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Craig Parkinson,USA
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2004-july-12
Attached are shots from the Vintage Iron World Championships at Glen
Helen racetrack in Southern California.
Note the flattened beer can (Bud Lite, Jeremy's sponsor), strapped
over the hole in the exhaust pipe where the mount broke off during the
David Bailey MX school the day before.
Bailey used to race a Bultaco, so had some sly comments about Spanish
bikes. I barely survived the race day. It was blazing hot, 100* F- maybe
38* C, and I was melting. Then my bike loaded up and wouldn't start and
I exhausted myself pushing it around even before the race even started.
I think the Motosplat may being going south, again. The gas taps leak
which adds to the problem also. The course was a tamed down version of
the National course, but still plenty tough. Lots of jumps, some step up
doubles, hills, sand, whoops, their big banked "Talledega" Nascar style
first turn.
I entered as an Intermediate and the Husky guy I usually race with
won the Novice class and beat me.
Bruce McDougal, a local expert, was in my race on a Husky. I saw him
up to the second corner, then not again. I really should do some kind of
exercise. A hole in the exhaust makes a big difference in the high speed
running of the bike. Plus all the usual sources were out of race gas, so
I mixed pump gas with the little race gas I had. The bike got so hot, that
when my toe dug into the soft ground in a turn and bumped the shifter out
of gear, the bike would rev like the throttle was stuck open. Moto diesel.
This race always has some drama. Last year the motor mounts came loose,
so the ignition was cutting out at high revs because the ground between
the frame and motor would vibrate apart. This year, after setting up camp
I went out to see a friend, then got caught in Las Vegas bound traffic,
and came within 30 seconds of being locked out of the track at 10:00 at
night. Then got back to be greeted by the water sprinklers going on where
my tent was set up. Then some little animals came sniffing around the tent
in the middle of the night, and scared me.
In the race I almost high sided off the Novice Husky guy's rear wheel.
I almost landed on a guy in my class (another Husky) that wasn't jumping
the doubles, because he has a bone chip in his ankle. Always something.
BTW, by virtue of no one else entering my class, an Ossa is the 250
pre-75 Intermediate World Champion. At least in the Southern California
"World". Attached is a zipped file of photos. One of my truck and stuff
camping out at the track, between the Friday David Bailey school, and the
Saturday raceday. And another of the bike- a 1974 Phantom in GPII colors.
Craig Parkinson '74 Phantom #474
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