| E-TICKET THRILLS & MR. WINTON’S WILD RIDE By Steve Caro Photography by Kathryn Caro Lakeside, CA. May 3. Round three of the 2008 CALVMX series saw the vintage and post vintage regulars return to the chameleon like Barona Oaks Raceway. All three rounds at this vintage friendly facility have featured a different layout, making it a new challenge for every rider to master. With nearly 200 entries on this race day, it was the largest attended event so far for CALVMX and its members. As an added feature, the annual CZ World Championships were staged along with the regular vintage/post-vintage classes. For those unfamiliar with the story, this event, first held in the early 1980’s, is credited with starting the entire sport of vintage motocross in the U.S. Originally conceived for any machine powered by a CZ motor, those days of wild creations have since evolved into a showcase for a cross section of traditional CZ models lovingly maintained by their owners. Excellent racing was the standard for the day. However, the biggest news was the incredible incident involving long time CALVMX member Kyle Winton during the Ironman event. One of the fastest riders in vintage racing, Winton was involved in what most believe to be the most horrific crash ever seen in vintage racing. While running near the front of the pack, the top of Winton’s carburetor began to unscrew itself. Near the end of one of the fastest sections on the track, the cap came off and pulled the slide wide open. The high-pitched wail of his CZ could be heard all over the facility. Suddenly out-of-control, Winton had no choice but to bail off his stricken machine. The suddenly rider less bike launched itself over a berm at the end of the straight. Flying high into the air, the machine cleared the grandstands and smashed into a rock out cropping, aluminum marks in the rock indicating the point of impact. The wildly flipping machine continued down towards the pit area and impacted another rocky area. Its flight of destruction not yet done, the machine continued to somersault over the streambed and finally landed in a demolished heap along the road through the pits. Miraculously, Winton was unhurt. The CZ was totally destroyed. Fortunately, there was no fire in-spite of race gas being blown out of the tank upon impacting one of the rock sections. Back on the track, Honda mounted Ryan Voznick was a double moto winner in the GP 2 125 Novice class. In moto one, Voznick started near the front of the pack that combined both experts and intermediates along with novices. Trailing Voznick was Alex Toth (Hon), with Michael Domanich (Suz) in third. Voznick kept his fast pace throughout the moto. Behind him, Toth and Domanich were settled into the runner-up positions. At the checkers, Voznick had the win, with Toth and Domanich in second and third. The second moto saw Voznick pulling a massive holeshot as the pack sped up the starting hill. Behind him was Steve Voznick, (Yam) a non-starter in the first moto, followed by Toth and Domanich. In spite of repeated watering, the hot winds had turned the course into a dusty challenge. Ryan seemed unfazed as he increased his lead with every lap of the race. The procession of Steve Voznick, Toth, and Domanich remained unchanged as the moto wound down. At the checkers, Ryan claimed the overall victory followed by Toth and Domanich. One of the most competitive classes in vintage racing is the Plus 50 Vintage Intermediate division. Lining up to do battle were machines from Japan and Europe. The start of moto one saw CZ mounted Steve Atwood emerging with the lead as the pack passed the scoring tower for the first time. Behind him were Craig Walker (CZ), Keith Lynas (Ossa) and Wendell Clark (Yam). Atwood continued to hold onto the lead with his characteristic smooth riding style as the moto progressed. Walker stayed in close pursuit and at one point drew nearly even with Atwood by using a tight inside line leading to the scoring tower. Behind the lead duo, Lynas was securely in third with Clark rounding out the top four. At the checkers, Atwood had the win followed by Walker and Lynas. When starter Mark Aquino dropped the gate for moto two, Lynas grabbed the holeshot followed by Walker and Atwood. Lynas began to put a gap between him and the rest of the pack by the end of lap one. Behind him, Atwood worked his way around Walker to take over second. As the moto progressed, Lynas continued to maintain his lead. Having won the first moto, Atwood appeared to concentrate on maintaining his runner-up position, which would assure him the overall victory. At the checkers, Lynas had won the battle and Atwood the war with his excellent 1-2 scores. Walker completed the podium with his third place overall finish. A plethora of CZ’s filled the gate for the special one-race CZ World Championship races. Ranging in size from the little 125’s up to the powerful 400’s, the legendary Czech machines, a staple of the early days of American moto-cross, dueled for eight laps on the rugged Barona course. Class winners included veteran Brian Larsen in 125 Intermediates, ultra-fast Gary Faxon in 125 Expert, along with Phillip Hall in the CZ Unlimited class. Hall is an alumnus of the original CZWC’s dating back to the early 1980’s. Nature once again played a major part on race day. Heavy winds did their best to turn the course into a dust bowl. The stalwart work of the water truck operators and the excellent course preparation kept the racing going all day long. |
| Owner Art Levya said the motor was salvageable and not much else. Ever the battler, Winton was back in action later in the day on another machine, running near the front and fast as ever. |
CALVMX holds its next race at the legendary Perris
Raceway on June 14. Despite the astronomical gas prices,
every member is strongly encouraged to make the trip to
the oldest continuingly operational track in Southern
California. As always, members are encouraged to spread
the word about vintage and post-vintage racing. If you
know someone with an older bike, encourage them to join
in on the fun of vintage racing.
Raceway on June 14. Despite the astronomical gas prices,
every member is strongly encouraged to make the trip to
the oldest continuingly operational track in Southern
California. As always, members are encouraged to spread
the word about vintage and post-vintage racing. If you
know someone with an older bike, encourage them to join
in on the fun of vintage racing.