Corona Raceway 70s and 80s

abn166
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abn166 12/7/2009 7:26pm
12/7/2009 7:26pm
i don't remember racing davey williams or stout at corona. and yes at that time i was riding my own bike at corona and kelvin franks' bike on sundays. the first time i beat rex is was just in one moto but i also beat him twice straight up for the overall. yes ABN166 is andy northrup.
dolemite
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dolemite 12/7/2009 7:35pm
12/7/2009 7:35pm
sorry loudog all i have is the program from the very first high school mx race.its got ramona /arlington/norte vista/north/rubidoux/and poly high school.did you race expert class or just race a few times?i have abunch of photos of all the good times me and my flaggin buds from the 70s.i went to ron crandalls funeral a few years ago.dont no what happened to dale tubenar.rain or shine corona raceway never missed a friday night mx race.dolemite
LouDog
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LouDog 12/7/2009 7:49pm
12/7/2009 7:49pm
abn166 wrote:
i don't remember racing davey williams or stout at corona. and yes at that time i was riding my own bike at corona and kelvin franks'...
i don't remember racing davey williams or stout at corona. and yes at that time i was riding my own bike at corona and kelvin franks' bike on sundays. the first time i beat rex is was just in one moto but i also beat him twice straight up for the overall. yes ABN166 is andy northrup.
Williams and stout were before your time.
LouDog
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LouDog 12/7/2009 7:54pm
12/7/2009 7:54pm
dolemite wrote:
sorry loudog all i have is the program from the very first high school mx race.its got ramona /arlington/norte vista/north/rubidoux/and poly high school.did you race expert...
sorry loudog all i have is the program from the very first high school mx race.its got ramona /arlington/norte vista/north/rubidoux/and poly high school.did you race expert class or just race a few times?i have abunch of photos of all the good times me and my flaggin buds from the 70s.i went to ron crandalls funeral a few years ago.dont no what happened to dale tubenar.rain or shine corona raceway never missed a friday night mx race.dolemite
I rode novice at H.S.M.X. and later moved up to intermediate, when I moved up to intermediate I mainly raced Saddleback, Indian Dunes and De Anza.
The good old days diffinitly better than these days especially for the pros.

The Shop

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Bench racer 12/7/2009 9:54pm
12/7/2009 9:54pm
I always enjoyed the Corona GP's.

Hand on the helmet starting...
Double jump with the mud hole in between...
Loved all the names like "Hangman's Tree"
dolemite
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dolemite 12/8/2009 6:00am
12/8/2009 6:00am
hi bench racer.did you race the todd miller corona gp?he was a friend of mine that crashed at the anaheim stadium high school mx races and died later that day.i raced that event and went over the bars also but made it out ok.the owner of milestone said they are trying to get sum high school mx stuff going again.without corona raceway it will never be the same.dolemite
mr50racer
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mr50racer 12/8/2009 7:54pm
12/8/2009 7:54pm
Bench racer wrote:
I always enjoyed the Corona GP's.

Hand on the helmet starting...
Double jump with the mud hole in between...
Loved all the names like "Hangman's Tree"
Remember the I am dip, you dip , section.....funny names......Those were the best GP's.. The ones a saddleback and Riverside international raceway were good too
Zigmeister
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Zigmeister 12/8/2009 9:50pm
12/8/2009 9:50pm Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 7:22pm
I used to love Friday night moto there! I raced the 125 Novice and Intermediate classes there in '84 & '85. I remember Jeff Matasivich there allot in the Intermediate class. I also remember a guy named Juan Benavitas who was a really fast Pro there. I raced one of the GP's. It was allot of fun but I thought I was going to die from the heat.
dolemite
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dolemite 12/10/2009 5:49am
12/10/2009 5:49am
i was there when factory yamaha showed up on there new yamaha mohoshocks to try any beat rocket rex.it was tim hart.//pierre karsmakers/ dewayne and gary jones/i think jimmy weinert also on a yamaha then.anyway what anight that was to see all the factory boys show up at corona to try and beat the rocket on his track.he won but keith mcarthy and sum one from the staten camp got in to a brawl.staten won of course.the only factory yamaha guy not to show up was bob hannah i think,it was the 70s a long time ago.merry xmas .dolemite
dolemite
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dolemite 12/10/2009 6:30pm
12/10/2009 6:30pm
i allmost forgot.john desoto showed one night also but rocket rex made him look like a novice rider.sum one said they saw brad lackey there but i dont think that is true cause i never missed a race for 15 years.but that was the 70s .i no bauer never beat rocket rex like he says but thats life.dolemite
Slow ~ Pro
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Slow ~ Pro 12/13/2009 7:10pm
12/13/2009 7:10pm
chipnice wrote:
Jones Islo ?
AmMex !

He still has a few, if anybody wants to buy one (or more)
OW38B
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OW38B 12/14/2009 6:34pm
12/14/2009 6:34pm
Was racing there one night in 1977, rubber band start and all.

I still remember Rex Staten on a Harley and Goat Breker on a Husky had a battle in the the Pro class and were not more than a bike length apart both motos.
Rocket88
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Rocket88 12/15/2009 6:00pm
12/15/2009 6:00pm Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 7:29pm
dolemite wrote:
i allmost forgot.john desoto showed one night also but rocket rex made him look like a novice rider.sum one said they saw brad lackey there but...
i allmost forgot.john desoto showed one night also but rocket rex made him look like a novice rider.sum one said they saw brad lackey there but i dont think that is true cause i never missed a race for 15 years.but that was the 70s .i no bauer never beat rocket rex like he says but thats life.dolemite
Yeah, that was me! Lackey was there but it was not a night race. I believe it was a Saturday race.

Classic Brad. He was racing the CZ with the Peace Dove on his bars, small tank with a triangle sticker on the tank - kinda like the old "Then Came Bronson" thang and Buffalo Breath Jersey and he ripped it up!

That was the only time I ever saw him there.

When I saw John Desoto, he was racing a box stock yellow tank CZ. Still had the Jikov carburator!. His Dad "The Cobra" was with him. He was slamming killer berm shots and destroyed the rear wheel that night. I was pitted next to him and he & his Dad were very cool. Aloha John!

Staten fighting in the pits - Hell - when wasn't he! LOL!

Good times...
chipnice
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chipnice 12/16/2009 11:47am
12/16/2009 11:47am
Rex was my Hero growing up. One Friday night at corona I forgot my leathers, after getting over trama of my dad telling me i was going to race in my Boxers, I got the nerve to ask rocket rex If he had an extra pair, this was kinda scary for a 14 year old kid being that he looked like a big ole hairy lumerjack, and we all knew his rep on and off the track. So i walk up and say Mr staten you wouldent happen to have an extra pair of Leathers( Sir). Hell yes I do, cover up Rex on the butt with duct tape, Instead of rocket rex it said rocketChip. One stoked kid Rex was the man and dident take crap from any one, probably still dosent.
dolemite
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dolemite 12/17/2009 8:26pm
12/17/2009 8:26pm
hey chipnice.rocket rex is a big nice guy allways.i still talk to him sometimes when i see him at places like the retro night at anaheim acouple years ago.seen him at ontario airport last year and we most of talked about corona raceway for 2hours.he said he dont ride anymore and dont want to but i didnt believe him but thats what he said.i can talk about corona for ever.it was a great place to work.thats were i met rick stout and went riding in woodcrest behind his girlfriends house and started racing soon after that.were still friends but never see him anymore,long live corona raceway.dolemite
chipnice
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chipnice 12/18/2009 4:47pm
12/18/2009 4:47pm
Does any body remember a girl that raced Corona, Barbra Speilman? I had the bigest crush on her, and she was also pretty fast, come to think of it I still like girls that i think might be able to kick my ass.
Webcokid
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Webcokid 12/22/2009 1:46pm
12/22/2009 1:46pm
Harry's Cycle and tinted lens
Me and Chris Taylor ran our 1st beginner class race in 1978 and both had yamaha 80's. I had tinted lens in my Carera Goggles. I don't remember, but I think we asked some folks in the pits and met Harry and the crew. Well, Harry was quite amused by the tinted lens and quickly produced a clear lens for me to use that night. Harry invited us to Dennys off the 91 that night and the story goes. We met a kid named Bruce, Tracy, Chip and Sam. Harry was a fixture a Corona and had a pretty good team of mini hoppers to boot.
dolemite
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dolemite 12/25/2009 4:14pm
12/25/2009 4:14pm
i remember the one friday night races when they had a wet tee shirt contest after the races in the pits and that was the last one cause the owners of corona raceway said no way to it.it was the best idea i thought but i was a teen so it was groovy to see tit in the 70s.dolemite

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dolemite
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dolemite 12/29/2009 7:02pm
12/29/2009 7:02pm
well were any of you guys there to see the first and last wet tee shirt contest?DOLEMITE
dolemite
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dolemite 12/30/2009 6:27pm
12/30/2009 6:27pm
hey mini elsinore.when i seen the rocket at ontario airport he still looks the same he did 30years ago.big tall and mean.dolemite
david631
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david631 1/3/2010 11:08am
1/3/2010 11:08am
Rocket88 wrote:
Corona Raceway! Wow. Brings back a ton of memories. I would race Thurs & Fri nites. Lived in Redlands and raced there from '72 to '76...
Corona Raceway!

Wow. Brings back a ton of memories. I would race Thurs & Fri nites. Lived in Redlands and raced there from '72 to '76. Raced the High School Series - I think it was the first time they set it up - '74.

I had a '71 Husky 250 and raced it in the 250 & Open Nov classes. Moved up to Int and then turned Expert on a 360 CZ. Cool bike. Had a Jim Hoover downpipe, sweet alum alloy peanut tank with Infinity Surfboard & Pink Floyd Darkside of the Moon stickers. Loved that bike!

Then got a '74 CZ 250 - What a pile! I shoulda jumped on the new Japanese MX band wagon but I still had my Euro beer goggles on.

I could say I raced Rocket Rex but, he was on a whole other level - on that track especially. He schooled any and all big names that came out during that time. He also would be pretty agressive and whip his rear tire at you when he passed you on a jump(along with the whole bag of dirty tricks you could think of) . I did ram him off the track once but, boy did I pay for it later! Ha!

Speaking of big names. Back in the early 70's the pit's were awesome for a kid like me. To see Brad Lacky (Rex didn't show that nite!), John De Soto, Tim Hart, Tom Rapp (what ever happed to him- he was COOL!) Rich Eirstead, Gaylon Moser, Goat Breker, Davey Williams, Radical Ron Turner, Bruce Baron, Mark Tyer, Chuck Bowers, Kenny Zarht, Gary & Dewayne Jones, Jim Fishback, I know I'm leaving out a ton more but ... yes.. even Steve Bauer on his CR125 Honda & full face Bell & long hair - who didn't have long hair then??

F'ing Great Times. I Loved Corona Raceway. RIP
Webcokid wrote:
Rocket88: Can you remember what kind of bikes Gary Jones made back then or what he called them. I remember a blue 250, but can't remember...
Rocket88: Can you remember what kind of bikes Gary Jones made back then or what he called them. I remember a blue 250, but can't remember the name of the bike. They were custom made.
I've also wondered what happened to tom rapp. he was the eric clapton of bultaco riders. mr. smooth. do you guy's remember randy myers. he was a cmc #1. back when it was a combined #1. ie. #1 out of thye whole club. no ind. class #1's. anyway. on a big $$ day at carlsbad it was the 2nd moto in the 250 exp. class. rapp had 1st. rwrapped up. myer's was in 2nd. it would have been a 1-2 bultaco sweep. about 3-4 laps from the end myer's throttle cable broke. I felt so bad for myers. that 2nd behind rapp would have meant the world to him. a good friend of mine knew him form the neighborhood and had introduced him to me. so I really felt for him that day. what a bummer.
dolemite
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dolemite 1/16/2010 9:35am
1/16/2010 9:35am
hi david631/i still have the first high school mx program with all the riders names in it but it is only the schools from riverside.dont have the program from all the san bernaghetto schools in it but sure loved all the races and girls in there ditto jeans and daisy dukes in the hot summer nights/high school will never be that good for kids these days.unless you have spray paint and white trash tatoos.dolemite
dolemite
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dolemite 1/28/2010 11:42am
1/28/2010 11:42am
i i went to the anaheim2 sx race and looked up my old pal rick stout at the ama tech thing and they pointed him to me.he said he never goes on here but i told him about us talking about corona raceway and he had a smile ill never forget.he said his first race there was in 1969 on his yamaha at1 125.i asked him about his bad accident in 86 and he didnt really want to talk about it.it sure is good to see old friends still riding mx bikes.cant believe his first race was 41 years ago and people say at milestone that he still rides like a pro.anybody else go to anaheim2?rain or shine corona sure had sum swamp like races in its days.we talked about the houses on the old corona raceway infield and he told me he lathed all those in 1987 and made more money in 2 weeks working there then he did racing there for 20 years.we need friday night motorcross races again in riverside ca ,dolemite
dolemite
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dolemite 2/1/2010 3:21pm
2/1/2010 3:21pm
come boys lets talk corona raceway.dolemite
Bauer
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Bauer 2/2/2010 12:25am
2/2/2010 12:25am
Most of you guys are stretching things a bit, and Rick Stout is for sure talking out his ass, as usual. That guy has always been and always will be the biggest liar around. The first motocross race EVER held at Corona Raceway was on Feb 12th, 1972. I know this for a fact because I raced and won and still have the trophy with the date on it. They were racing TT and half-mile prior to that, but I doubt old Rick raced any flat track.

Dolemite, ymost of what you say is pretty much right on, except for some of your exaggerations, like Staten never getting beat out there. I beat Rex there, and I also kicked his ass in a fist fight on the infield in 1980. If you don't believe me, ask John Gallagher, he broke it up. I think Guy B might have been there also...I know he worked for Crandall for awhile there.

In my opinion, the fastest riders ever at Corona Raceway were Rex, Davey Williams, me and Goat Breker, with Juan Benavidez and Andy Northrup getting honorable mention for taking over after we moved on. Marty Miller also went well out there. I guarantee no one has won more Corona Grand Prixs than I have. I went virtually undefeated there for years. Also, the only riders to ever have a bounty on them at Corona were Goat and myself.

As for your boy Stout, I'll never forget the time I blew him off the track and shut him up once and for all in a big High School MX "showdown" out there. It was excellent and all the whiners from Arlington were crying like little babies afterwards! If you want me to dig up the Cycle News stories I will do it. I just don't want to hear any more bullshit about how fast Stout was, when he never beat me once in his life out there. Ever.
abn166
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abn166 2/4/2010 6:42am
2/4/2010 6:42am
although i appreciate an honorable mention from the great semen d bauer, you should also get you facts straight. i didn't just take over after all the listed fast guys you mentioned moved on.
i was winning the 125 pro class while there were a bunch of fast guys there. by the time i moved up to the 250 pro class, there were still plenty of fast guys still there. i seem to remember beating you on occasion and i know for a fact that i beat rocket rex straight up more then once, ask him yourself! i also beat marty miller plenty of times as well as juan benevidez.
but for the most part your post is correct. you did win a bunch of GP's there as well as the night time MX races.
Bauer
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Bauer 2/4/2010 8:45am
2/4/2010 8:45am
abn166 wrote:
although i appreciate an honorable mention from the great semen d bauer, you should also get you facts straight. i didn't just take over after all...
although i appreciate an honorable mention from the great semen d bauer, you should also get you facts straight. i didn't just take over after all the listed fast guys you mentioned moved on.
i was winning the 125 pro class while there were a bunch of fast guys there. by the time i moved up to the 250 pro class, there were still plenty of fast guys still there. i seem to remember beating you on occasion and i know for a fact that i beat rocket rex straight up more then once, ask him yourself! i also beat marty miller plenty of times as well as juan benevidez.
but for the most part your post is correct. you did win a bunch of GP's there as well as the night time MX races.
Sorry, Andy! No disrespect intended and you did beat me a couple times at Corona, and probably just about every time at speedway!

That said, I think I've got the edge on you in our personal win/loss tally!
abn166
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abn166 2/4/2010 10:50am
2/4/2010 10:50am
yeah your right, i did kick your ass regularly at speedway didn't i! but yes i will agree you, you did beat me far more then i ever beat you in MX.
JeffreyD
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JeffreyD 2/7/2010 1:21pm
2/7/2010 1:21pm
Corona Raceway......
I earned my very first CMC trophy there way back when. 1st place! For a guy who didn't get a lot of first place finishes, it was a day I will never forget. Night races there were crazy....Remember that one right turn corner after the downhill on the "natural" section that had a high berm, and was completely hidden in shadows? Always a leap of faith to fly into that one blind.
-Jeff
Cajundaddy
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Cajundaddy 3/18/2010 11:14pm
3/18/2010 11:14pm
flyfishnw wrote:
The race to push your bike to the start gate for a good pick, running the track backwards, the GP's, dark hills, coming back into the...
The race to push your bike to the start gate for a good pick, running the track backwards, the GP's, dark hills, coming back into the infield right along the cement barrier.

My very first race was Corona, got 1st both motos...

I had a friend on a KX80, throttle stuck at the gate, he figured he can race with the clutch and kill switch, came down the middle downhill, never made the turn and flew into the infield...

Anyone there when the ambulance crossed the track at the finish line jump in the middle of a race and was T-boned by a rider?

Got to love Staten, Turner etc..
LouDog wrote:
I was there and saw the ambulance pull into the track I was screaming at the A-HOLE the whole time before and after. Ron Crandal got...
I was there and saw the ambulance pull into the track I was screaming at the A-HOLE the whole time before and after. Ron Crandal got mad at me and told me to get off the track. If I remember right the rider was Davie Williams winning the pro class that night on a Maico. Corona was alot of fun back then, I raced highschool MX back then on a Yamaaha IT 175 and would win the novice class. Alot of good memeries.
Also Ive watched Rex just about whip a few pros and people in the pits asses, he always seemed to be a hardass but he was always cool to me. He used to give me Scott goggles after he wore them and new lenses. The double double section in the infeild was scary. I raced alot of MX and GP'S at Corona. I can go on for ever.
Hey guys,
I remember that rider getting smeared by the ambulance that night... because it was me!l

I was leading 125 Int. class that night and there was some hot shoe from Las Vegas in our race that was pretty fast. We were running CCW so we completed the infield, exited the oval and headed up that really dark sweeper on the right. I was pretty far out front but my crew flashed me he was coming. On the last turn before exiting the infield I turned to look back for Vegas dude. When I looked ahead again all I saw were headlights and the beacon of the ambulence head on, right in my racing line. I was probably going 50 and pretty committed at that point and I knew this was going to hurt. I guess he just never saw me coming.

Fortunately the driver stuffed the ambulance into the side wall just enough for me to avoid a direct hit. I pulled right and slammed down the side of the van. Yep, it hurt. It could have been a lot worse though. Lots of cuts and bruises, bent bike parts and trashed leathers but I was still on the right side of the grass. After a ride to the hospital (same ambulance) and some stitches I was back at the track to collect my bike. Damn Vegas dude won the race.

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