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/125676
WESTERNE 5 COME By Terry Pratt BAY MARE, CAL. June 7, 1970 - The West Coast was out to make a come back after last week's heartbreaking one -. point loss to the Eastern team at Pepperell. Everyone thought th1Dgs would be In the West's favor at Bay Mare, but the manner In which the westerners walked away with Sunday's meet was better than could have been expected. Team Captaln Jim WUson won all three motos after br1ng:lng his Greeves from behind to pass AJS rider Jim West. Incredibly, wUson, West, John DeSoto and Tim Hart took the first four places In order everytlme the team races lined uP. Htgbest scoring Eastern rider was Seppa Maldnen who managed a tltth place behind the Western steam roller. Star rider for the New England squad Barry Hlgglns didn't make the trIP owing to a reported hair line skull fracture incurred In last week's match. CharUe Vincent was pressed Into service to replace Hlgglns. He joined his brother Glenn, Bob Ismallof, SePpo. Peter Lamppu and team manger Ron Jeckels to make uP the Eastern team. To make the action as clear as a picture the Easterners were suited uP In red sweatshirts whlle the West boys wore white. When the pack crested the first h1ll fJ;Jr the first race all six white shirts were out In front. JIm West had his twisfgrIPJolled all the way baclrana got his Ajay out In front where be stayed untu about one third of way through when Jim Wilson got by to take his first team wln of the day. Perennlal favorite JohnRice was slugging 1t out in fourth place on his Malco when the spark talled and dropped him out. H1gh scorer for the East last week, Peter Lamppu collided with Jim O'Neal and bent the shltt lever 011 his Montesa. The second race turned out to be almost a copy of the first round. John Rice pulled the horse out of that Malco and led the charge uP the h1ll before Jim West took over when John R. went down. Young West was tlyIng and stayed ahead of Wilson, DeSoto and Hart for most of the race before he let his front wheel creep over the berm In the hlgb speed starting line bend and Wilson got by. John R. had restarted and worked his way through most of the Eastern team before another spill put him back again. Peter Lamppu crashed twisting his knee but he got uP to finish • . Terry Bilton, winner of Sunday's SOOcc Sr. event, takes a jump on the front straightaway. Billy Clements, left, West Coast team alternate, chases another rider during saturday's practice round. In the flnal round John R. got a jump on the starter but John DeSoto got his CZ around him after the first bill. West passed DeSoto and once again 'got out in front. This time 1t looked like he'was going to stay there. Back In the ranks the western domlnatlon contlnued as Wllson, DeSoto and Hart tWed uP the next three places. West and Wilson battled around the course for most of the race before West's gas cap popped open and sloshed him with mix. Wllson came uP to collect his third wln and West held on to second. Bob IsmaIlof took a tltth to be highest eastern tln1sher In the third moto. Jim O'Neal was sixth as he had been In the previous race. At~r the drop of the flnal flag Champagne corks whistled through the air and foamlng bottles were passed to all twelve riders lined uP at the staging area. Maldnen, Hart and some of the more culturallY refined m ~ a restralned sIP but most of the boys found the warm stuff too sudsey to drink so they enjoyed the celebration by spraying the crowd with a shaken bottle or just pouring the bubbly wlne all over each other. Both teams had a lot to celebrate. That moment with the champagne was preluded by weeks of hot dusty qualUy_ Ing races, hours In the garage, pa1ntuI injuries and thousands of miles of trave~.