April 16, 1975
Vol. 3  Issue 14
    










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Trackmasters' Racing Association at Valley Cycle Park


T.M.R.C. at Valley Cycle Park
Saturday April 5, 1975
By: John
Grout

What ever happened to what we, at one time, referred to as gentle April Showers?? Following a couple of the most inclement "goose drownders" probably on record in the State of California during these past two weekends, about all that anybody can pray for is a display of decent weather from here on in... During the first round of Saturday's motocross racing program-a show being run under sanction of Al Jackson's Track Masters' Racing Assn.-all riding divisions were treated to almost perfect and ideal competition conditions. Then all hell broke loose:

A monsoon-like rain, being whipped by near-freezing winds, turned it into a day of almost abject misery for the contestants.

The track was getting a terrific bath, coming up a little slicker by each passing moment; the riders were found huddling in their vans, cars and trucks as they hoped to thaw between the two full rounds; and, as a whole, the group continued on to put on one of the most courageous displays of pure gut racing ability that this correspondent has witnessed in ten years of attempting to put in ink exactly what takes place at a motorcycle event.

I mean: it was mean. It was even worse than that. During the contesting of the two motos that involved Experts on the 250cc machinery, races that marked the return to action of Jimmy O'Neal on a new Can-Am bike, Steve Roark (Bul), who has now established himself as a genuine mudlark, splashed, splashed and slid to easy wins in both of the 30-minute encounters. While grabbing the lead from the starting flag in each heat, Roark went wire-to-wire in both to gain the day's overall victory from O'Neal, who slid out and was down almost an entire lap in the first moto before he was again able to get fire in his scooter. Runner-up to the top two was Jim Mercier, aboard a steady-running Honda.

Super Hunky Rick Sieman, editor of Modern Cycle Magazine, put his big Maico into the lead in the first moto, only to have a spark plug vibrate loose, sucking air through the combustion chamber and causing the engine to knot tighter than the hitches employed in draping a flag al hall-mast. He did, however, promise to return to the starting line next Saturday-maybe with a new machine. We do hope so. Sieman has a certain way of always keeping the competition "honest."

Gaining the overall victory for Open Junior and Intermediates was Allen Torkko (CZ), who out-finished Frank Re (CZ) for top honors.

John Swendsen (Bul), who was racing among a large turnout of 250 Junior-Intermediates, was a swift winner in both events for the division, leading Bob Killian and Larry Hank, both on CZ's, to the final wire in the two heats.

Honda riding John Ferra took the measure of Mike Eytchefson (Bul) and Scott Walker (Hon) to tally an overall triumph at the 125cc Junior-Intermediate racing level. A big win at 100 Novice went to Lyman E. Young (Yam), who managed to out point runners-up David Ferno and Jude Piasecki, both of whom were trying their luck on Suzukis.

A Minicycle victory went to hard¬working Scott Thorvaldson (Yam) over John Drury (Yam) and Jeff Johnson, who was astride a Honda. Track Masters' returns to Valley Cycle Park next Satrurday, first moto scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Be there!! Many of the top Experts are expected back to the starting gate.