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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125679
~ Rockwood By Dewitt Thuett ~ GARDENA, CALIF. June 26, 1970- Long time race fans wtll be shak1ng their heads ~ for a long time to come after the Expert U final Friday night at Ascot. 15 lap Main :.. Events have been run on the oval since U 1957 - but none like the one last week. Here's how it happened, we think. We saw it and still don't know if it really happened. Tom Rockwood put his Triumph on the pole and the other nine Experts lined up along side and behind. Tom then got caught trying to outguess starter, Bob Bryan and was put back on the thlrd row, behind the other nine Experts. The flag did drop the second time arOWld and Rockwood was Into the corner, In last place. Mel Lacher took the lead with Paul Conserriere and Sammy Tanner right with him for a three rider bash the first five ]pas. A t the end of five laps Rockwood had worked his way to a distant flfth behind Dewayne Keeter, who was running fourth. Tom was a full straightaway behind the tront running leaders. Five more laps went by and Rockwood had closed the gap on the front four. The next five laps rank as some of the finest and fastest in Ascot h1stroY. Lap eleven found Rockwood passing Keeter for fourth place. Then the clocks started to whirl with Tom cutting four stra1ght laps under 22:90 on a track that was drY trom an unexpected breeze that came up early In the program. Conserriere had taken the lead trom Lacher on the eighth lap and appeared to be an easy winner at the ten lap mark. Rockwood natled Tanner for thlrd place on lap twelve and was right on Lacher for second at the end of thlrteen. Second place went to the Gardena ace before fourteen laps were comPleted and the clocks were still jumping ott the needle arms. With one lap to go Rockwood and Conserriere started the t1nal round. Tom went bombing by on the back chute of the final lap and not a single person was still sitting down in the standsl From last to first in the EJcpert flnal) Many were trying to remember if - Dead Last To First it has ever happened at Ascot in all those prevtous years and Main Events. It was the second stratght week for Rockwood and his 650 Triumph to score the clean sweep. Tom took fast Expert time trial honors, won the heat race for the flfth straight week In a row, the fastest heat of the night. The Dash fell to' Rockwood for the second straight week and the fourth time this year in a close race over Lacher and Amateur, John Hateley. The MaIn Event come-trom-behind classic was Rockwood's fourth straight victory in a rowl The last time any Expert won four straight Main Events at Ascot was well over two years ago. The Amateur final nearly matched the Expert MaIn for come trom behind riding. John Hateley and his Triumph returned to Ascot action after a week of TT racing In Washington and nearly duplicated a "Rockwood" In the ten lap final. "Big John" posted the fastest time trial of the night but again had to come from behind to win the heat race for the flfth time this season. It was the same story in the final with Mike Spitzer, also a heat race winner and also Triumph mounted leading the final most of the way with some wild sliding on both turns. Hateley was consistent and made few mistakes to overtake spitzer as the final lap came UP. A pass and another win for the high point Amateur half miler In the west. Kenny Roberts made it three straight Main Event wins in the Novice class aboard his Suzuki 250. His win streak now stands at six, Including three straight heat race victories. Gary Scott and his Yamaha did the chasing again and some side-bY-side dueling took place In the early laps. Halfway through the race Scott slowed down with mechanical problems and barely edged hard charging ~l Baker and Bob Hardison for second place at the tlnlsh line. Don Dudek, Bob Fulton and Tom La Fortune took the three Semi MaIn Event wins In three d1tferent races that Tom Rockwood (38) shows how a comeback should be made at Ascot. were hotly contested trom start to finish. Sborty Seabourne again crasbed in ODe of the Expert heat races but again walked away to try again this coming Friday. Ascot wtll now host au of the nation's Expert and Amateur half milers for the next five Friday nights in a row. Home base is Ascot for the five west coast Datlonals that take place starting this coming Sunday in San Jose and windup in early August at Tulare. H-D returns with Lawwiltand Brelsford and introduces the new Cauadlan hotBhot, Dave Seh1. BSA brings back to Ascot Aldana and Jim Rice. Triumph seDds Gene Romero. The entire Yamaha team of Palmgren, Haaby, Coppage and Mashbnrn also return. Gary NiXoD brings aloog hJs Amateur pqpil, Gary Fisher. (Results on page 22) t9P New Series By G.E.M. A new series of carburetor adapter manifolds, designed to convert a wide range of motorcycles to the Kendick BDC-type diaphragm cubs and reed cage timing, has been introduced by G.E.M. Products. The adapter manifolds are available for many currently popular models of the Bultaco, Hodaka, Montesa and Yamaha machines. in addition, a "universal" model is made for user customfitting of the BDC-type cub to other cycles, or .for adapting other cubs to other cycles, or for adapting other cubs to a variet;y of cycles. For full information, contact G.E.M. Products, Inc., 496 E. St. Charles Rd., carol Stream, Illinois 6018'1. Randy Scott· tears up .. Bergquist takes.. CD _os. :r ::::::I In recent weeks Randy seD" bas dlllllinated n Scrambles in tile Northwest, winDing fbe Fro TT at Castle RIck, WashingtlD on June 13 and fbe Oregan Sidewilders Pro TT In _e 12. lanJ II...... _1IIM.C." 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