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/125566
factory contingent - Dan Haaby, Gene .... Romero, Mert Lawwtll and Cal Rayborn .... - return to Ascot f r om the National ~ Championship circuit i n about three weeks , 6': Rice Roars to Amateur Win ~ .... On the first lap of the Amateur Main 00 Event, fe w would have gi ven Northern .... Callfor nia's Jim Ric e a chance of placing far up i n the final r undown since he was . .:; running next to last. But the talented young BSA pUot, fresh from victory the ~ week before at san Jose, was not to be ' tz:l denied. ~ While most of the fans' attention was tz:l focused on a slam-bang battle for first between Don Harms (H-D) andpointIead- :., er Tommy Rockwood (Triumph), Rice U methodically maneuvered his way to third place on lap 5, then took over second as Harms' machine began to falter. Rick Elisarraras wasn 't wasting any time either. His road to the Main hadn't been easy; a third in his heat and a third in the semi put hi m next to the wall in the back row for the final. By lap 7 he was fourth behind Geezer Emick (BSA), who had won the fastest yellow-plate heat of the night, only ,to get a bad start in the Main and be forced to fight his way back up to third. About this time, Rice roared past Rockwood for the lead, never to be headed, and with one lap to go, Elisarraras made a valiant bid for third. Rick's strategy worked, and Emick was relegated to fourth ahead of Alex Chinowsid (BSA) and Norm Elledge (Triumph). Harms, whose machine gave up completelY on the flnal time around, dismounted and pushed it across the line for last place, accompanied by an appreciative round of applause from the crowd. =: tl Four fastest heat race winners lunge away from the line at start of the Expert Trophy Dash. Main Event winner #37 Mel Lacher (H-D) took Dash win, too, ahead of point leader #44 1 DeWaYRe Keeter (BSA), #27 Chuck Jones and.#47 Pat Gosch (Triumph). FOUR STRAIGHT TO LACHER AT ASCOT Story by Carol Sims Photos by Dennis Greene Mel Lacher did it again! Despite plenty of hard-driving competition, the diminutive Harley-Davidson demon came up with his fourth straight Expert Main Event victory .at Ascot Park on Friday, June 21. Not only did Mel lead the Main wireto-wire, he snatched the fastest heat race of the evening and won the 3-lap Trophy Dash to boot. Second in both the Dash and final was BSA-mounted De Wayne Keeter, whose point lead has now dwindled to a mere 58 markers since Lacher's 12-in-a-row win streak began at the l83rd and Vermont Ave. oval. Rac ing was close and fast in all divisions, with plenty of passing and lots of surprises. EarlY i n the Main Event, Bruce Holland (Triumph) stormed Into second behind Lacher and stayed there for six laps until Chuck Jones (BSA ) took over. Meanwhile, Keeter, who had gotten a bad start, was hassling with Phil Todd (BSA) for fourth, finally got by, then set his sights on Jones as Holland faded and fell (literally) on lap 11. Down the back straightaway Keeter sailed past Jones for runnerup spot and held it from the 12th lap to the checker . Jones maintained show spot ahead or Todd; and Ralph White, steadily moving up on the K&N BSA formerly ridden by Johnny Isaacs, wound up a fast-closing fifth ahead of Pat Gosch (Tri umph), It will be i nteresting to see how the results go when Callfornia's Harlev Keith Keeps It Up Despite an upset loss to SuzuJd-mounted Randy Smith in his heat race which brought Keith · Mashburn's record of 8 straight wins to a screeching halt, the Yamaha ace came back with a bang in the Novice Main Event, w!nn1ng it from flag to flag ahead of rave Stroman(H-D) and Rudy Gallndo (Yamaha). Smith, whose heat race was the qulckest of the green-plate pre 11min a r y events, sat on the pole for the 8-lap flnal but unfortunatelY got a ragged start and had to use all the pressure at his command to work up from last place to fourth at the finish. Maybe next time••_ (Results on page 20) Paul Branson encountered slight handling problem during his Amateur heat race, fortunat8ly emerged unscathed. He WAS mounted on a Velocelte. Cycle News' selection for weekly 'prettlest bike In the parking lot" trophy given by Ascot Park(along with frM parking for motorcycles), went to Mike Bank's Immaculate '61 BSA Gold Star. LET'S GO TO THE RACESIII Lacher leads the way. BSA-mounted Phil Todd (181) I s outside #22r Bruce Holland (Triumph), and #27 Chuck Jones ( BS moves up to challenge. A) From next-to-last place on the open ing lap, Northern Californ ia's #80y Jim Rice (BS came on A) strong to overtake #20 Tom Rockwood (Tri umph) and snag la-Lap Amateur Main Event. #2l y Don Harms (H· D) had an excit ing Amateur Ma in battle with point leader/ #201 Tom Rock· wood (Tr i umph). #65r Norm Elledge, #351 Ales Chlnowskl, #92r Reg Chosney, #18y Rick Ellsar· raras hang In close. Yet another Novice Mai n Event vl ctol)' went to point leader #101r Keith Mashburn, here pursued by #102z Don Castro, #128r Don Dudek and #229' Rudy Gali ndo. Keith Mashburn' s Yamaha had an elght' stral ght heat race record goin g and seemed Invlncl ble ZUki) burst the bubb le. Smi th won fastest heat, fi nis hed 4th In fi nal unti l #162r Randy Sm i th (SU after bad start.