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/125636
.... "" ~ co 0.. Ted (114) Lon(wlrth and Don (135r) Emde make a hasty sandwich of Ron (126r) Bird. Lacher, Aldana Laying foundation for Ascot National? By Dewitt Thuett Photos by Eric Raits GARDENA, CAL., Sept. 17, 1969-lf the Expert Main and the Amateur final at Ascot Friday night can be read as blueprints tor the national then It will be Mel Lacher, winning his tirst national and Dave Aldana winning another yellowplate final on the circlli t. The only dent in Lacher's hold came in the Trophy Dash when Dan Haahy and his 650 BSA topped the field tor the win. it stopped Lacher's streak at !tve straight, the longest of the season. It was Haaby' s first Dash win of the yeU • Lacher again opened with the tastest Expert time and then won a squeaker in the heat race over Tom Rockwood. Then the second place tinish behind Haaby in the Dash before the final. It was a Lacher win, his third straight, and tourth in the last tive outings. The show was for second between Haahy, Shorty Seabourne and Rockwood. While Lacher, who shot ott the line and into the lead, was sliding his way around, Haaby was still trying to find the tast way on his BSA twin. Seahourne and Rockwood, both on the older BSA 500' s caught UP and looked and waited tor the opening that never came. Triumpb mounted Alex Chinowsld, who won the tastest heat race, dueled with Rockwood for many laps beforegiv1ngup the tourth position. Tom then caught Sea.bourne w h * t r Ying topassHaaby. Haaby held two teammates battled to the t1n1sh r third with Shorty in tront. Gene Romero also returned to action, this time,&n a 500 Triumph. He pulled a third in the heat race behind Lacher and Rockwood and then dropped out of the Semi, running in ruth place in a tour rider transfer race. Surpirse entry was road racer Jody Nicholas. Jody, who has not ridden dirt track events in four years, entered a 500Cc BSA. The surprise did not end there. The Navy pilot took fourth in his heat race and then returned to win the Semi over Mike Anderson, Carl Patrick and Pat Gosch! Mechanical problems took Jody out of the Main Event in the early laps before he really had a chance to tind out it It was all for real. He will be back again this Friday. Sammy Tanner also returned with a bum leg and ran out of the transfer in both the heat race and Semi. Chuck Palmgren, the Sacramento winner, was in the pits but not riding. Dave Aldana and Don Castro, the two best Amateurs in the nation this year, MOTD-X ACCESSORIES Pelican DI.e & Cycle Dlst. Co. • J 500 Broadway St., ValleJo, Cal. 94590, All orders shipped same day' Dave (381) Aldana put on the show of the nl(ht. He started dead last and passed a lIyln( Keith (30.) Mashburn for the Amateur win. a1s0 returned to Ascot action. Aldana time this year a rider has started last posted tast time overall with Castro and won the race - any race! timing but coming UP with engine probMashburn took second with pointleadlems and not riding. er Terry Donaher in third. Tom Mohr Keith Mashburn also was back. Keith turned in his best ride totinishinfourth. and Aldana both won their heat races to Don Dudek was ruth. set the stage tor the showdown in the tinal Novice point leader Fred Edwards contines to look and oot find the winning for second year racers. 250cc combination. He was defeated in Aldana was baving starting line probboth heat races and then relegated all the lems all evening and thetirstlapslooked way back to sixth in the final. like a Mashburn shoo-in. Keith took a big early lead with Aldana pulling a "SacraJohn Hateley and Don Erode, the twins for Suzuki, each won two heat races with mento" and getting ott the line in a disHateley then chasing Emde in the ttnal. tant last place with a nearly dead engine Hateley was smooth and unheatable with run. 'Husqvarna-CZ-Penton Complete line of Torsten Hallman Racing Equipment Largest Stock of Motorcycles & Parts in the Los Angeles Area ALSO Suzuki, Zundapp, M.Z. & Monlesa ~tdu,i4le'4, 2 CYCLE C'ITY Moto-x Accessories & Equipment (213) 415-4541 10673 W. Pica Blvd., West Los Anoeles. Cal. Jody (58) Nichols started the Experts with a Semi win. Mechanical problems took him out of the Main. Nallonal number 20 Is Gene Romero. Nobody gave Mashburn a challenge but all eyes were on Aldana as he caught the pack and started to move one and two positions a lap. Finally he was in second but sUlI a long way back of Mashburn and the small Yamaha 350. With little more than a lap to go Aldana and his 650 BSA caught and passed Mashburn to go on for the win. The only ITS HERE a late lap pass for this second straight Main Event win. Ted Longwith ran third with Randy Ellis, on an Edwards spare Yamaha, tak1ng fourth. Chuck Hart ran hard to tinish in ruth. This Friday night will be the last test before the big 11th annual national on the 4th. Friday night, Oct. 3rd t1nds a regular season TT slated for Expert, Amateur and Novice riders. This Friday night will also be the last halt mUe tor many weeks as the month of October will find TT racing Friday night - at least until the first weekend in November. 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