!MERT TOPS FIELD
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By John Bethea
Photos by Bruce BralY
GARDENA, CALIF" July 18,1970- Mert
Laww1ll was the National Point Champion
in 1969 and tonight at Ascot Park he
showed many of the reasons why.'
Not only did the Harley-Davidson sponsored rider display the f1ne points of
maneuvering through the pack to take
over the lead, but be also gained the
admiration of the large crowd on band
- to see the ninth annual 1"1' National
Championship by bolding on to it through
the last halt of the race.
Laww1ll, riding a relatively unnoticed
seventh place on the first lap of the'
packed 24- man Main,' was still not the
target of interest In the second wben be
moved uP to sixth.
.
Dallas Baker had jumPed to the flag
lead but quickly lost It to the fastest
qual1tler of the nlgbt, Eddie Mulder, at
the start of the second go-around.
Mulder still nl8.1ntained thetrontposltion in the third lap with Baker second.
But Gene Romero, who had been riding
fourth on the rear wheel of Dave Aldana,
took over tblrd when the rookie was
involved in a spill whicb dropped bim to
the hack of the pack. Meanwbile, the
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AMA POINT STANDINGS
1. Dick Mann • • • • • • • • • •• 357
2. Jim Rice ••••••••••••• 320
3. Gene Homero •••••••••• 302
4. Dave Aldana••••••••••• 267
5. Don Castro•••••••••••• 217
6. Yvon DuHamel. • • • • • • •• 210
7. Mert Lawwlll. • • • • • • • •• 205
8. Gary Nixon. • • • • • • • • •• 153
9. Dave Smith. • • . • • • • . •• 151
10. Dusty Coppage. • • • • • • •• 136
_ Second Ten.: 10, Walt Fulton III
(129): 12, Dave Seh1 (100); 13, Chuck
Palmgren (97); 14, Larry Palmgren
(93) Art Baumann (93), Mark Brelsfor ~93), tie; 17, Jody Nicholas (91);
18, Don Emde (86); 19, Tom Rockwood (80): 20, Royal Sberbet (79).
Dallas Baker, third place in the Expert Main, bends thrOUgh' a turn .
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