Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

o N ti o ~ w Z W ...J U >- U Jeff Penton blast Califomia-desert type terrain. U.S. Teams are introduced. It is the last rest they will have for six days. across By Charles Clayton MADRID, SPAIN, Oct. 11, 1970 Americans scored their highest yet in th e In temational Six Days Trials competition at the 45th running of the I.S.D.T. in Spain last week. Six Gold Medals, five Silvers and eight Bronzes were taken home by the • most representative group of Americans ever to compete in the Six Days.. Bronze medals were awarded to those who finished within the time limit, but lost penalty points for arriving late at one or more of the ten checkpoints per day. OUT trophy teams chances crashed in the rocks when trophyman Dave Mungenast got off hard on the second day, injuring his back. He was unabfe to continue, and the te.am lost 100 penalty points each day that he was out. But there were still many private teams and individuals in contention. Mounted on factory prepared ' - - - - - - - . : ........:,; Husqvarna motorcycles of 250cc and Bill Messer checks the torque curve of 405cc displacements, the first American his Sachs coming out of a 3-foot ditch. team sent to compete for the World Championship Trophy was. to have been suffered a broken thumb, and Preston headed by six days veteran Bud Ekins. Ekins, however, fractured a hand in a Petty and Dave Ekins lost the gearboxes in their Puchs because of faulty heat fistfight with mad painter Kenny Von treating on a batch of selector keys. Bob Dutch shortly before he was to board Armstrong, riding the only Hodaka, the chartered 747 for Europe, and his place as team captain was taken by blew a front tire and, having no spare tube for the 21" wheel, stretched a Malcolm Smith. The remainder of our trophy team 19-incher to fit. By -the time he was under way again, he was over an hour did quite well. Malcolm. Smith won a late and thus disqualified. Gordon gold as did Ron Bond andJohn Penton. Razee suffered the recurrence of an old Mike Patrick won a Silver. The best team effort from this arm injury and quit. Lewis Mulligan country was mounted by the broke an arm when he hit something in International Silver Vase "A'" Team the dense dust. The list goes on...broken which was mounted on Pentons. AU pistons, broken boiles, squared wheels. team members garnered medals, with Jeff and Tom Penton getting Golds and Jack Penton and Doug Wilford getting Bronzes. - A rule change permi tting nations to enter trophy teams on motorcycles other than those manufactured in tne team's country allowed the U.S. to field its first attempt at winning the World Trophy. This time, the trophy was taken by the Czechoslovakian trophy team mounted on Jawas. The Czechs, however, declined the winner's privilege of hosting the 46th Six Days in their country and the British immediately asked to have it on the Isle of Man next vear. . -Rocks, hot' w",;fher a;;d 'r;'t schedules greeted the first day's participants and cost many rid.,,-s their Gold and Silver. Everyone agreed that the first day was the worst. Compressed air bottles carried by the riders exploded in the heat and tires exploded against the rocks. Forty·five Americans had entered, two failed to start and by the end of the ftrst day, eight more had' dropped by the trailside. The next day, even with a slower schedule, eight more dropped out. Injuries, flat tires and mechanical failures accounted for most of the American failures. Don Bohannon .. Bikes were impounded each evenin9 to prevent unauthorized repair. After that it settled down into the difficult, near-impossible grind that is the Six Days. The course, laid out by Juan Soler-Bulto was thou~t to favor Bultacos, but it was as terrible for the Spanish Buls as it was for anyone. Only the Czechs seemed undaunted. The rain in Spain fell mainly on the mountains this time. When it wasn't raining there was hail and showers. Riders blasted into the 6,000 ft. mountain checkpoints blinking icicles off their lashes. The downhill rocks washes were treacherous in the ice. Not only the terrain made for difficulty, but the ftghting bulls which roamed ree over the course caused some moments of ear for the competitors. AI Baker, running on his Silver, was seen examining a rip in his checkered jersey after dodging a bull, Toreador style. He had executed an imperfect Veronica at speed, and narrowly avoided being gored. A few days later, Baker sat disconsolately beside his Puch with a gearbox full of neutrals, another victim of the soft selector keys. A Gold Medal was won by Gerry Pacholke (BuI), a member of the Bultaco Cemoto East Team while his (Please turn to pg. 27)

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