Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

~LETTERS ~ z to:I ...J U G frene' Gran" Prix After we left SpaIn from the Spanisb GP, we beaded for Avlgoon in France. Avtgnon Is a fair-sl.zed city, with a SUPer campslght situated on the banks of the Rblne river, and that was our dest1natlon. We decided to SP8nt a few days there slgbt-seeing in the ancient walled city that once was the center of the Foman CathoUc Church. Seven generat ;ons of Popes lnbablted the Palace in t"Je l.'lty center during their period of odIe from Rome, we found out. Avlgnon, being only 17 km from Pernes-les-Fonlalnes, where the Frencb GP was to be beld, proved to be a perfect resting spot between races. The "pavement rash" I suslalned from my crash in Spain was slowly heallng, but stiU caused facl&l. contortions If I sat down ~o t;ulckly. FROM RUSS DARNELL vaka won the first leg, followed by Roger DeCoster, Torle1f Hansen, and Joel Robert in that order. Sylvlan Geboers lORded lIP at the start Une and flnlsbed 12th• In the second leg Tor1elf Hansen charged into the lead, and stayed there' for the wtn, followed to the cbeckered flag by Geboers, Halm, and DeCoster who bad fallen once. The flnal results gave Torlelf Hansen bls first Grand Prix "wtn. Second was Mlroslav Halm, then DeCoster, OWe Petersson, and Sylvain Geboers for 5th. I placed 15th overall for the day. The race presentation that nlgbt was a real I8ng up affair. '!be room that the prizes were presented in was a taUcelUnged ball of obvious antiquity. The roof and walls were adorned with many frescoes, taPestries, and beavy-framed paintings. The president of the club presented the awards, and when TOl'lelf got bls, the crowd picked b1m lIP and propelled bim across the room over their beads on a fleld of hands. Tor1elf, who Is a natural ham, waved and laugbed all the way. After all the awards were given out, the riders all jammed into one Uttle doorway to pick lIP their start and prize money. Tb1s scene was no dlfferent in a Grand Prix than at any other international I have been to. It always looks the same: the riders plied lIP at a doorway, general confusion, a long walt, then ftDaUy It Is your turn to squeeze into the tiny smoke filled room to get your money. The room 15 always full of offlclals, smoke contracts, and a large pile of money. After conflrmlng your position and start money, you sign your name, sbakebands a11 around, and walk out a bit rtcber than you were the moment before. If you did well, you make enough to Uve fairly weU unt1l the next week. If you did not. then you conserve, and make ltsomebow to the next race. That Is one thing for cerlaln: If you do fairly well, and the promoters start to know you, then you can usually be sure of a contract for To flx the bent frame on my Husky, my dad and I located a rather beavy, long piece of highway fence bracing. We took both wheel off the macblne, then jacked lIP the car and positioned the ~ .melerneath the rear bumper. By lettlng the car back down on the frame, we bad a sort of mickey mouse vise, but It worked very well. By inserting the fence brace under the bent section of frame, we were able to pry It I8ck lIP into place with a mln1mum of trouble. We spent three days in Avtgnon, and the surrounding countryside, looking at castles, museums, and all thatgood stuff. During our stay there Chert and I celebrated our thlrd wedding annIversary. Accompail1ed by my mother and father, we went to a restaUrant overlooking the Rblne and all the river tratflc. On the '!bursday of that week we moved our camp out to the site of the race. The course was set in some low b1Ds with the parking area for the riders in a . grove of shade trees. '!be promoters provided water and toilets; somewhat of a treat, as most European races have "next week". either miserable or no facUlties. We After the ordeal of picking lIP the were joined In the evening by Greeves money, tb1ngs started to loosen UP. We man, Bryan Wade, who also travels quite went" to a nearby pub in a botel, and all often with a car and caravan. the tables in the bouse were Uned lIP UDofftct8! practice began Thursday agB1rist each other. Glasses were set out evening and continued the next day. On and champagne was ordered for everyone Saturday the offlc1Bl practice session by Tor1elf, Sylvain Geboers, and Robert. and tlme trlals were begun to determine Many toasts were proposed, and after start poslUons for the race. The fastest about the flfth or sixth round no one was quallflers got first pick on start Une feeUng any pain. Torlelf was given a position. cbampagne shampoo, and afteI: that The Frencb course was s1mllar to everything Is a Uttle tuzzy in my mlnd many American circults. The grOU!ld was 'cause all them other people got drunk! hard-packed and rocky, with lots of dust. '!be start area was very .wide, and the common type of start (in Europe that Is) system, the metal gate, was employed. '!be day was long, bot, and dusty. ITALY. May 25,1970- Just bad an outaMany riders crashed in the dust and sight weekend at the Itallan Grand Prix. rocks that would move from one lap to We were the ~st to arrive. We got there the next. Mlroslav Halm from Czecboslo- Italian Gran" Prix Modaka IIonlua Greaws M .....cycles W.s,.ils'er Sp.r' C,de -Guy R. Louis Rlck...n IIetisH to (114) 193-1051 SACHS PENTON ca. * Walt Axthelm's Triumph-Suzuki Motors 1049 W 5th St., Pomona, Calli. ..t (4) 629-8642 CZ OSSA MAlCO Yamaha - GSA Husqvarna Norton SALES - SERVICE - PARTS Eapelt S....d TUllln, DUCO'SSo. Standard A... MOTORCYCLES 1629 flEE drawing f. Cbampion Mark III full coverage belmet plus many more prizes. Nothing to buy just come in and sign up. sala Ana, Cal. 92707 (714) 543·. . . Mrs. 10-10 1I0n.-Sat. : HALF MILE $2100.00: : MOTORCYCLE PURSE i ! RACES 8:00pm ! SO¢ i .................•. For each of two people this saves TACO ftAII. 100 - Now.............. n819Shennan Way, Canoga Park (n3) 881-1696 • ~ Penton - Hodaka PUMFREY • ~ Italian Motocross PO 8012611, Palos Verlles Pel" Calif. 90214 1101 E. 611I St. - Corona (14) 13~l1n r~~~:;;,oasoot--! : DISCOUNT!!! Kring Leads" In Race For 500cc Title PATRACO HI-PERFORMANCE EQUIPMENT YWHA of COIOIA 7574 W.stlllinste, A.... W.stmln-ster, * Mike Patrick's on Thursday, early afternooo. and the cable came loose and got caught in the next to get there was Sylvain Geboers knobby tire (lovely). I did not get off but Friday evenlni. No practice before Satdid some funny things unW I got It urday. stopPed. I took off a rubber band wblcb The race was on the side of a high I use to keep the kick stand from falling b1U. UpblU start, hard packed and a down during a race, and secured the surface wblcb tended to be roclcy or cable I8ck into position. I lost a lot of gravelly. Metal start gate. From the tlme but worked lIP and f1n1sbed 14th to start the course went over a very high (JIa11fy for the final. jump (fourth gear), then to a smaller in the final I bad to start in the second jump, and up the BIG blU. Down the BIG row because of' my position in the beat blU and into a whole series of cbaoglng race. I got a I8d start, accordingly. The adverse cambers. A lovely course for dust was super-i8d, as I8d as I have a 250cc GP. ever seen even in the CalUornla desert. I was in SUPer form and quallfed 15th I was about 21st at the start and 18th the fastest out of 52 entrles. in the first race first lap. I knew It was a long race, so I was 15th on the second lap and closing • I Just set a hard pace and kept to it. easlly on the 14th, 13th and 12th men. I Every lap 1 passed someone, and gradumls~ my speed loto a corner and ally I began to notice that the crowd was fell. The bike lORded lIP I8dly and I could yelllng at mEl' all the way around the not get started for a very long time. I course. They yelled more each lap as I lost a laP. I flnaUy goUt going and startpassed many riders. Toward the end I ed charging. I unlaPPed myself from the started to go harder because I knew slower riders, passed others and some everyone else would be tired and slowlng drQPped out. At the flnlsh I was 20th. down. It pald off. I flnlsbed sixth after The second race I was out to 1mprove that terrible start. With a good start I my position a whole buncb. I charged would have been in the top three. Of hard and steady ending lIP with a 13th. course that sounds Uke an ''If'' and they My total points gave me a 13th overall. don't count, so I'U just say I placed slxtb. I was mad at myself for blowlng my Cheri was taIdng pictures during the chances at World CbamplonsblP points, race and she sald the crowd was really but crashing comes with motocross. If rooting for me. After the race I was I bad not lost that lap I would have swamped with people who wanted autoflnlsbed 10th for sure and netted one point graphs, and many other' well-wtsbers. for our side. What really made me s1ck Yours in Sport, Is that the man who got 10th was way RUSS DARNELL beb1nd me In the first leg when I feU and I beat b1m in the second race too, so It would have been 10th for me positively. We are beaded to Gallarate, Italy for a race on Thursday, then wehavetodasb borne for Sunday in Belg1um. After that maybe the Pol1sb GP. Right now, that Is all from here. Keep the bome fires burning. Sweden'S Arne Kr1ng recovered from a crash and a delay caused by a mass coUlslon to win the 500cc CzecbosIoV8Idan GP by less than a second It was reported in the British weekly, Motor Vrben we left the ltallan GP, we went Cycle News. 1mmed1ately to GaUarate for a race on '!be 27-year old former bk:ycle meThursday (yesterday). The course was cban1c now leads the cbamplonsblp series b1Uy, twisty, many jumps, some out of by 17 points from b1s closestcbpUengono, sight down b1Ds, high speed, rocks, sand, reigning cbamplon Bengt Aberg. low gear corners, trees, and some other Swedlsb riders hammered the rest at things, that I forget. Ob yeahl DUST. Europe 10 the bot, dust;)' condltlons at That Is D-U-S-T, dust. (It was dusty). the HoUce cirult. I got to practice on Wednesday along West German Adolf Well led the first with M1kkola and Vekbonen. so I learned race for ten of the 14 laPs until b1s 390cc the track very weU before the race. On Matco shed Its rear cba1n. race day the riders were to ride one beat On the same lap, East German Paul race (qual1fy1ng) and one final. There Frtedr1cbs crashed bls 400 CZ, and were two beats of about 30 riders. Tons allowed Aberg into the lead. Kring at competition. The beat races were 40 also HUSqvarDB mounted, was delayed mlnutes, plus two lapsl The flnal turned in a first corner P11e-1IP caused by out to be 50 minutes, plus two laps. Mlroslav Halm, but dashed througb to I got caught in the dust at the start at second place ahead at Fr1edrlcbs. my beat, but came lIP fairly qulck to Kr1ng led the second race all the way, slxtb place, in about thefirst 15 mlnutes. despite a fall 011 the second lap. He No problem catching the riders in front kept bls eng1ne nmn1ng and lost only of me but just as I went off a blgb, blgb (Continued on page 25) jump (thlrd gear) the front wheel brake wh••1 p.,formo, - $219.50. Oth.r modeIa as low .. $119.':5. KIts ....... ..... d ...... duo 95. 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