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/125689
CD 1 o .... en i In' South IX Victory More Bitter Than Sweet By Bob Sanford MOORPARK, CALIF., Sept. 6, 1970'" Southern California motocross riders ~ demonstrated their supremacy of team ~ racing here Sunday, taking a very w bitterly contested second consecutive .J victory from the northern California ~ team, 165 to 136. The South also won U the first race of the series last week at Sacramento, 164 to 149. In a sport that usually abounds with fun, good-feelings and sportsmanship, Sunday's race created a number of psychological wounds that will be slow - if ever - to heal. Fights and near fights were the order of the day. Fortunately - and with no thanks to many things that happened both on and off the track - the wounds were only psychological and not physical. The whole thing smacked of roller derbyism, the only difference being that this was for real and 250 pound machines going at speeq.s up to 60 mph were involved. Like so many other things about motorcycle racing that end up negatively, nobody but nobody wanted or tried to make it that way. That's just the way it happened. And it's a shame that things had to be that way, because, from a spectator's point of view, team racing is potentially one of the most spectacular things to appear recently on the- bike racing scene. Billy Clements and John DeSoto were the standouts for the southern Expert victors, while Claus Nielsen, replacing Sweden-bound Bob Grossi, was high point man for the group from the north. Super Swift Doug Grant was, like last week in Sacramento, heads and shoulder above the rest of the Junior field, demonstrating that he can make his 250cc AJS do about anything he damn North rider, Phil Jacobson, was a little off his form, Sunday. Junior standout, hill look easy. Doug Grant, made coming over the The CZ pit had everything. including this neat shower arrangement. well pleases. The Grant led Junior team won their race, 92 to 79. Mark Blackwell, the high school student from Hawthorne, also deserves mention, as he powered his 400cc Husky to a second place finish in the 500cc- Expert race, a third place in the All-Star event, and, as a replacement for Billy Clements in the final team moto, a third place in that event. In probably one of the best races of the day, Blackwell led 500cc class winner, Lars Larson, in a wheel to wheel duel around .the very well maintained Bay Mare track during the second and fmal moto. Mother Nature wasn't particularly cooperative either, Sunday, sending in gusty Santa Ana winds into the Bay Mare Valley, creating an irritating dust condition - something very rare for this track. (Results on page 22) John DeSoto's favorite role was staying in front of Northern riders.