1958 Charlie Hockie Wins CA State Race - 2-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article

Description

1958 Charlie Hockie Wins California State Hare 'n' Hound Championship - 2-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article
Original, vintage magazine advertisement
Page Size: Approx 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm) (pages are front and back)
Condition: Good
Three hundred and seven California riders
lined up on the wide Mojave Desert recent-
ly, each intent on becoming the California
State Hare ‘n’ Hound Champion. The event
was sponsored by the San Gabriel Valley
M/C as a benefit for Bill Holcomb, a mem-
ber of the club, who was injured at the
San Jose dirt track while practising for the
25-Mile National Championship. Rain fell
on the dry, dusty desert right up to the
starting time, then, as if the club had made
some sort of arrangement with the weather-
man, it suddenly shut off just as the riders
were lining up for the start, leaving the
terrain dust-free, slightly moist, and in ex-
cellent condition to provide traction for the
six hundred and fourteen knobby tires that
chewed through the sand when the starter’s
flag dropped.
When the dirt diggers thundered back
through the starting area after making a
thirty-five mile tour of the desert and the
nearby mountain trails on the first leg of
the race, Charlie Hockie, leading rider in
Sports Committee points in So. Cal. for
1957, was first, preceding second place man
Bud Ekins into the gas stop by over three
minutes. About thirty seconds behind Ekins
came National Hare ‘n’ Hound Champ Buck
Smith. The three leaders gassed their bikes
quickly with the aid of well-practised pit
crews and set out with redoubled effort to
chase that elusive hare.
Bill Postel, the 1955 and ’56 winner of
the annual event came out of retirement to
compete, but was forced out with mechan-
ical failure in the first half of the race.
Near the finish Bud Ekins, still running
second and not having yet caught sight of
Hockie in spite of his greatest efforts to
catch up, overdid it and flopped, losing
second place to Roger White. When White
crossed the finish line he was a full eight
minutes behind Hockie. The winner rode
the 85 mile course in two hours and five
minutes.
A transplanted easterner, Winkie Butz,
who formerly made a name for himself as
a Long Island rider, competed in the race
as his introduction to H ’n’ H riding. Butz,
now a Hollywoodite, got lost several times,
broke his throttle cable, and had to retire.
Not to be daunted by an unsuccessful first
(Continued on page 6)
11200-5712-04