360 Yamaha. Junior John Eastman grabbed a third on his CZ, while Tamali Smith rode his Honda (huh? I thought it was Kawasaki?) to first in the 250 Intermediate class. Jim Floyd put his Maico into a second place finish. Rod Guintobeat the 125 Juniors on his '75 Honda, only when Corki Moore broke his rear hub on his Suzuki. The two CRT riders were smokin' it out the first moto, with Cork gettin' the checkered first, followed by Rod, and Mark Saccoman on his Honda. Suzuki power reigned again in the second, until Cork tore some aluminum. Rod easily took first, followed by Ed Seeber (Hon), Greg Brooks on his Kaw, and me, fourth. Whatta squid!
David Gerig took first in the 125 Intermediates, while Dan Dilkey rode his D.S.I. Suzuki to a clean-up win of the 100 Juniors. Mike McEntee (Hon) grabbed two firsts to win the mini class, while Sarkis Spanjian and Jim Yada traded spots in the two motos, with Sark taking second in the second on his YZ 80. You know what my New Year's resolution is? Maybe I'll tell you. Maybe. And that's to make up my mind-if I'm, going to tell you or not.
