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I used to go ride AFM events there, then built bikes for most of the 250 GP classes, was Al Salaverria, Harry Klinzmann, Phillipe DeLespinay, and a bunch of other rider's mechanic for many years. Now, the place is a giant shopping mall, they call that "progress". We used to go to Ontario, Sear's, Laguna, Orange County all the time back then. We raced all sorts of bikes back then, from one off garage specials to all out factory bikes. I worked on Yamaha's, Kawasaki's, Rotax, and two for Phillipe, one 'Garbage Can Special", a liquid cool kitted Yamaha TA125, and a real, live factory Morbidelli 125 race bike. I even helped one fellow, Jewel Hendricks, on his Kreidler 50cc racer, and it was never beat in a class that had 30 plus racers every meet. We had a lot of fun back then, not so much any more at races, not much at all any more.
One race, we had Dave Emde, Harry, Baeder and Ron pierce all running 250 GP bikes in a very close 4 person cluster, swapping leads multiple times per lap. Harry won the race, but Pierce was on a then new KR250 racer (Harry and I were waiting for ours), and Ron thought the KR was geared way wrong. Discussion went back and forth on "high gear" ratios, and what was right and wrong. I finally asked Ron how if felt in 6th, and got, "yes, high gear was OK". I said I didn't ask about high gear, but 6th. Ron said "High gear was fine". I quietly went over to the late sign painter that always was at the track, Henry the Brush, and had him also quietly paint "7 SPEED" on the top of the fuel tank. KR250 race bikes had a 7 speed trans in them back then, with a lockout bolt to lock out one gear. Ron's AFM bike didn't have the bolt in it, it was still n my tool box. The next race we ran was Open GP, and Ron ripped on the KR, all 7 SPEEDS.
When I worked for Carroll Shelby, we used to go to Riverside all the time. One race meet, Ray Brock, who drove a Jaguar, was running just a few feet ahead of one of our Cobra's, driven by Ken Miles, on the infield sections, with Ray being in front in the last turn before the back straight away. Ray always had a rear view mirror in his car, and he would look at Ken when they got to the turn. Ken would come around, and stand on the throttle, and Ray would see all sorts of smoke in the mirror. At first, Ray thought Ken's engine was done in, broke, bad news. Then, this Cobra would stop smoking, and pass him like he was parked at the curb. At the end of the back straight, Ray would catch up and pass Ken, and the laps would repeat themselves. We always used to park under the trees at the concession stand, and mostly had the trucks parked as a barrier to prying eyes. Ray managed to get a pair of binoculars and went into the tower, and looked at our cars. Now, please remember, those Cobra's were all 289 Ford powered back then, and Ray was aware of that. He ended up getting close enough to actually see a valve cover on one of the cars. Was he ever surprised to see the valve cover had 'POWERED BY FORD ' 4 2 7 '". The smoke was not the engine going away, but miles hitting the throttle on the straight, and blowing the tires right off the car every lap. Then, the thing would hook up, and flat motate right past Ray. Come the turns, Ray's Jag handled, where our straight line brick wouldn't turn at all. It was the first time we ever ran a 427 engine in a Cobra car.
I really liked Riverside, it was a great place to go race.
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