AMA D-35 MX at Spillway Park
AMA D-35 MX
at
Spillway Cycle Park
Sunday August 10, 1975
By: William P. Czerwinski
This week's story is coming to you from the sick bed. Maybe I should say from the raspberry patch. After five years of picture taking at the motorcycle races I now know what the rider goes through when he's run over. I feel sorry for the rider also as he not only didn't get to race he received a cut over the eye. Rumor has it he bent his handlebars going down. If he will contact me HI replace them for him.
To start out with, it's exciting to film the start of a race seems that's where the action is. Right!!! Right, well as always I stationed myself at the first turn for pictures. The 125 Experts were off, a few clicks of the camera and all the riders were through ok.The 125 Experts and 250 Experts were running in the same race. When the 125's got aways down the track the 250's were let go. Into the first turn things looked a little out of control-not rider-me. The 125's took most of the inside and center of the turn. The 250 Experts took the center and the outside. That's where I was on the outside. One rider went to the left of me another to the right. In my many years of picture taking I always kept a mental note in my head to let the rider get around me as he has more skill and faster manuverability. A jump by me could be right in his path. Well two riders got by me the third one took the inside line of the other two and that's when it was lights out for me. A spectator said I was out for about five minutes.
Like any other rider that crashes and every one asks, "what happened"? They are right, they don't know what happened. As when you're hit, the lights go out. You come to at the track in the ambulance-or at the hospital. Your right, you don't know what happened. No picture of this event as when I was hit the impact tore the film right out the camera.
Well the 250 Experts were on their way with David Czerwinski of Lompoc aboard his new 250 Montesa in the lead. David started right away stretching out his lead. His only threat was Griswold on a fast Yamaha 400 that pulled up on David three times. Only problem was Griswold was on the ground three times in the moto. David passed all the 125 Experts.
That left the line with a 1/4 lap lead on the 250's. David went on to take the win in moto one.
Moto two started out a little different leading was Bob Griswold who just ran off and left every one on his big 400. The battle was for second where David was. David knew that he could hold second and still collect the overall win. But David seemed to be losing ground as Mike Knopf was gaining. About half way through David waved Knopf on. A few laps later David lost it on the Santa Maria straight-a-way dog leg, he caught it in groin with the handlebars. He got up and got going again with only one rider passing him, but enough to drop him back to second overall. After David came in the pits we found what had slowed him, his rear tire was flat.
Looks like Rich Pogue made it to trophy row. Rich's father is part owner of the local Honda shop. Rich said his father wouldn't let him race until he thought it was time. I think this was his third race and he brought home a 4th place trophy. We look for good things to come from him and his backer.