Many Thanks
to those that helped with taking photos especially Bob Lucas
Skip's
ISDTRR Revue
After the
previous month of preparing 3 bikes in different degrees I drove all Friday afternoon in
varying amounts of rainfall to the Zink Ranch 9 miles north of Sand Springs Oklahoma.
Unloading in a slight mist an absolute stranger helped me roll my 1975 Jackpiner out of
the bed of my pickup. I apologize to the next stranger I didn't loan my 30 year old milk
crate to change a flat. I've never lost anything to a rider in a campground since 1972.
After the five hour trip in the rain it took a few kicks but the bike started and cleared
out. After tech you impound your bike and the are no more test starts. Passing Tech
inspection took a convincing lie that the headlight switch doubles as a kill switch and a
1975 license plate me and the orange dotted bike went to the parc ferme. Last bike prep
was to tape on a spare spark plug and a wrench. My teammates Walter and Trevor Parks
arrived and quickly before dark we applied backgrounds and race numbers I had prepared to
their bikes and sent them through Tech inspection. We were the only Team I could see that
had there custom race numbers (except for Doug Wilford) and a tarp over there bikes other
than the guy that tried to use and umbrella for protection. It was inside out on the
ground the next morning. Any way after all the preparation in the shop we parked
them in a wet field in the rain for the night. Next we talked the 4H club into a late BBQ
dinner stuffed it down and left the ranch for a dry motel room. I drew my first blood of
the weekend scraping the skin off my knuckle lowering my gear bag too close the air
conditioner grate in the motel room. We crashed and woke up to a 5:30 wake up call even
though key time had been moved to 9:00 AM due to the rainy conditions. I peeked outside to
see if it had stopped raining. It had and Doug Wilford was up shaved and fully dressed
walking his dog. I felt behind already. Next was the continental breakfast. There was
Larry Mieres reminiscing about Steve McQueen in an historic ISDT. John Penton Dave
Mungenast Doug Wilford were there and I was just trying to figure out the waffle iron.
Doug said have a waffle Skip and I thought he advised it that must be the ticket. Larry
Perkins gave me some waffle iron operation tips when he saw my confusion with the kitchen
equipment. I can assemble a KTM motor but I don't know when to use Pam non stick spray. I
saw deer the size of ponies on the way into the track that morning but none as big as the
Bob Lucas just missed with his Mustang convertible Sunday morning. Dressing for the ride
on a split decision I decided to go ahead and wear my chest protector although this was
not an MX race, my normal race event. The cover on our bikes seemed to keep our
bikes dry and we rolled them to the work area to line up for our start minute. We didn't
have to clean off any cow pies off or seats like Dave Mungenast had in the sweet
spot on his seat applied by his admiring mechanic. All my nervous anticipation disappeared
when my bike started on the first kick. That made the first 100 yards feel great. For some
reason the bike that had started on the first kick for five days was loaded up would not
start. I pushed through next check thinking that a short push would clear it out. 100 feet
farther out of breath and in a panic I changed the plug with the only trail tool I packed.
Off to the races I was think I could MX ride and make up the lost time. It seemed to work
until a slick spot on a fire road put me down when I hit the gas in 4th gear to go though
it. I went on a 100 foot skid till the bike stopped. The clutch lever had disengaged
buried up in the mud and saved me from having to restart the Jackpiner. I picked up the
bike unhurt and took off again. Late for the next check. I waited my turn to go through
only a minute off time. I knew I could catch up with some more fast riding. The laid down
shocks made the trails and roads feel pretty smooth. My next surprise came as I could see
the riders on my minute just ahead I took a different line that they though a mud hole
beside the slick road that I saw them cross up in. All the low spots to this point had
trailed in and out with no sharp ledges so I down geared and gassed into the water
crossing. Much to my surprise the water crossing got deep and the splash through the water
had a square edge on the exit. The forks compressed to their stops, my chest pounded the
cross bar at fourth gear speed ( remember I decided to wear my chest protector) my feet in
a classic flying W. The rear absorbed the bump and the bike never lost gyro and stayed
straight and once again the Penton stability saved me. I arrived early to the next check
and all seemed to be well but I did not kill my motor . Half way or so through the next
section I noticed I had no rear brake. I could see my brake rod dragging with the wing nut
and spring so my decision was to wait for the next check to snap it back on. Surprise at
the check point which was check 4 home base start finish line. The brake rod was dragging
because there was no brake arm on the brake cam to connect it to. First was panic for time
then I realized that was a spare lever I did not bring but ever the scavenger I knew any
KTM brake arm would work so to the truck I paced to get a 10mm wrench and to find a KTM
not being ridden. In the very next pit was a 1979 KTM on Larry Perkins' for sale trailer
load. Perfect, someone I knew and as the realtors say location, location, location. I
squeezed in between two loaded bikes on a trailer loosed the brake rod and arm and ran
back to the work area to attach the borrowed part to my bike. As usual it took mounting it
twice to get in in the right position but breathless I was ready to go. Then I woke up to
the fact we were on lunch break with another hour or so to the start stop test but I was
ready. More ready than in 2000 at the 4th annual RR. After Saturday's trails I didn't
check my fuel and I actually ran out in the acceleration test when I gassed it after the
turn. I only needed 200 more feet worth. So now I rode my bike to get some gas at the camp
and when I got there I my 10 mm wrench was not with me . It was a special wrench from a
set my old Penton dealer Gerald Greenhill bought me one day, but that's another story. I
take wherever I go for good luck. So I retraced my trail back to the work area hoping to
find it along the way. At the work area was a Husky with his tool box open. I asked him if
he had seen it and another rider had already tossed in his tool box just a minute ago. He
helped me find it amongst his tools as I asked what he was doing and what he needed.
He said I need two more 6 mm Allen screws to have all the bolts for my exhaust
flange. I had some in our rescue kit in camp and he must have thanked me a half
dozen more times that weekend. All crisis over for now I went back to camp to refuel my
bike and rode back to the work area and it was now time to go the remaining Saturday time
tests. I fared well about 1/3 down the list with a 14.25 second start and stop on the 175
when I noticed my team TVRC rider Walter Parks looking strangely at his Jackpiner. He said
the clutch won't release. I said I will go run my motocross lap and return to help.
Surviving the sight reading lap I returned to Walter. Adjusting the cable would not
fix the problem so our solution with time being of the essence I found the first official
I cuold and asked if we could substitute a bike for the speed tests. After a trip on the 4
wheeler up to the main barn a short meeting was held and they said we could even without
changing the numbers due to the time element. Cool. Back to the test grounds we told the
scorers of the substitution as we went through the tests. I read the event instructions
again and thanks to spirit of the rule thing all the rules we broke were tolerated. Hey
this is only 2:00 on the first day.
