Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

i DAYTONA M-X CLIMAXES FLORIDA BUMP ... ... ... N .. ~ ::0 ~ w Z W ..J (,J > (,J Higgins. Bryan Kenny. JUMP SERIES the delay - there certainly was. AMA Director of Professional Competition Tom Clark came on the scene early and proceeded to alter the program with an announcement that uwc've gotta get this thing over with. We've got a road race to run. After thusly endearing himself to the motocross folks, Clarlt committed another no-no when hc relieved ~opular AMA Referee Freddie Ephrem (a favorite with riders and fans) of his duties for the day, and stepped in to "speed things. up." But you know how it is, this motocross stuff is just frills and window dressing - a mere preface to the road race. After a few more program changes, things got underway with the first ten-minute qualifying heat in the 250cc class. So many riders signed up that it would have amounted to first degree massacre to turn them all loose at once; so it was decided to eliminate some of the riders by holding two ten-minute heats as preludes to the final 20-minute mota. Husky mounted Gunnar Lindstrom jumped to a quick lead in the first heat with Barry Higgins breathing down his neck. After a few laps, Higgins got his wheel inside Lindstrom, and Gunnar waved the flying New Yorker on by and contented himself with second place points in the moto. Gary Bailey mounted on a stock 250cc Bultaco PurSang, (havinK been lured away from M Above: '0 Right inset: Barry By Don Woods DAYTONA, FLA., March 13, 1971 You'd reach up to scratch and jam your finger in somebody's ear, or reach for some change to buy a Coke and somebody stans yelling "pickpocket, pickpocket!" Some fifteen thousand people, well oiled with suntan lotion, were wedged and crammed around the motocross track in the infield at the Daytona Speedway for the grand fmale of the super·successful Florida Winter-AMA Series. With the combined Junior and Expert 250cc 100-mile road race to be run later in the day, things had to get underway early Saturday morning and move at a steady pace. But those of you who've been around motocross know that efficiency is more often than not the strived-for, but never fully realized ideal. Originally scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and last for one hour, practice was delayed until 9: 15 and the riders were given thirty minutes to familiarize themselves with the track while fighting the fender to fender traffic around the crowded course. Not that there wasn't a reason for Li ndstrom took 250 class for of the others in the heat, Bailey crossed it up coming over the jumps of the course we'd designed and wheelied from corner to corner all over the track. Meanwhile Zane Kent was getting his best ride of the series as he finished ·second with no time lost due to crashes or the bothersome breakdowns that have plagued him thus far. In the open class, Bob Grossi, riding a Husky out of Santa Cruz, California, took the first moto after he got by series stalwan Jim Weinert. However, Bob inadvertently cut a corner and was penalized one position, thereby giving first place points to Weinert. In the final open moto, American Motocross Team Champion Bryan Kenny was the man to watch as he smoked everybody and cruised to a win_ Riding consistently alI along but just getting it alI together in the last few events, the handsome, reserved Kenny, whose business-like style lacks some of the Ifash and dazzle that pleases the spectators, left little doubt in anyone's mind that his final top standing in the series is not disproportionate to his ability. A consolation race for the riders who hadn't made the cutoff in the qualifying heats added the 18 top finishers to the final 250 mota. Lindstrom, following his second place finish in the first heat, seemed determined to make it up in the all important final as he got a fast stan and very quickly moved into the lead. Gunnar was passed on two occasions by Higgins, but cemeted his hold on first place with some fantastic, athletic riding. Higgins built a good lead over Bailey for second place. (Results on page 30) ...,...";.,,,,---- Gary Bailey. above, laid out the coune on the Daytona infield to include some pavement, making it the 1st Grand Prix motocross in history. A~U IOUNCU Greeves) did it to everybody in the second uqalifying heat as he put on one of the most fantastic displays of razzle-dazzle, showboat riding we've ever seen. Clearly far superior to most IG xciting First Issue on sale April IS! 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Box 154 Encino, Califomia 91316 --. -p= neutralize steering for close-quarter maneuvering work such as trials. Five.position plates give wide range of angles. --.idr. -YAMAHA 18 hr. 31 min. RfCOltD in BAJA Perfo.nlCll'lC:6 I'rodu

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