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/125639
"" - Novices had 1.. lr probl.ms In Ih. Friday nlcht St.eplec:baslna al Ascot. By Dewitt Thuett GARDENA, CAL., oct. 10, 1969 - The second week of Friday n1gbt TT racing at Ascot produced an entire set of new winners in at feature events. G.... Ro.ro walched mosl of I" season a ad IDaY haft It a II f1aured out. H. beal favend Skip Van LHuw.n. Gene Romero, who baS appeared to again found the fast way around Ascot. after looldng most of the season, was the man to beat in the combined Expert! Amateur class for the btgbore machines. The Experts shut out the Amateurs in the three beat races with Romero, Coppage and Mulder the winners. The first heat saw Romero holding ott point leader Skip Van Leeuwen in a duel that went down to the final inches attheftn1shline. • Dusty Coppage then took the measure r1 Dave AIda na lo the second heat after Aldana had given the veteran .TT'er some anx1 ous moments in the four lap event. Ed dle Mulder had an easy time in the third beat and led from start to finish to give Triumph a three race sweeP. Tod lSloane, John Mateley arid Don mde came through two round of Novice 250Cc heat racing to est:abl1sh them selves as the pre-main event favorites. ~~~ None came close when it reallY counted. The Trophy Dash was the hot'duel r1 the night with Aldana upsetting the Ex perts and corning from third place twice to wln the event over Coppage and Romero. Daring Dave aga.tn called on full-throttle antics on the turns to come "EW fnIIl AragDD! How Ilaht Is t1cht? Dusly (32) Coppap match wh.. 1 slz.s on the Inside whll. Tom Rockwood Is Jusl as clos. on I" outsld•• from behind to beat the Experts. Chalk up one for BSA. The big bike flnal was devoted to watching Romero charge to the front from the start. However, the crowd was watcbing the coppage-Van Leeuwen Destruction Derby a few places back down the track. Skip would nip Dusty on the inside, Dusty would broadsllde into Skip and regain the position. Skip would slide bY Dusty 00 the outside. Dusty would run Skip nearlY loto the lake and regain the positioo. The now weeklY grudge match ls worth the price of admission. After bouncing and erasbing into each other at least four times it was Van Leeuwen who first settled down aDd took off after Romero. Aldana looked in the earlY laps like he was out for the double upset but eliminated himself by crashing hard while running secood on the fifth lap. He got back up to flnish 10th. Amateur Keith Mashburn took up the challenge after Aldana crashed and cbaSed Romero in for the wln. Van Leeuwen came from way back to finish a close third with Coppage, less bent and battered from the week before, in fourth. Dan Haaby came from the back row to finish fifth. CAIU LOCI $3.95 H.avy duty. 4.,ln lumbl.r lock, lamperproof. 20·, 24·, ar 36· I.n&lh. See your deal.r ar writ. Araaon Disi. Co., Inc. Semi $1 far cala loa 323 •. Maple Av••;Monrovla, Calif. 91016 (213) 359-4597 Eleven of the twelve starters ftn1shed the race. In the earlY laps Van Leeuwen bombed Mike Haney full bore with the impact forcing Mike out of the race and a twelfth place lo the pay llne. The unpredlctabie Novices were juSt that lo their etght lap flnal on the short course. Jim Raymond, who flnished second the previous week, finallY put everything together for his first Ascot wln after two years of trying. Ted Longwith also came through to stay on the wheels all the way for second after crashing in practice. Polot leader Tod Sloane was bounced from pillar to post most of the way and fell off tryi.ng to move through the pack of beginners. This left the door wide open for Hateley to close the polot gap but little John was also tangled in the pack. He finallY broke loose to finish a closing third. Sloane was tenth, leaving the overall Novice TT point title still very much lo doubt. Van Leeuwen announced after the races that he is leaving his salesman job to become the So. Calif. District Manager for Bucco products. Coppage isimmedlatelY going to put in a transfer request for Skip to be changed to eithel' the Montana or New England territory. Racing TT style at Ascot goes aga.tn this coming Friday night. Referee Chub Kellam may require Van Leeuwen and Coppage to wear seat belts and roll bars. (Results on page 20)