CALVMX

Final Laps Run for 2016

By Steve Caro

Photography by Kathryn Caro

Anza, CA. Nov 13, 2016

 

          Cahuilla Creek MX Park played host to the final event of the 2016 CALVMX/100% vintage motocross series. On a day which started out with temperatures in the low 40’s, conditions later became picture perfect for the series finale. Excellent track preparations, minimal dust and very light winds, were an added bonus for those in attendance.

 

         CALVMXs’ tradition of saluting notable figures from the sports’ past continued with a tribute to former racer Chuck Lampe. In a career lasting almost a decade, Lampe won several state championships in Arizona and Texas, was ranked as high as 8th in the 250 National Series and continued to score top ten finishes in numerous nationals throughout his career. Primarily known for his days as a sponsored Maico rider, Lampe also competed on CZ and Kawasaki’s while continuing to be ranked in the top 40 in the AMA national motocross series throughout his career.

 

          In addition to saluting Chuck Lampe’s racing career, the day marked the debut ride of Scott Burnworth’s 1987 Suzuki RM-125. In collaboration with long time CALVMX fixture Gary Faxon, the bike was restored back to better than new condition and carried numerous OEM parts. Burnworth quickly put the machine thru its paces in both 50+ GP Pro and GP-3 Pro classes. The former vice national champion and factory pro kept up a blistering pace and only a late lap crash in one of the motos, resulting in a broken brake lever, torn throttle side grip and a slight hand injury to Burnworth tarnished the day. Quick repairs by Faxon allowed Burnworth to return to the track for his next moto. Faxon and Burnworth concluded the bike needed a one tooth larger rear sprocket to get it to its ideal race set-up.

   

        The highly competitive Marty Tripes 100cc series wrapped up with great performances by Steve Furman and John Forsythe in the Factory Works Intermediate division. Yamaha mounted Furman and Honda mounted Forsythe (on the only four-stroke in the class) led the pack at the start of the first moto. The two class veterans swapped the lead several times during the moto with the final outcome not decided until nearly the last lap when Furman moved into the lead and held it to the checkers, with Forsythe second, with Norm Himaka (Yam) taking the third spot.

    

          When the gate dropped for the second moto, it was the Furman/Forsythe duo again heading the pack. Forsythe kept his bellowing little mount at the front of the pack for the first part of the moto, with Furman never more than a few bike lengths behind. Nearing the end of the moto, Furman timed his pass perfectly and took over the lead position, followed by Forsythe and Ed Larnerd (Yam). Furman kept his diminutive “smoker” at full revs and crossed the finish line, clinching both the moto and overall wins, followed by Forsythe with his 2-2 scores and Himaka parlaying his 3-4 scores to the final podium spot.

  

           Series regular Ray Zuchowski closed out his season in fine style with a dominating performance in the 50 Plus GP Intermediate class. In the first moto, Yamaha mounted Zuchowski sparred with Ross Thompson (Husq), Ron Rinden (Hon) and James Youngblood (Hon) for the top spot in the moto. Zuchowski eventually broke free of the pack late in the moto and took the moto win, followed by Thompson and Rinden.

  

           Zuchowski left no doubt of his goal for the overall win as he powered his way into a commanding lead at the start of the second moto pursued by Thompson and Youngblood. With Zuchowski holding a substantial lead, the duel to watch was between Thompson and Youngblood. The duo passed and repassed each other, with Youngblood finally getting the upper hand to take second in the moto behind Zuchowski, with Thompson taking third. Overall, Zuchowski topped the podium with his 1-1 scores, followed by Thompson (2-3) and Youngblood (4-2).

     

           In the pre-1975 classes, Greg “Zeke” Landers once again was the man to beat in Open Age Vintage Expert. In both moto’s, the CZ mounted ace rocketed into virtually insurmountable leads and never put a wheel out-of-line as he topped the class with a two-moto sweep. Behind him, Patrick Irvin posted 3-2 scores on his pristine Bultaco to capture second overall, with Carey McIntyre (2-4) in third overall, just ahead of his father Tim (CZ) in fourth.

   

           2016 was another successful year for CALVMX. Steady sponsorship from 100% products and consistently high entry counts confirmed vintage and post-vintage racing is still viable in Southern California. With the addition of flat track racing and an affiliation with AHRMA, 2017 bodes well for the both the sport and the club. Racing will resume in February with the race schedule forthcoming.

         

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further photos and race coverage can be found at:

Todayscyclecoverage.com