Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125522
... "" .. l!ll a.. IIoto, Ibid pa,ade opened Ascot luUvIU.s. lIIId of the Cars SldecafS. PflIIIIOIe, J.C. Aca/lIIIlan hitched a rtde In •• HAABY WINS ASCOT EIGHT-MILE NATIONAL Dan Haaby and his Gary Bray BSA made racing history in more ways than one last Saturday night. Haaby became Ihe fourth rider in Ihe Wfost to win what is considered in racing Ihe most sought after dirt track title. Dan also made it eight straight years that the BSA brand has taken home the win. His only loss carne in the heat To Dan it was his first big win on the National circuit and somewhat made up for his last turn loss the week before at San Jose. To the fans it was perhaps the best and most thrilling National ever run. All Haaby Haaby also made racing history in that he stands alone as the only rider to ever win every major title offered at the fast and tough Ascot half-mile. In 1963. as a Novice. he won the State Championship; in 1964. as an Amateur. he again won the state title and backed it up with the Amateur win on National night. In 1965. as a first year Expert, he scored a sweep on opening night and won the heat. clash and final. Last year he won the State Championship for the Experts and this year he finds himself atop the jXlint list - and most of all, the new 8-mile national champ. Haaby. somewhat bitter about the San Jose loss. took fast time honors on Friday night. not only on the first round, but the second as well with a blistering 22:91 clocking. race when he was edged by defending champ, samm~' Tanner. This was by far the fastest heat race of the night. Chuck Jones won the second heat race with Shorty Seabourne taking the third and final ten lapper. Another capacity crowd was ready and waiting for the feature and the twelve fastest riders were ready along with the fans to see if Tanner could make it four in a row. The early laps, the first four. had the quick Mel Lacher and his Harley showing Tanner the way with Haaby working steadily from third. sammy caught and passed for the lead on lap five and looked like the Flea usually looks on national night. Haaby kept grinding them out and was fantastic on the North turn on each and every lap. The gap for second closed with Haaby crossing the line even with Lacher as the riders completed nine. Lap ten and Haaby was now second and the fans knew the race of races was on with ten more to go. At the end of lap #13 Haaby was ready for the try and crossed the line at the end of J 4 laps inches in front of Tanner. From then on to the finish it was Haaby and the many hundreds of fans that had come to cheer him on. .At the finish the time was the fastest eight miler ever run and just off the current 20 lap track record. Lacher made a big comeback in the late laps and barely missed passing Tanner for second at the flag. Everyone of the twelve riders that started the final were still on the wheels with engines running at the finish. Some Made It... Some Didn't .A dejected Gary ixon and Fred Nix both watched from the pits. Both lost Main Event transfer positions on the final laps during the heat races. Nixon was one-twoed on the last turn of the last lap by Johnny Tibben and Bruce Holland. Nix lost out on the last lap to Jimmy Nichol- son for the second big upset of the nlght. And Nicholson was riding a borrowed Harley, after the Dudek Triumph suffered mechanical problems on qualifying night. Mert Lawwill could pull no better than seventh in the final. A fourth place finish would have put him in a tie for the National point lead with Nixon. Third or better and he would have regained the lead for the seeand time this year. Mert is now 18 jXlints back of Nixon heading for sacramento this Sunday. The Amateur Class Steady and consistent riding by Gary Waldo and his H-D brought him his first major race win as the former Ohi a half mile! rode in for the win in the 16-lap .Amateur final. Lenny Earl jumped to the front off the starting line but went to the pits on lap two with a dead engine. Carl Patrick then took the lead but E. . . .ss .vI ....t, a &nIUP of Experts prepare fill practice. Includ.d In ... tense thronc ar. Jim BInJ (39x). Tim Hams (21K), Pete Bodett. (36x) and Cnff LlIDIb (63,).