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/125619
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mencan Team
il
~&
(-,'
$200
Morris SIIIows fl.. . """" COlIIID&. lJ4l1 of
lIIe Iirst larD.
Dan Brecht was fonrth on. a CZ. [am
convinced this young. man fioisbedfourtll
only because of laclc of power. He will be
a rider to keep an eye on in the future.
The ride home at tfle. conclusion of the
day's events is anti.-clima.tic but as you.
swoop around corners with. the warm
breeze blowing 111- your face, you can.t
be.\p bot reminisce about Emil Abola
blasti
into tile stretch, Sonny Burres
broad-sliding around thefar turn and new'
Natiooal umller 83, Don MCLeod figbt- .
iug it out ~ Canada, s TT ChampiOll.,
Larry Garbec. Ah, f]at.-tracks! There is
truly nothing like it!
(ResuUs On. paga 27)
VANNES, FRANCE, May 4, 1969 _ A
bouquet of red carnations, a.. sma.ll trophy, a bottle of booze, a can of oil, and
$200 were. Ron Nelson's spoils for a:
third overa.ll finish in the Vannes International Motocross.
Only oc·ca.siooal rays of sunshine have
interspersed the gloomy luck that bas
dogged the Americans throughout the
tour so far. Between Cha.lon and Vannes,
a tractor-tra1ler rig smacked Nelson's
truck and fled the. scene.. Ron felt they
were going into a river when a fence and
light- Pare intervened just in ttme. Ron's
third place momentarilY lifted everyone's spirIts buttale struck them ap.in.
JOhn DeSoto crashed 1n the first mota
and ran a. footpeg into bis shoulder. He
was in surgery for two hours a.nd held
for observationafterwards. Now JohD and
the truck have to be fixed and the men
Slly they will miss the Swedlsh GP.
Their ri~ is improving without a
doubt. Just before Vannes, at CIIalons,
France. John finisbed sixth and Ron
-
eighth.
by VIc Ebbutt.
PORT TOWNSEND, WASH.,
Y.'1~ 1969
_ 'l'b.a annual 4.-Star half-m.Ile flat track.
race. in PortTownsend, WasbinglonJakes
place at the tip of the magniftc.ent Olympic Penlnsula. To this correspondent.this
race means rising at dawn. and taking a
lovely li!rry ride to the peninsula from
Seattle, then. following the contours of the
soWlli North; the baYs, the inlets, the
bridges, througli the fantastic pastoral
scenes lined with thousands upon. thOl~
sands of rhododendrons newly in blossom. Rhododendrons that shout as you
glide by en your new Commando that
"Summer is almost here, professional
racing 15 back". There are old acQll3.int_
ances to be renewed after a driZZly
w1nter and new friends to be made at the
gigantic brea.k!a.st sponsored by the San
Juan Motorcycle Club of Port Townsend.
The race itself. 15 the climax of the
famous Rhododendron Festival. Saturday
events include a parade, a field meet
and a bike show. The new Redmond
Ratders in full regalla. and- with a 100%
club turnout received a total of five tropb1es including tIie coveted JUdges Clioice
111- the par.Ide.
Two facts ol the event thatare alwa,ys
present. are tile warm reception of the
spoo."Orlng cfub and the clock-like precision with- which their events are run.
Time trials at noon start. precisely at:
noon, racing at one. p.m. means the first
event starts at one p.m.
The ExileI't. I2C.es, under c1Dudlesssides, were dominated by flytng Sonny
Burres of Portland on his new Triumph
as he: led the A Main1rom start to finish.
Dave Clift ol Tacoma on a new Kawasaki
65:(1 maIntained a comfortable second
place nDtiI: the. fifth lap when. be unloaded
very bard Into a large, bunch ol bia.ckberry bushes at.tbe soullLen