Cycle News

CN III ARCHIVES BY LARRY LAWRENCE T he mood in the country was dark to begin with in September of 1973. Watergate, Vietnam, inflation and plant closings. Even the top movie of the year was a horror film—The Exorcist. What does that have to do with mo- torcycle racing you ask? On Septem- ber 10, 1973, a crowd of about 10,000 fans showed up to Atlanta's Lakewood Speedway to watch an AMA Grand National race to maybe forget about what they were seeing on the nightly news for a few hours. It was a hot day with temperatures right at 90 degrees when the fans gathered at the Lakewood Fairgrounds for the national. Lakewood hosted motorcycle races on and off since it first opened 1917. In fact, it was a motorcycle race that was the featured event when the track opened. When built, Lakewood was considered the best racetrack in the South. In fact, it was often referred to as the Indianapolis of the South. It was a picturesque facility with a lake in the middle. A large grandstand, interestingly facing towards the front straight at a slight angle near the outside of turn one. The mile-long dirt track was part of a larger fairgrounds complex. By the early 1970s, however, the nearly 60-year-old facility was showing its age. Photos of the '73 AMA race show an unkempt track, with grass and weeds growing waist high along the edges, haybales looking like they'd been in use for years, with many of them exploded and sitting in a loose heap. Where there wasn't weeds, kud- zu had devoured every other piece of landscape. Lakewood's racing surface, which had always been problematic for motorcycle racing, proved especially difficult for the 1973 national. The week leading up to the event had been hot and windy, taking the moisture out of the dirt and making it a baked hard adobe. By race day the track was a dusty, rutted mess. A total of 48 riders posted for the race. Mert Lawwill set the pace in time trials on his factory- backed Harley-Davidson with a time of 41.67, fol- lowed by Rex Beauchamp and Kenny Roberts. Rookie expert Scott Brelsford took the win in the first of four heat races. Beauchamp, Rob- erts and Gary Scott won the other heats. Frank Gillespie and Jimmy Maness scored victories in the semis. The original schedule called for the main event to get underway around 4:30 pm, but with all the delays, the riders didn't get called for the 25-lap national until almost 7:00. The trouble now was the sun was beginning to get over the horizon and that combined with the dust proved a potentially lethal combination. As AMA starter Duke Pennell waved the green flag, the 20-rider field charged into the first turn with Scott Brelsford leading. A thick wall of dust got kicked up with the setting sun hitting the dust. Riders farther back in the pack reported they were completely blinded. One lap was all Jim Rice needed to realize it wasn't worth it. He was followed off the track the P88 Better times at Atlanta's Lakewood Speedway. Race to Riot in Atlanta

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