Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

~etUIu Sunday (the 14th) was the raceatSens, France, a 500Cc international. We arrived at the circuit on Saturday at around 2:30 and set uP camP. Mydadand I walked the course and I found it bad not been changed at all from last year wilen I rode on this same course. They werj! working on the track all Saturday, so they did not allow any practice. Saturday nigbt and Sunday morning it rained, a light dr1zZle. The course, which is located in an old lime quarry, turned very sUppery and difficult. The ground is real hard packed and the rain just made a 1/2" of sUck goo on top. Many riders crasbed in practice and I had a lot of "almosts". Start system was rubber band. Three races of 15 laps each. The course takes about 2 minutes to go around so the legs equalled right about 30 minutes each. In the first leg I caused a false start in my bid to be first at the first turn. The start meant quite a bit as the course 15 narrow and very difficult to pass on. They restarted us again and again I jumped the gun. This time they let us go thougb and I went off tra1l1ng the rubber band behind me for the wIlole race.l was . f1ftb on the first lap just behind the Austrian Fritz Bratza and the BSA factory rider Vic Vaughn. The three of us bad a super battle in the dust for position. The best place to pass was at the end of the main stralgbt.l was outhraking most everyone there. That 15 wIlere I f1na1ly sl1pped past Vaughn. Bratza and I continued our dice, and caught the two front-runners, Jan KeIZer from Holland and Specht the German. We could notg~ by and the order we f1n1shed was Specht, Krizer, Bratza, myself, Vaughn, Stanek, and DeSoete. In the next start my engine flooded and the starter walted for me to get a plug. I was about pooped out after running to my car then swapping plugs. I got a bad start and was about 10th the first time *;'UJM ~IIU ZJ4'Uldt t-'ycle News 2499 ~erritos Ave. Long "each, ~alifornia 90806 U.S.A. around. I worked my way uP and suddenly the steering race tlgbtened uP so I could hardly turn the bars. This was very fat1gu1ng and' I did not push on harder after that. I finished 7th in that race. My dad took the steering apart wbile I rested but could not dislodge the main nut which hall tightened down, so I went out in the 3rd race wtth the same problem. I got a fair start and worked my way uP to 6th. The steering was too d1tf1cult to cope With so I just cooled it and tried to maIntain my speed and position. I just managed to hold off Stanek before the last lap and fln1shed 6th. I placed 6th for the day. That 15 about all for that race. Cheri was unable to take pics due to the weather and clouds making it too dar k for shooting. Final results were 1. Chr15toph Specht (Germany-Matco), 2. Jan Keizer (Holland-Husqvarna), 3. Fritz Bratza (Austria-CZ), 4. Bjorn Johasson (Swedlln-Husqvarna), 5. Herman DeSoete (Belgium-CZ), 6. Russ Darnell (USAHusqvarna), 7. Vic Vaughn (EnglandBSA), 8. Frantlsek Stanek (Czecbo-CZ), 9. Brord Haaker (Holland-Husqvarna), 10. Jaques Lbuiller (France-Matco). Then, on 21 June we were at St. H1lla1re-le- Vouhis in France. The course was laid out on the side of a h1ll and a small valley. Very typical of the French, but very efficient for spectator viewtng whicb 15 what M X 15 all about. Rubber band start. I led the first start and kept the lead for about 4 laps then Jim my Stuart of Scotland got by. I then stayed 2nd for the rest of the race unW the next to last lap wilen I got bogged on a h1ll and Gunnar Nilsson passed me. On the last lap I blew it again on another hill and Herman DeSoete from Belgium sl1pped 'past also so I got 4th that time. In the next race I bad a poor start and was invnlved in a first lap crasb. A French rider went down and broke his leg, and his bike crashed into me .and brought me down also. I took time to carry him off the course and waited a second unW the medic got there than 1 got back into the race. I f1n1shed 12th in that one. In the last leg I got another poor start and found myself dicing wtth Dubsikfrom Czechoslovakia wbo had also come off the line poorly. We fought each other the wIlole race and moved right uP through the pack. At the f1n1sh I beat him by just a cOuPle of yards and I wound uP wtth another 4th. The course was very demanding and no one made three consecutive good positions, therefore, the final results were computed on points and time. I placed 5th overall even wtth the 12th place In the second' race. First was Jean-ClaUde Regnault from France, then ":J-' .. J .;,~ • J -; i rl -'-,I \ ...... _ /J ''- Gunnar NUsson from Sweden, third was Herman DeSoete, fourth was Jimmy Stuart from Scotland, I was 5th, 6th was V1ad1mir Dubsik from Czecho, 7th Jacky Porte from France, and 8th was otto Waltz from Germany. Another week on the coast then we went to Montfort-le-Routrou near Le Mans. I was off form bad in the first leg there and only made 9th. I did better iii the other races wtth a 5th and a 6th for a 6th overall for the day. 1st - Joel Querlel, France, 2nd - Jimmy Stuart, Scotland, 3rd - Vlad1mir Dubsik, Czecbo, . 4th - Brord Hansen, Denmark, 5thPettersson, Sweden, 6th myself, 7thGorden Adsett, England, 8th - Michael Combes. France, 9th - Nowak, France, 10th - Vic Vaughn, England. RUSS DARNELL Kel Com.ing To Am.erica World Champion Kel Carruthers, wIlo has CJJ1t the BeneW works team. may abandon European racing for the American nationals next season it was reported in the English journal Motor Cycle. At the Dutch TT on Sunday, the 250Cc title-holder sald that Don Vesco - wbo tunes b1s very fast 250 and 350Cc Yarnahas for the 1971 l2-meetlng American series. ., This obviously influenced my decision to leave BeneW. I wanted to befree L ... Yan. R,ger 'n Eng'and It was reported in the British weekly, Motor Cycle, that an American 15 geWng among the places in Amateur Motor Cycle Association events in the Midlands of Britain. Californian Mike Edward, age 17, currently the guest of Birmingham dealer Eck Hyland scored a first and a third place on a 250Cc AJS lent to him at the AMCA's Clee Hill Victor Club scramble. Write ~our own Valerian's' ad. Win 50 buells. to make uP my mind about next year. Racing In America wW entail less rushIng around and higher rewards," he said. "But I'd still be prepared to fly to Europe for some of the bigger meetings - if &DYone still wante

• Cover