Marysville E street 6/15/08
In 1973 I was a senior in high school
and racing a 1971 Husqvarna 360
sportsman with a 400 cross tank. I
was such a squid novice. I was slow
and all over the track not so much
crashing just being a flailing, wild,
slow, stupid, kid. I had so much fun
trying to figure out what I was doing.
During this magic time of my life my
home was in Lakeport Calif. The two
tracks I mostly raced were Oasis on
Hwy 20 between Clearlake Oaks and
Williams. The other was Marysville E
street bridge. At E St. I witnessed one
of the coolest experiences a kid could
have. I was staging behind Open
experts as I was an Open Novice and
they were in the moto before us. So
right in front of me, on a very crowded
gate was Pat Richter on a CZ 400 it
was brand new. The rubber band
snaps and this guy puts that bike in a
wheelie about a foot and a half off the
ground and seamlessly, steadily,
through 3 gear changes held that
crossed up whole shot wheelie all the
way into the first turn, coming out in
the lead. That 30 seconds I will carry
to my grave as one of the most
bitchen things I've ever seen.
Thanks Pat. Thanks E St.
and racing a 1971 Husqvarna 360
sportsman with a 400 cross tank. I
was such a squid novice. I was slow
and all over the track not so much
crashing just being a flailing, wild,
slow, stupid, kid. I had so much fun
trying to figure out what I was doing.
During this magic time of my life my
home was in Lakeport Calif. The two
tracks I mostly raced were Oasis on
Hwy 20 between Clearlake Oaks and
Williams. The other was Marysville E
street bridge. At E St. I witnessed one
of the coolest experiences a kid could
have. I was staging behind Open
experts as I was an Open Novice and
they were in the moto before us. So
right in front of me, on a very crowded
gate was Pat Richter on a CZ 400 it
was brand new. The rubber band
snaps and this guy puts that bike in a
wheelie about a foot and a half off the
ground and seamlessly, steadily,
through 3 gear changes held that
crossed up whole shot wheelie all the
way into the first turn, coming out in
the lead. That 30 seconds I will carry
to my grave as one of the most
bitchen things I've ever seen.
Thanks Pat. Thanks E St.
Just this is enough for Marysville's E
street track to be hollowed ground for
me. Located under the E St. bridge, in
a dry river bottom most of the year.
This track is challenging. SAND and
whoops make it a track where you
better bring your BEST GAME. You
won't get any favors from this track.
It's the kind of track that will make you
a better rider, it just demands that of
you. This is where Ric Tipton had the
recent Avdra Regional GP+Vintage
MX race. To make the event feasible
Ric worked out a deal with the Sierra
Old Timers and the Over the Hill Gang
as they were throwing a multi club
event, This practice is called
"Piggybacking" and this is the first
time I've attended an event conducted
as such. If you need everything just
your way, you are inpatient, or a
whiner you might want to stay home
and polish your bike and tell everyone
about this cool old mx bike you have
but haven't raced in a couple of years.
The thing that made an
impression on me the most about this
particular event was people coming up
to us in the pits and saying how cool
our older bikes looked out on the
track. This small gesture made by
fellow motocrossers did alot for us
Avdra guys. It made us feel
appreciated as MotoCross History
Re-enactors and providing the other
clubs with a view into past eras of Mx
that get lost in the electric start four
stroke modern world. This was very
close to the "Racing Through Time"
concept I've had for a while now, with
Vintage, GP=Post vintage and Modern
MX racing on the same program. All
treated with the same respect.
street track to be hollowed ground for
me. Located under the E St. bridge, in
a dry river bottom most of the year.
This track is challenging. SAND and
whoops make it a track where you
better bring your BEST GAME. You
won't get any favors from this track.
It's the kind of track that will make you
a better rider, it just demands that of
you. This is where Ric Tipton had the
recent Avdra Regional GP+Vintage
MX race. To make the event feasible
Ric worked out a deal with the Sierra
Old Timers and the Over the Hill Gang
as they were throwing a multi club
event, This practice is called
"Piggybacking" and this is the first
time I've attended an event conducted
as such. If you need everything just
your way, you are inpatient, or a
whiner you might want to stay home
and polish your bike and tell everyone
about this cool old mx bike you have
but haven't raced in a couple of years.
The thing that made an
impression on me the most about this
particular event was people coming up
to us in the pits and saying how cool
our older bikes looked out on the
track. This small gesture made by
fellow motocrossers did alot for us
Avdra guys. It made us feel
appreciated as MotoCross History
Re-enactors and providing the other
clubs with a view into past eras of Mx
that get lost in the electric start four
stroke modern world. This was very
close to the "Racing Through Time"
concept I've had for a while now, with
Vintage, GP=Post vintage and Modern
MX racing on the same program. All
treated with the same respect.
Avdra racers in attendance were,
Ric Tipton,John Murray,Chuck Nervianni,
Scott Deroco,Ken & Keith Geddis,Steve
Dombo, Bret Foster,Robin Hannah, Andy
Freeman, Mike & Cheri Zine, Steve
Parker, Todd Kohlmiester,George
Marshall and Scott Davis. There were
206 racers at the event counting all 3
Racing clubs according to the score
keeping department. Everyone had a
great time, we got in a total of 13 laps
and to a man we were out of breath at
the end of our motos on this challenging
course. That sore smile was on
everyones face as we left.
Ric Tipton,John Murray,Chuck Nervianni,
Scott Deroco,Ken & Keith Geddis,Steve
Dombo, Bret Foster,Robin Hannah, Andy
Freeman, Mike & Cheri Zine, Steve
Parker, Todd Kohlmiester,George
Marshall and Scott Davis. There were
206 racers at the event counting all 3
Racing clubs according to the score
keeping department. Everyone had a
great time, we got in a total of 13 laps
and to a man we were out of breath at
the end of our motos on this challenging
course. That sore smile was on
everyones face as we left.
The most challenging things
for me at E Street are loose
sand corners you really have
to concentrate on weight
placement.
for me at E Street are loose
sand corners you really have
to concentrate on weight
placement.
and deep sand
whoops
whoops
| That are sometimes in the shade and hard to see. |
| Because you have to control your weight placement and maintain good form, i.e. Elbows up, neutral riding position to survive E Street I believe it is probably the best training track in the San Fransisco bay area. |
Avdra wrecking crew lined up for
second moto start
second moto start
Story by Robin Hannah #960