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/125578
<::> .... jl c c:; o Squarlne off the corner neatly, Freddy Nix shuts the eate an Mert Lawwlll's hopes. Haybales were an added expense that paid off In an absence of Inj uri es despile hlpspeed crashes like this sequence, caueht by th e motor-dri ven camera of photo editor Dennis Greene. SACRAMENTO, cair., Sept. 15Can a quiet guy from Oklahoma find fame and happiness in California? Can anyone racer win all four mile track nationals .in a single season? What is the name of the game? The name Is Fred Nix and an Oklahoman can find fame and happiness ($$$) In California, and the name of the game Is the 25-mlle National Championship race. It was a game for Nixlast Sundayas he raced bis way to three new track records on the Fairgrounds mile before another record crowd that overflowed Into the restrooms, to the delight of promoter J .C. AgaJanlan. "Mr. Mile" shattered the one lap record set last year by George Roeder, not once, but twice with the second run at the clock way down In the 3g s econd class! It was the same s tor y In the ten mile hea t race - and another Roeder record fell by the wayside. Nasty Nix was nice enough in the flnal to "allow" Mert Lawwill to lead the fir st four laps and then it was all over and Fred was In for his fifth national win of the year at a record setting time . Lawwill finished a safe second and Dan Haaby was a s olid third. Mert's second becam e safe afte r Bart Mar kel blew his engine halfway thr ough the race that was run on the best prepared oval ever run under the shado w of the state capitol. Nix and his factory pampered Har leyDavidson have now won four out of four on the longer dir t tracks of America, the first combination to ever make that statement. The LawtonLapper now has two firsts and a second the last thr ee years at Sac and Joins Roeder as the only other two- ti me winner of the fam ed event. One hundred and fifty r iders made ita long walt as each took two time trials and In quite a few cases, three and four times; Sideshow action was provided by the Lacher brother s , Mel and Ron as each took wild spllls on the number one turn. Melin time trials, Ron In the heat race. The longtime system of roughing UP A happy champion Fred Nix (wearlne helmet) receives the sincere canpatulatlans of opponent Mert Laww lll ( 2nd place) and Aule while Mrs. Nix and affsprlne proudly look an. the outside edge of the corner with hay bal es behind, pai d off all day long as firs t one r ider and then an other tried to go through the fence. All of them walked away. . The only r eal thr eat to the Har ley Brigade In the Expert class came from Canadian road racing champ , Yvon Du Hamel and his potent li ttle Yamaha 350. The flashy Frenchman came from dead last In his heat race to run second and then had a surprising fourth place all locked up In the flnal until he ran out of all and was passed by Gary Nixon and Cal Rayborn In the la te la te laps. Gene Romero, who looked great In the heat race, was the first rider out of the final with a dead engine . Chuck Palmgren cam e up with a nat rear tire this year, duplicating the fea t of his teammate Nixon from the '67 r ace . Nixon and Rayborn again waged their own priva te duel With neither rider ever In contention for the top three positions . Gary s till leads the point battle but Nix Is r ight on his tall with two nationals to go. As expected, the West's top two Amateur mile track r iders, Mark Br elSford SUZUKI MAKES IT ... SO MAKE ' I T", T. T. RACES Next T.T. Oct. 5th ----.-_._---_ .... __ ._-----SPECIAL ADDED ATTRACTION SIDE HACK RACES ON TT COURSE Hl%bot & San Dieqo Frwys . SUZUKI