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/125697
- VICTO ~ By Bob Sanford w Z MOORPARK, CALIF., Nov. I, 1970 Ake Jonsson was virtually flawless at Bay Mare Sunday, as he and his consistent, powerful Maico captured two firsts and a secon4 to take overall honors at the Los Angeles Grand Prix. But Jonsson's consistency, rather than power, proved to be the real difference. Husqvama factory rider, Bengt Aberg was incredibly quick around the dusty Bay Mare qrcuit, but a spectacular crash and a series of mechanical problems left the 500cc W ...J tJ > tJ Before a crowd of more than 8000, fourteen of Europe's finest motocroSs riders demonstrated their continued superiority over America's finest, although young AJS rider, Jim West showed some real brilliance at times and was the only American never to be lapped by the winning Europeans. West's ability and persistence paid off, too, as he walked away with top American honon, with a ninth place overall finish. Mark Blackwell, the fast-improving high school student from Hawthorne, also showed he was not far behind the Ake Jonsson, just before the start of the third mota. Jonsson leads Arne Kring over a Bay Mare hill. . Mark Blackwell checks out the competition during the second mota. World Motocross Champion with an eighth place overall. In the first of the three International motos, for instance, Aberg had built such an impressive lead that it looked for all the world like he might lap some of the better Europeans. But then on the ninth lap, he lost conlrol coming out of the esses and his bike went careening end over end down the sandy, spectator-lined slraight. Jonsson went on to take his flJ'St victory of the day. Europeans, finishing second American and 11 th overall. Except for plug problems in the flJ'St moto that caused his engine to stall, Blackwell was right up with the best of them. And Mike Runyard, displaying some of the same consistency that carried him to the top of the American heap last week in Tulsa, ended up as the third place U.S. rider. John DeSoto, who to· date is leading Americans in Inter·Am standings, was running in sixth place during the early stages of the fust moto, until, incredibly, his triple crown broke and he retired on lap seven. Repairs could have been made, but the former Hawaiian champ was in the midst of a bout with the flu and opted to retire for the day (on Monday morning, DeSoto said he was feeling "much better" and plans to leave for the Inter-Am in Colorado Wednesday morning. "It's hard to kill a Hawaiian," he said, "Even though they're a dying breed"). However, the most outstanding American performance Sunday had to be the one turned in by teenager Billy Clemc:;nts during the first. moto. Phenomenal, is the only way to adequately descn'be it. Apparently shaking an old habit of poor starts, Clements was off the line like a shot. At the end of the fl1'$t lap, he was in seventh place, just behind DeSoto, and not very far behind the leader, Bcngt Aberg. And whereas most Americans have a tendency, after the first few laps, to fall off the scorching pace set by the Europeans, Clements stayed right with the front runners. By the eighth lap he had moved up to sixth place, and was successfully holding off the likes of Willie Bauer, Roger DeCoster, Andy Roberton and Torsten Hallman. Around and around they went for 15 grueling laps. And when the checkered flag dropped and the dust had cleared, none other than Billy Clements had captured sixth place. Unfortunately, rear brake problems forced Clements to make a pit stop on the eighth lap of the second moto. After that, he was never in serious. contention, although he did wind up 13th overall and fourth American. Former Greeves ate, Jim Wilson tried out his big CZ Sunday and showed his usual good form during the flJ'St mota. However, he had mechanical problems