55 Years Running
Doc Batsleer, AMA member since 1962, dropped in from Daytona Beach, FL to race the Pre-40 and Class C events. He’s clocked some miles on his stable of Indians including this 1934 Bonneville Sport Scout.
What goes around, comes around and fast every year during the month of April when vintage bike fans gather at Willow Springs Raceway (est. 1953) nestled in the hills near Rosamond, CA, about a spirited hour’s putt from downtown L.A. During the 3-day Corsa Motoclassica weekend, a total of 24 AHRMA sanctioned races in a variety of classes help competitors pile up their points standings. The vintage iron is drawn magnetically to event, now celebrating its 21st running, the event first debuting in 1995 by Yoshi Kosaka of the Garage Company (Inglewood,CA), himself a past AHRMA national title champion. This Corsa he donned leathers and took both a Moriwaki Kawasaki and a Yoshimura Suzuki through their race paces.
An A-Z of classic marques rallied round the 21s Corsa bike show including Ariel Square Four (center foreground).
The venue also offers a bike show and swap meet plus an ongoing parade of bikes of all flavors ridden by spectators, not to mention easy access to the pit action, racers arriving from all over the U.S. as well as England, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Thailand this go around.
Just Beezing Along
The fender plate announces the passage of a 1965 BSA B40 350cc OHV single that earned the reputation as “an economical British working man’s favorite.” This is the spiffier, higher performance Sport Star model with beefed up motor and “chromium mudguards.”
Frequent flyers driver Steve Stull and co-driver Heidi Neidhofen take #18 onto the course.
In addition to two-wheelers, there’s plenty of sidecar action, the streamliners’ pilots and “monkeys” putting on a great show, something not often seen in the U.S. In addition a memorial sidecar race was held in honor of the late Doug “Mr. Sidecar” Bingham, a leading light of the industry for decades.
Velo fans
Jeff and Steve, confer over Jeff’s 1946 Velocette, one of 100 magneto equipped post-WWII bikes exported to the U.S. Of note is the Jaeger/Smith speedo with a white line imprinted at the 30mph mark, the mandatory max speed limit when encountering pedestrian traffic in England at the time of its build.
Ancestor of all Ducati 350s was highlight of Corsa bike show.
This year the Bike Show brought out some stellar attractions including some truly milestone machines. Case in point, the very first Ducati 350. The story has several tie-ins to Willow as well. The bike, first built in 1963 by Frank Scurria at the ZDS Motors workshop in Glendale, CA, started out as a 1961 250cc that Frank pumped up to 350cc. The prototype completed, all the facts and figures were then delivered to the Ducati factory in Bologna. The result of Frank’s innovative development work resulted in the production of the Ducati 350, a success story of epic proportions, the new Ducks subsequently sold worldwide. Then, sort of frosting on the cake, the 350 was first raced on Sept. 8, 1963 at Willow Springs. Frank himself would finish 3rd in the AFM 350 Championship.
Another “first” actually took to the track in a demonstration of concentrated power, again Italian style. Earplugs were a plus if you got anywhere near the ferocious sounding 1965 MV Agusta 350 Triple, the first of its kind, and brought by Virgil Elings, mega race bike fan and collector. The MV factory purpose built the bike to beat Honda in the 350 class. Displacement of the triple was later increased from 420-470-500cc, the bikes winning more championships that any other design. At Corsa, the MV was ridden by Virgil’s son Jeff who also took two Firsts on a ’72 Yamaha in the Formula 250 race, another First in Classic Sixties aboard a1965 Matchless, yet another First in Formula 500 riding a ’68 Penton.
Earplugs were unnecessary when speaking with Peter Nicolosi (Charleston, SC) who piloted a Brammo Empulse R, the electric powered machine literally zipping along the Willow roadrace course with a whisper while in the company of fellow E Moto Team racers. Peter took the checkered flag for the Saturday class win.
There was certainly a blending/blurring of lines from track to bike show, but the show section brought you rewards of the more static kind. The array of restored as well as “survivor” bikes offered a time machine vantage point taking one back 30-40-50 or more years into the timeline of motorcycle history. Beezers were Buzzin’, Nortons were Snortin, Triumphs were Trumpeting and Matchlesses were still Unmatched.
Mild temperatures and gentle breezes helped make a perfect 21st running of the Corsa Motoclassica. Speaking post-event with event founder Yoshi Kosaka, he tells us the 22st event is already in the works but with the addition of opening Willow Springs’ other race venues for competition including the dirt track and mountain course, no doubt attracting even more competitors ready to enjoy some of the country’s best vintage racing.
Unmatched Matchless
Another outstanding Matchless, a 1953 G80CS brought by T. Van Doorn has some history including Bud Ekins as its original owner, later earning status as Fastest Class C foot-shift bike at 2007 Bonneville Salt Flats plus scoring multiple AHRMA victories 2007-2014.
Talk about standing the test of time.
1948 Triumph T100 still in original CheckersMC trim had raced back in the day at Catalina, then in 2010 returned to the California island to win the event… over 60 years later.
Velo Chopper
Brought by Billy Lay, the 1956 MSS Velocette consists of a ’56 MSS engine, 1952 Velo MAC 350 frame and an Italian front end. Bike took 3rd place best British in the Corsa bike show.
Plug and play takes on new meaning with the Victory Brammo e-bike. We all might be in for a shock as the electric bikes gets faster and faster and buzzes along farther and farther distances between
recharges.
One-off recreation of the near legendary 1965 Kawasaki W-1R turned heads.
And then sometimes “history” got a bit of creative tweaking…of the good kind. One of the top spectator magnets was a one-off dream machine created by Michael LaFountain of Raccia Motorcycles. After spotting the only known existing photo of the semi-legendary 1965 Kawasaki W-1R, he was inspired to pay homage to both it and the legendary Norton Manx and Matchless G45. Toward that goal, he modified and melded together parts from 23 different Kawasaki to bring his dream into reality.
Best Café went to a radical engineering piece called “Kaff” designed and built Larry Romestant, the 150HP beautification project based around a BMW four cylinder K bike.
“Team Orthopedics”Alabama based orthopedic surgeon Dr. Paul Canale competes in the Triumph based international Thruxtron Cup Translantic road race series that takes him around the world.
Darrin Gauvin from Camarillo, CA launches aboard his 1981 Honda in the Vintage Superbike Heavyweight event, earning a 2nd place on Sunday
Yankee iron was well represented as well including a trio of Indians brought from Florida by Ralph Wessell. Aboard his 1937 handshifter #81, Ralph took First Place in the Pre-40 GP event on Saturday, repeating the win on Sunday.
Maximized Manx
One of several appearing at the event, a legendary Manx takes to the track in one of 24 different races held over the weekend. Piloting the 1939 Norton is Fred Mork of Briones, CA, who took 2nd in the Pre-1940 GP by N3 Racing event and a 1st in the Class C Footshift race.
Substantial show trophies were designed by Gary Swan of Toad Town Racing, the Mission Hills, CA shop specializing in vintage Honda and British bikes. Gary races his 1971 Honda SL350 in the AHRMA 350 Sportsman Class since 1995.
Riders of all ages found something to their liking at the Corsa. Here James Quinn and buddy aka “110”prepare for a tour of the show grounds.
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Yoshi practices what he preaches….vintage motorcycles forever!
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