1962 John Penton Wins 125-Mile Enduro - 3-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article

Description

1962 John Penton Wins 125-Mile Enduro - 3-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article
Original, Vintage Magazine article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm) each page
Condition: Good
125-Mile
National
Enduro Won
By Penton
Guess Who? Yes, behind that wall of water is the champ, John
Penton. Kingsway Studio photo.
Richard Turmell splashing his way up a
creek bed gets a good showering. Rey-
nold photo.
Bill Decker and a Greeves rider checking
in at check four. Reynolds photo.
Charles Stahl rides the edge of a watery
drop off as he skirts a large water hole.
Kingsway Studio photo.
J ohn penton, “perennial champion” of
endurance runs added another conquest
by edging al] competitors in the 1962,
125-mile national championship, Sandy
Lane enduro. John, handicapped by a leg
injury received in the International Six
Day Trials, was pushed all the way by a
number of the nation’s best riders. Last
year’s Sandy Lane winner and high point
man in the recent Jack Pine, Jack Wright,
came in second — only two points behind
John. Charlie Stahl of Toledo, Ohio, led
everyone for 76 miles into check #8; after
that something happened and he lost 15
points in the next two checks. And so it
went throughout the day — a real battle
of the experts. They came from all over —
John Wright, at home in the New Jersey
sand, breezes along in the fire lane. Boyd
Reynolds photo.
Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New England,
Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. The
scores indicate how close the competition
was — even the totals of the three winning
teams varied by only two points each.
Two of the top experts who could have
just as well been winners of high score
went home with trophies, which they prob-
ably would be glad to trade for the
winner’s Wagon Wheel Trophy — “old
man” Atkinson of Columbus, Ohio, was
awarded the trophy for “High Score Sen-
ior Rider” (over 45) . Bill Baird took the
prize for the entrant from the longest
distance (Sterling, Illinois).
Because of the large number of class B
riders entered, the promoting Meteor club
decided to award trophies to fourth and
fifth place finishers. In addition to the
regular place trophies, a total of twelve
special category awards were made. Of
these Charlie Klim of Wilmington, Del.,
walked off with two — lowest finishing
score awarded by the Pic-A-Lilly Inn (start-
ing point of the run) and lowest score to
finish riding a Triumph Cub donated by
the Triumph Corp.
One unexpected difficulty arose which
eventually made it necessary to disregard
the results of the first check point in the
morning; two of the people who were to
man this check went directly to the desig-
nated spot while the third man, with the
“good” watch in his pocket, set out early
in a sidecar outfit following the course
to check the signs. Along the way, he was
forced to run the side hack off the course
to miss a deer which came charging across
the trail! The outfit bogged down and by
the time he got to the check (even with
a short cut) some of the riders had al-
ready passed through and were checked
with one of the assistant’s watches ■which
proved to be inaccurate.
This was the twenty-fifth anniversary of
the Sandy Lane enduro which has been
conducted continuously (except during
World War 11) since the first event in
1934. The original run started at mid-
night; subsequent enduros became progres-
sively greater in length and tougher and
while they no longer started in the middle
of the night, the length of the runs made
it necessary to start so early that it was
usually dark; the last riders also came in
when it was night time. The 1962 course
represented as nearly as possible a change
in viewpoint in the types and sequence of
selected hazards and terrain. Briefly, the
change was toward a somewhat easier
course so as to increase the number of
finishers (63 this year), and the 125-mile
length made starting and finishing pos-
sible during daylight hours. While most of
the difficult sections available in the
woods of New Jersey were retained, a
definite attempt was made to shorten
them, space them or both so that the
whole course could be completed without
the riders being completely exhausted.
This tended to place a greater emphasis
on ingenious location and greater accuracy
at the check points, and it was found that
future runs should be improved in these
respects. From all reports, however, the
riders were pleased and satisfied with the
new course.
Perhaps due to past reputation for diffi-
cult courses, there were insufficient entries
to form classes for heavyweight, sidecar or
buddy scat riders; this was unfortunate as
anyone riding in these categories this year
would have had a good time of it. Future
efforts will be made to encourage entries
in these classes (particularly the buddy
seat category) since the Meteor club has
always believed that woods riding with a
purpose develops ability to handle a
motorcycle to a degree not attainable in
any other way; thus, the more who can be
persuaded to try, the better for motor-
cycling in general.
Valuable assistance in providing two-
way radio communication from the start-
ing point to every check on the course
was again supplied by the local RACES
(radio, amateur, communication emer-
gency service) organization whose presi-
dent, Wyn Davis, is a former Meteor club
member. The cooperation of this group
of dedicated radio enthusiasts was appre-
dated not only from the standpoint of
expediting the scoring, but for providing
the means by which anyone who should
unfortunately be injured somewhere along
the course could be located and assisted
within a comparatively short time. Only
those who have ridden some of the remote
sections of the Sandy Lane can fully ap-
preciate how valuable such a facility cotdd
be in an emergency.
By 5:30 p.m., chief scorer — Bill Woller-
ton had all the results computed and
posted; no protests having been received
during the hour after the scores were
made known, the results were declared offi-
cial. All available rewards and trophies
were then promptly presented by a little
after 6:30 p.m., a time that gave everyone
a good start homeward, and the 1962 Sandy
Lane was history.
(Continued on page 29)
Sal Scirpo skids and slides his way
through the soft sand. Reynolds photo.
Winner Penton poses with club referee
Millard Epley and pathfinder Paul Brum-
field. Boyd Reynolds photo.
Eager to be on his way, Sky Ball pulls
out of check four. Boyd Reynolds photo.
Dave Barnes followed by Richard Walker,
pathfinders of the 150 enduro, have fun
riding the 125 national enduro. Reynolds
photo.
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