Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Motocroc By Marshall Swenson A man brings down a bright yellow flag and a deafening roar rocks the atmosphere. Twenty-five motorcycles jump off the starting line and begin careening, skidding and bouncing over a one mile dirt track. Some bikes are barely off the starting line before their riders lose control and tumble to the ground. Others dart to the front of the pack immediately, mud flying. So begins the start of another motocross-cross country motorcycle racing over an unimproved course not exceeding two miles in length. The sport, considered by skeptics as the surest way to get killed and by enthusiasts as the only way to spend a Sunday afternoon, has been popular in Europe since the fifties and came to this country about 10 years ago when Swedish racing star Torsten Hlallman impressed Americans on the west coast with his riding ability. Not long after the sport caught on in Julian Gibbons, former Columbia Record sports writer, will assume duties Monday of Assistant Sports Information Director for USC. Gibbons replaces Blanding Clarkson, who resigned for a position in a Charlotte publishing house. A '71 graduate of Carolina, Gibbons is a native of Turbeville. FM:al thV need ra I Pass the word SOFA can get you to Europe Africa Israel the Far East or anywhere AND. get you back' 000% As he who.ly owned aubsidiary of I eleven non-profit European National Sb ' i; Student Travel Bureaus. SOFA can issue you the International Student tdentify Card and book you on any of our 8.000 student charter flights within Europa, Asia. and Africa fincluding Tet Aviv Bombay Bangkiok Nairobi. etc ) Up :o 700. savings over normal fares SCWA also ofers an entensive array of tOUris atltowing the independent student traveller to take advantage of inex.liisive group arrangements and sighiseeing We feature culltally rewardlng Israeli kibbutz programs and educational tours with.n Europe and the Soviet Union 10 s BICI Quality Europea Manufactured By Sport, Mercier, Ci Colnago, Maino Also custom-built fr machine tool work, In C( CAT E'S Bo Cedar Terrac4 6420 Sumt4 . 774 1:15 to 8p.m. os ProvidE California it spread-eastward. A prominent figure involved in the Columbia motocross scene is Al Miller, 41, who owns and manages the Campus Club South, and whose latest achievement is the purchase of a motorcycle dealership in Five Points. Miller opened his track in July of 1972 and held four races on it during the remainder of the year. The races are held every third Sunday because as Miller puts it, "we don't want to oversaturate the area." The sport, once considered a "sleeper" by Miller, has caught on in a big way. "If a person wants to get into motorcycling in Columbia the equipment, personnel and fellow enthusiasts are here." he said. According to Miller, motocross is unique in that it requires more stamina than most other sports. Motos demand total physical and mental concentration along with reactions quick enough to enable a rider to steer clear of unexpected obstacles in the course. The Columbia motocross track lies four miles north of town on 20 acres of farmland. Every third Sunday riders and spectators from as far away as Charlotte, N. C. and Jacksonville, Fla. visit the area. Miller claims that on a clear day the event can attract upwards of 1,000 spectators and 300 competing riders. The number of spectators that dope youil uVope rip. Other services available horn SOFA include are. t Car P=a the Student Railpass language bcourses m Europe and low cost accommodations 5% in hotel& holiday villages, and ho0stels % All the dope is in the FREE 1913 Otficial % Student Travel Guide to Europe SOFA - don't sit on al - Send for it NOW SOFA please send me the FIfI dope 221 Name Address City State Zip 3 Send to SOFA European Student Travel Cear Ltd. 136 East 57th Street Suite 1205 New York N Y 1002 Tel t?12of PL-8000 SO I PEED CLES Bicycles From S 100 Liberia, Mercian,Paris me sets, custom painit work, ,heel building specialists. lumbia See: ?OTTAGE 9342 Shopping Center r Hwy. (29209) hone: i-1209 aion. through Sat hs Sunda) turn out depends almost entirely on the weather at 8:00 a.m., according to Miller. "If it's raining or overcast in the morning the people won't bother to come out no matter what the weather is like at race time," he said. Most riders and .spectators travel a "circuit" of motocross events. The big . attraction is money, Miller said. Riders stand to win $35 for a first place finish in a single race. By riding in more than one race and one class a rider can conceivably go home with $210 for an afternoon's riding. The prize money-$1,000 total at the Columbia track-is raised from receipts received at the gate. The crowds line the entire race route, often endangering them "ALL' FRIE plump and gold fried chicken served w fries, cole slow and a b Grecian roll. Say and et Visit All Shoney's Loi 1220 Charleton F ExcitemE selves and the riders by getting too a close or sitting in exposed vantage h points. b At times the spectators pose one a of the promotor's biggest r problems. "They're fanatical," said Miller. "They don't use fi common sense and they expose t themselves to the bikes." t At one race last year Miller said 1 a motorcycle careened out of ! control into a crowd of spectators standing too close to the track. a There were no serious injuries, r however. r According to Miller, it's his a responsibility to make sure the i races are conducted safely. "If I see someone in a precarious I position I'll stop the race," he said. I Safety measures and facilities t SPEC rou CAl -MONDAY D en en-brown pieces of th french $150 - TUESDAY F gol . e frie e on regular menu pric it, and eat, and eat.. :ations Two Iwy. nt re important to riders as well. filler said he takes special effort ) ridersprovide adequate medical nd * safety measures or some iders will hot compete. "If a rider thinks he's far away rom the nearest hospital and ere's no ambulance to get him here if he's involved in an accident e may shy away from riding," diller claims. Despite the fact riders compete it their own risk Miller thinks notocross is one of the "safest notorized sports in existence." He idded that his track has seen only our accidents, the most serious of vhich resulted in a broken bone. dore often, riders get the air Lnocked out of them if they happen o go down on their machines. IALS 4 EAT" OY ILLET OF fish ..large portions of ichi fried filet of fish. PIUS den french~ is, cole slow, a big a -inroll.$ '50 es,3 Notch Rd. in Dentsville 402 SetIlne Blvd.