Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

~ SUPER ROOKIE G -RABS ASCOT fLA.r TRACK - . Dave PBx) Aldana picks his way through traffic on his way to a f lat track Main win. That's some traffic too. Gene (3) Romero, Dusty (32) Coppage and Mert (1) L,:,-wwllI. • By Duewitt Thuett Photos by Eric Raits . For the fourth time in the past six Friday night Expert Main Events at Ascot Park, the race was decided on the 15th and final lap, Three factors produced an entirely new cast to run the finish down to the wire. Mark Brelsford came up with a broken valve in practice and was out of the running. Tom Rockwood and Mert Lawwill each won their heat races and rode in the Trophy Dash as two of the four fastest qualifiers. Then a throttle problem kept Mert back In third in the final, or at least helped to. Rockwood 'came up with gearbox and tire problems and was forced out of the final in the second lap. The final started as a three rider run between Gene Romero, 'Dave 'Aldana and Lawwill, Triumph, BSA and HarleyDavidson. The story of how Aldana even got into the final is one by itself. In the heat race Aldana was quickly regulated to a third place flnlsh with Romero topping Lawwill for the win. Dave used up most of the track and scraped a few boards to f1n1sh third and a transfer in to the Semi. At the start of the Semi Dave tried to . take the North turn without shutting ofL the throttle. He didn't make it and neither has any other of the few that have tried over the years. Down went Dave, taking Dewayne Keeter, Paul Conserriere and Randy Smith along with him. Somehow or other, all walked away, but Keeter wIlo had won the Main Event the week before, was without a machine. It was too badly damaged for the restart that was held up - waiting for Aldana. Aldana settled down long enough to win the Semi and go onto the final. This is how the young man from Santa Ana finally arrived in the Main Event. Along the way Lawwlll and Rockwood put it on him In smooth fashion to again run one-two in the Dash. Aldana was third with previous Dash winner, Mel Lacher, in fourth. Rockwood ran Into troubles on the first lap of the final. Lawwill was running a close third In the big one for the $2,000 wilen his throttle started to stick, open, not shut. , Romero looked more determined than he has In three years. in the late laps he opened a gap on Aldana that looked safe enough for the win. But this is Ascotand things can happen right down to the finish Ime, Happen they did as it appeared as though Romero tired during the final two laps and back came Aldana, still using most of the dirt on the turns, to catch Gene coming out of the final turn. Again It looked like a memory lapse as Gene left room between himself and the crashwall and Aldana had his machine In between in the final few yards to the flag. At the flnlsh the front tire, just the tire and not the wIleel, of the 650 BSA was in front with the near over- flow crowd nearly falllng out of the stands I This coming Friday night finds the purse going to a new recordhlgh with the addltlon of $1.00 per lap in the Expert final to the leader(s) and an additional $50.00 in the Dash to the winner. Well over $800.00 goes to the rider that takes it all. Few have. Don Emde, fresh from his Talladega, Ala. road race win, cruised his way to the Amateur Main Event, leaving Chuck Hart, John Hateley and Bob Fulton to supply the action around second place. Fulton again fell off, this time on the last turn of the last lap of the final, runIn the final with only one lap to go - then n1ng a solid third place. The week before the engine quit and he rolled to a stop he was In the lead wilen man and machine with 9th place, not 1st, parted ways. This left the door open for three YaHart upset Hateley for second place in mahas and Al Baker, Bob Hlll and Tom the battle between the two Triumphs. Vardeman wIlo took one-two-three. BakEmde and his BSA took a tighter hold on er is the rider wIlo has turned from the yellow plate division point lead, Kris desert racer to oval racer and the m1sBakke and his BSA finished fourth. Ric fortune of Roberts gave him his !irst Holly, the previous winner, could pull win as a pro. no better than ruth. Roberts and his Suzuki w1ll be back Kenny Roberts built his Novice win next Friday to try and build another streak to nine straight by wInn1ng his ' streak once more. The Novice record heat race. It looked like the string was is 16 straight without a falldown or going to ten for sure as he had the lead mechanical failure. (Results on page 31) ' National number 3 - Gene Romero tears up the Ascot turf on his way to the Expert TT win. The Ascot TT 's have now switched to one Saturday night each month and the switch has made a new man out of Gene Romero. He came from behind for his first win in the TT Main this year. Eddie Mulder once again played "Rabbit" for the Experts, buUdlng a big lead in the final only to lose the race once again. Mulder led from the start. Mark Brelsford then took it away and was off and running until the engine on the big Harley let go. Mulder was back in front for the S6Cond time on lap seven and appeared to be on his way with a wide lead over Romere, Romero, wIlo had lost in the last few feet the night before on the half mile, now was doing the catchlng instead of the leading. With less than two laps to go It was Romero passing Mulder and going onfor the TT win. Mert Lawwlll came from way back to take a closing fourth behind previous winner, Mike Haney wIlo held third. The best Expert field of the year was on hand and the two heat races looked like national flnals. Haney took the measure of Aldana in the first heat with . Mulder topping Van Leeuwen, Romero and Rockwood in a close four rider duel in the second. 'La wwlll crashed on the first lap of the first heat but was back and running his way into the semi a few minutes later. Brelsford was also in the first heat but did not finish high enough for a direct transfer and joined Mert in the semi. Brelsford then powered his way to the semi win with Mert stlll shaken but runn1ng in for 5th place, the final transfer to the final. Two time Main Event wInner, Dusty Coppage was Just ahead of Mert at the finish for fourth place. Keith Mashburn had a sure transfer sewed up but crashed with only two turns to go on the last lap of the super-semi Main Event. Don Emde tried to inject a lonely BSA In against eleven TrIumphs and nearly got away with It in the Amateur final. Terry Dorsch came on stronger than ever before this year to grab the lead away on the fourth lap. Then point leader John Hateley tried for second over Emde on the seventh lap but failed. Dorsch went on to win with Emde pulling away from Hateley and Triumph took eleven of the twelve positions in the final. . The_ classic duels of Gary Scott and Kenny Roberts were again In store only to have Scott oversUde and drop out altogether w!llle running a close second. Roberts, wIlo rides a Montesa in TT events went on to win and cut the point lead held by Scott down to a few points. Mr. Roberts has now established hlmself as the most consistent, if not the best Novice TT and half mUer of the season. Matt Falconer and Bob HUl did the ' chasing in for second and third with motocross ace, Tim Hart taking afourth for his best showing in the money ranks so far this year. , The Sidehacks, more than 30 strong, returned to action at Ascot. Brock WUburn and Russ Jones came from the back on their Bultaco to win the 360cc class with Darrell and Ken Meter in second on a Greeves. Bob Moffitt and Mike Wall were a close third on a Bultaco. In the Open class race, Dean Hummer and Rulon Gulbranson came from 8th place to take the win with some full bore slldlng on their H-D. Jerry BrouShaY and Blll Bryant gained a second for Triumph with Clem Pettis and Ron Smith running third with another Harley. The next TT w1ll be on Saturday night, June 13th at Ascot. Weekly shows now include motocross racing every Thursday night and half mUe racing every Friday night. (Results on page 31)

• Cover