FEATURING IN THIS ISSUE:
CASTLE ROCK SNEAK PREVIE W
CZ ROAD T EST
SAUNA S HILLCLIMB
WILLOW SPRINGS ROAD RACE
HIL L TOPPERS DESERT EVENT
DRAG RACING & SCRAMBL ES
ASCOT, WHITEMAN, CALISTOGA
WEST 25C
Fifth lap of the 20-Mlle National and Harley-mounted wlnn~r Fred Nix checks out his fantastic lead.
By Carol Sims
Photos by Dennis Greene
PORTLAND , Ore. , J uly 14
There's something special about
a one-mile dirt track •••particularifit it' s a National Champio nship
event. And the 20-Mile AMA National at Portland Meadows was
certainl y no exception.
T hree laps to go In the Amateur final and #20x Tom Rockwood (Triumph) makes his move In lll
2nd pl..~ ahead 01 #41x Bill Cody (H·D) and #80y Jim Ri ce (BSA).
Bart Markel, recei vi ng watch from lovely Mi ss
Portlan d Speedway f or fastest qualifyin g time,
fln l slled 2nd In 20-mlle r
From the well-manicured track surface to the glass-enclosed, air-conditioned grandstands, everything about the
race mee t was plush. Even a half-hour
wait for rains to subside only added tu
an exciting, suspenseful day of flrstrate competition.
All the hotshoes on the National circuit were on hand, battling for a healthy
$8000 purse and the all-Important points
which will determine this year's Grand
National Champion.
QualIfications gave an indication of
things to come. The four fastest men
were Bart Marke l, Mer t Lawwlll , Fred
Nix and Roger Reiman - each riding
Harley-Davidson and each clad Inidentical factory team leather s. Triumphmounted National Number One Gary Nixon, with a time of 43.13 as opposed to
Markel's quickest lap of 40.93, Indeed
had his work cut out for him.
Harl ey-David son and Mark Brel sford were the
wire-to-wi re winners of the Amal eur 1O-mlle
feature.
Weather Worries
Threatening skies forced a switch In
the usual program schedule. Amateur
riders drew lots for heat race starting
spots, and then after the rains subsided,
Expert heats were run of! before completion of the yellow-plate preliminary
events. To make sure the 20-mller also
got underway before the weather changed
Its mind, the 20- man fie ld of top Expert
contenders lined up, five abreast, ac cording to their heat race and semlmain finishing positions.
Lef t: Gary Nixon tr ied hard, got 4th.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
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