| NEW LENGTH TRACK BRINGS NEW CHALLENGES By Steve Caro Photography by Kathryn Caro Lakeside, CA March 22. News of an extended length Barona Oaks Raceway must have spread like wildfire within the vintage racing community. Over 170 entries registered for round two of the 2008 CALVMX series. Combining with AHRMA for the first round of the Southwest Vintage series saw the track filled all day long with vintage and post vintage machines. An excellent cross-section of both vintage and post vintage machines filled the pit area. A very encouraging sign was the participation of six women racers. Within the six was the new AHRMA Southwest coordinator Tami Rice. Daughter of legendary racer John Rice and a formidable competitor herself, it was great to have her join in the days racing. Prior to the start of racing, local legend Marty Tripes announced the details of his upcoming Marty Tripes Vintage Weekend scheduled for the weekend of October 18 and 19. Tripes announced the weekend would be a salute to the roots of American Motocross and a return, albeit too briefly, to the simpler times of racing before the show business like atmosphere of today emerged. A salute to local pioneers of the sport, Marty said, will be included in a manner that has yet to happen on the local level. A roar from the crowd followed his announcement John DeSoto would be flying in from Hawaii as the special guest for the races. This weekend definitely must be tagged as a “can’t miss” event. The success of this inaugural event will determine its future. On the track, the racing was excellent in the Plus 40 Vintage Novice class. Suzuki mounted Dave Peabody dominated the class with two strong wins. Moto one saw Peabody third off the line behind the CZ of Kenny Roberts and the Yamaha of Robert Ivery as the pack rushed up the new high-speed starting hill. By the time the pack had made its way back to the finish line/scoring area, Peabody had emerged with the lead. Behind him, Roberts and Ivery locked into their own battle for second place. Peabody proceeded to lengthen his lead over the pack with each successive lap. The effort he put in was obvious as he maxed out the four-inch rear/seven inch front vintage legal suspension travel over every jump on the course. Behind him, the Roberts-Ivery match continued. At the checkers, Peabody took the win and Ivery was able to make a pass hold on the persistent Roberts for second. As if to make it easy on himself, Peabody pulled a huge holeshot in moto two. By the end of the second lap, he had at least a 10 second lead over the rest of the class. Behind him, Roberts and Ivery were joined by Bultaco mounted Mike Garcia in a race for second place. With Peabody holding a steady lead, the trio continued to vie for the runner-up spot throughout the moto. By lap four, Roberts had gained a slight advantage over Garcia and the rapidly closing Ivery. At the checkers, Peabody clinched first overall without little challenge. Ironically, he not only had the fastest bike on the day, but also the loudest! A large crack had formed in his expansion chamber. The break did little to slow him down and at the same time made it quite easy to track his location on the track. Behind him, Roberts secured second overall, with Garcia emerging with third overall for the day. Racing in the Plus 50 GP Intermediates saw Jim Beaty (Honda) capture, the overall victories with two dominate rides. Moto one saw Mark McNaulty taking the lead as the pack crested the top of the starting hill. Directly behind him were Beaty and the Husqvarna of Keith Sievers. Beaty worked his way around McNaulty on the back half of the long Barona course. Moving up with him was Sievers as the top three sorted themselves out. Beaty essentially went unchallenged for the remainder of the moto as his Honda performed flawlessly. Behind him, the veteran Sievers used his years of experience to put a lock on second place, with McNaulty rounding out the top three. Bike and rider attrition radically reduced the field for the second moto. McNaulty once again captured the lead as the pack funneled onto the course. By turn three, Beaty had lined up McNaulty and moved by him into the lead. The remainder of the moto was anti-climatic as Beaty stretched his lead over the rest of the pack. At the finish, Beaty clinched the overall victory with McNaulty cruising into the runner-up position. Without a doubt, the March round of the CALVMX series was one of its most successful endeavors. A well-prepped track, minimal dust problems, and an injury free day spelled a great day of vintage racing. April is the next scheduled practice at Barona (vintage and post vintage only) followed by round three of the series, which will feature the annual CZ World Championships. |
