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/125662
ALOOK AT THE GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPION By Ralph Branson as told by Mer t Laww1ll "I won my first national championship In 1965 out at the fairgrounds In Sacramento," declared Mert Lawwlll, Number 1 Grand National Champion motorcycle racer In the U.S., "this was really the high point In my racing career. I was riding a factory model Harley Davidson. My share of the purse was $1,200 that day - the biggest payoff I had ever received. I felt like I had the world by the tall. At last, after 4 years of competing In professional motorcycle racing, I was beginning to move." La ww1Il dido' t know It, but this race also marked the midPoint In his career, . since another 4 years would elapsed before he would win the coveted title, Number One Grand National Champion Motorcycl e Racer In the United States. It was on an October day In 1969 at the fairgrounds In Oklahoma City that he clinched the Grand National championship. But Lawwill was not aware of the big moment at the time. To begin with, there Is no checkered flag or announcer's booming voice to proclaim the event; nor is the winning of the Grand National championship a one race shot. the number 1 until he Is unseated. Laww1lI finished 1969 with a point tally of 756 which was 97 points more than Gene Romero's second highest total. In 1970, the number of points allotted will depend on the size of the purse rather than the length of the race. For example; a track that pays $6,000 will award 26 points to win. A track thatpays $15,000 will award 100 points to win, 10 points less for second poslUon, 20 points less for third, etc. When Laww1ll'was a .5'6" teenager,he began taking part In non-professional, no purse, scramble events sponsored by the local motorcycle club In his home town of Boise, Idaho. During 1959-60 he began taking weekend trips to the Portland, Oregon area, mostly In the hopes of Certain races around the country are designated national championship tracks. At each of these nationals, depending on the length of the race, a rider Is awarded a certain number of points for winning or finishing In the money. Whoever accumulates the .greatest number of points by the end of the year becomes the Grand National Champion, and Is entitled to wear EAST-WEST MOTOCROSS SERIES OPENS MARCH 22' International Racing Enterprises Inc. has Issued an apology for the postpone- ment of their March 1 motocross, due to weather conditions. They have moved the race date to March 22, but everything remains the same Including $545.00 Sr. prize ' money and a -l25cc Yamaha Motocross to (l\'erall Jr. winner for the day, also a 100Cc Jr. event w1lI be run and awarded 50% trophies. Re-schedullng this event has added an extra surprise for the riders. ThIs event w1lI be the 1 st event of their East- West Motocross Team series. The East- West Championship series w1lI be a five race series In which the top 6 Sr. riders will be awarded an all expense paid trip to compete In the CanAm challenge at Pepperell, Mass., May 31st. The trip will Include round trip air travel, leave on Friday the 29th and return Sunday night the 31st so as not to Interfere with work, school, etc. Also Includes motel accommodations and meals. Intersport promoters at Pepperell will put up $600.00 for winning team. The week following the top 6 East riders which have been selected by series In East similar to our West . series, will return to Bay Mare for the 2nd halt of series for another $600.00 to the winning team. This series will be sure to find a true U.S. Motocross Champion. In addition to all other prizes I.R.E. will also give an alI expense paid trip to SpaIn to the best Westerner of the finals, to attend the Inti. 6 Day Trials. Throughout the 5 race quaIltylng series there w1lI be cash paid to Sr .. s and exotic prizes to Jr /», Contrary to previous reports of 5 srs, and 1 Jr., In operating In conjunction with Intersport, srs, only can represent In the U.S. Championship. Therefore, Jr.' s w1lI be compensated by special rewards throughout the series. The races are called the richest series of Its kind In U.S. history• lIIert La_III peeks oyer the bars of his H-O flat Iracker durlne his championship 1969 season. CONLEY Send For CUSTOM MADE Skid Shoe K!l.~,W':&a~Y.L Route 2, Box 75B, [ . Corona, Calif. Irk tit. , M~" wII, UJurr Nt,l $29.95 Plus C.O.D. & Postaee Send tracing of boot for perfect !It ....................................- bringing home a few dollars. In 1961, be moved to southern California, where weekly events are held. At about this time he began to think seriously about motorcycling as a career. The following year he began competing In the weekly events at Ascot Park. He soon dlscovered that competition on the tight, hal! mile, T-T dirt track at Ascot Park was much hotter than anything he had encountered In the Northwest. " This was my first attempt to break Into the big time," Laww1ll s:i.td, In 1962, he ranked 5th Amateur among the motorcycle racers In the nation. " I began making $80 to $150, dependIng on how good I could d o;" Lawwill said. " This was a far cry from the few dollars I had picked up In the 2 previous years from 4 professional races, As a Novice, La ww1llstarted out ridIng a BSA, Birmingham Small Ar ms motorcycle - a comparatively light machine. He took his old BSA bike to California with him, " but I found that! had to change and modify It constantly under the new conditions," Lawwlll declared. I change d the location of the engine and modified the geometry of the forks, so that It would be possible for me to ride that particular bike faster around that particular course. I got a lot of good experience, but I had so many engine failures that, finally, I decided I would have to change bikes. Fortunately, he was able to get a new motorcycle, a Harley Davidson , from a new sponsor, Dud Perkins, a San Francisco Harley Davidson dealer. " ActnalI y," Lawwill said, "Roxy Rockwood, announcer at Ascot, was instrumental In securing the new sponsorship." The first year on the Harley was very disappointing. "I had a hard time adapting to the new brand of motorcycle," Laww1ll explained. It was a factory production K.R. model, 40 horse power now they run up to around 60- 70 hoP. Mert Lawwlll than began to approach the art of racing from a scientific viewpoint. He developed a winning formula that worked at each track. ThIs article w1lI be continued next week with Mert Lawwlll's secret formula for becoming Grand National Champion. . ~ ~ T 250 &360 DOWN PIPES INU.TES 5 WINNERS IN MEXICAN 1000 FUEL BOOSTER FOR GASOLINE FUEL BOOSTER FOR GASOLINE ·5-10% hp. 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