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/125620
By Eric Ratts GARDENA, CAL" June 7,1969- Dusty Coppage chased Skip Van Leeuwen for twelve laps in the Expert Main Saturday night waiting for an opening, then broke through on the inside of the North turn for a record setting vJctory. Dusty's time of 11: 35: 37 broke his own previous Ascot TI mark. Dallas Baker was all alone in third place and Eddie Mulder finished fourth ahead of Mike Haney. Haney stayed on Mulder'S rear wheel for haJJ the race and then dropped back. Keith Mashburn overcame a shortlived lead by Don Dudek in the Amateur Main to take an easy seeming win bu the crowd buzzed about the action at the rear of the pack. Mechanics and riders in the pits were moving over close to the corners to watch Frank Gillespie. Frank fell in the first lap and was afull minute behind by the time he could get his macchine pointed in the right direction. The North Californian wheel-hopped and slid his big Triumph in a mad ride to sixth place. Gillespie finished second behind Mashburn in their heat race but he was obviously not content to trail in that position. Mashburn is the more polished of the two but Frank looks almost as fast. Follow the leader races were almost non-existent. Too Sloan took an impressive win in his elimination heat and went on to win the Novice Main. John Hately and Allen Kenyon fought for second and third while Freddie Edwards brought uP fourth place. Sloan took the Novice Trophy Dash and Van Leeuwen placed ahead of Coppage in the Expert event to get the Cycle News TroPhY. The Ascot Grand stands creaked and groaned as a much larger than usual crowd saw a fine night of racing. (Results on page 21) Above, Jim (Wheelle) Wilson, Skip Van L..... wen, and Tad Sloan receive trophies. Right, Du sty (32) Coppage and Larry Wilburn rode to a near lie In an Expert Heat. Coppage was declared wiMer. (Eric Ralls Photo.) f LATTRACK GARDENA, CAL" JWle 6- It was a night of first for Jimmy Odom at the Ascot haJJ-mUe last Friday. After his Harley suffered mechanical problems in pratice the Northern California charger switched to an unfamiliar machine the Harold Allison-tWled 750cc Norton rIdden in past weeks by Ron Kruseman and Pat Gosch - and proceeded to score his first-ever Expert Main Event win on the Gardena oval. "I liked the rJ.ce trac," said Jim. "It was a little rougb, about the same as the night I got second, but I liked it. Didn't have any problems." Asked if he felt any pressure during the race (both Paul Conserriere and Sborty Seabourne had challenged strongly), Odom replied, "I didn't feel like anybody was there Wltil near the end when I heard Sborty, and then I just turned it on." Jim was the 6th man to win an Ascot Righi, Frank Gillespie's chasing tactics brought noUce from the grandstands and the pits at Ascot Saturday night. Selow, 'Jimmy Odam held off Shorty Seaborne'S bid on the track and numeroUs protests afterward. Odom rode a different bike In practice to account for the confusion. By Carol Sims Photos by Dennis Greene ~ Col :l: Col ...:I ~ (..) Odom Sho Expert Main this season, and the first to do it aboard a 750cc OHV machine. TWler Dick KeIrn fielded three of the first five finishers - 2nd place Seabourne, 3rd place Houchins and 5th place Geezer Emick - all on 500cc BSA singles (one of which is now for sale.) Point leader Sammy Tanner (Royal Enfield) had mechanical problems all night. H e slipped from 2nd to last in his heat, then came back to lead the Expert semi until the final lap when Reg Chosney (Triumph) got by for the win. In the Main Sam worked from last to 7th, slid back to tail-end spot when the machine faltered, roared up to 7th again and held it until the 14th circuit when he once more slowed drastically, winding uP 10th. Seabourne Main Event winner for the past two weeks, has been rapidly closing the point gap, and is now tied with Tanner in Ascot standings - 67D-670.lronic, too, for the equalizing 12 markers were accumulated by Sborty in the TrophY Dash, which he didn't even finish. Lloyd Houchins earned his second Dash win in a row, and the Cycle News trophy. An interesting added attraction at intermission time was the wheelie contest conducted by members of the So. Cal. Trials Assn. Although all the riders performed superbly, Jim Wilson, on a 250cc Greeves, gave the others a record mark to shoot for: he went threequarters of the way around the haJJmile track on his rear wheel, and received a big ovation from the crowd. The Amateur Main was Keith Mashburn all the way, with Frank Gillespie (650cc Triumph) doing his best to close the gaP. Keith chose the high road while Gillespie stayed on the pole, tucked in close to his bide even in the turns. Mashborns 350 Yamaha is tWled by Dennis Mahan. Friddie Edwards made it 3 out of 4 Novice Main Event wins in' as many weeks aboard the rapid K&N-sponsored 250cc Yamaha. Point leader, Don Emde was relegated to the pits by mechanical failure. Edwards' flag-to-flag triumph has now put him ahead of Suzuki-riding Emde in the ovice point race -795750. Fresno's Too Sloane (Kawasaki) once more ran 2nd after a low battery forced him out of action last week. Siarting several weeks later than most of the Novices, Sloane has made rapid strides, and Friday night's efforts moved him from 7th to 4th in points. (Results on page 20) -