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/125735
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4 Out of 5 For Dorsch
By John Bethea
Photos by Walt Mahony
CORONA, CAL., July 10, 1971
First-year Expert Terry Dorsch returned
to the' winner's spotligh t tonight by
taking his fourth main event here in the
first five nights of racing on the
half-mile track at Corona Raceway.
Just as he had done in his heat,
Dorsch sprang to a great start and hit
the first turn with a bike's length lead
over second. Eddie Wirth was Dorsch's
early foe but dropped out at the end of
lap six which opened up a huge gap
between the runnin'-away Dorsch and
the real battlers Nick Theroux
and
Gary Scott.
While Dorsch just blistered about the
fast oval, Theroux and Scott sped
behind on the brink of disaster as they
fough t each other for second. By the
II th lap, three more riders joined in on
Ed Wirth holds second at Corona.
the pressure cooker for second but they
soon dropped back again.
Then, on turn two of lap 13,
Theroux's engine began to miss and
Scott got his opening and sped into
second and began closing on Dorsch,
who had by this time backed off the
throttle a bit and was coasting along
with a healthy lead. And the lead was
too great for Scott to close as the
checkered appeared.
.
Theroux, with the ailing engine, had
settled for fourth.
Ron Moore had to use the
two-minute rule to get his bike to the
line for the start of the main, but once
started, the machine sounded very sour
and he had no chance.
In the heat earlier, however, Moore
appeared to be one of the ones to beat
as he and Wirth had a great battle.
Moore's lead picked off from the drop
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of the green was a hard pressed one as
Wirth tried both sides of the groove to
get by. Finally, on lap four, he did
maneuver by and moved out a bit.
Coming into turn three of the last
lap, Wirth toed his brake a bit sooner
than Moore and the distance between
the two dropped from about 25 yards
to 3 feet as they came into the straight
for a drag to the·pag. Moore drove to
the inside and Wirth outside; and at the
line Wirth won by a bike's length.
Gary Scott didn't have to play second
all night, however, as he set new track
times while qualifying at 22.58 and
winning the trophy dash at 1:09.77.
This was not the only track mark to
fall during the evening's events. Scott
Brelsford, who owns every Novice
record here, erased his own 8-lap Main
Event timing with a 3 :95.28 clocking;
and he did it the hard way.
Scott held the pole position after
winning his heat easily. Next to him was
Gary Caldwell, supplying the most
competition for the San Bruno, Calif.,
speedster as K & N's Steve Nichols was
reported to be in Texas.
When the green came, Brelsford
immediately jumped off with the s.tart
of a good drive-to turn one but missed
the shift to second and dropped way
back into the pack. Caldwell took over
and blasted to the point. Before the lap
was completed, however, Brelsford
methodically picked off five of his foes
and was running third.
On lap' two, turn one, Scott then
took over second with Caldwell only a
short distance ahead. Into turn one of
the next lap, Brelsford got the inside
and s.teadily eased up along, side and
then slipped by Caldwell coming out of
turn two and the race was all but over
from then on.
(Results on page 24)
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Gary Scott tries anything and everything to catch Mel Lacher at Ascot Park.
Lacher &Brelsford Win Ascot
5 seconds lead over second place Gary
Caldwell (BuI).
Leading a pack of N orlons sounding
like a well tuned flight of World War II
P-38 's, Mel Lacher dominated the
Trophy Dash.
The inspiration that Mel received
from Trophy Girl Lauri Green was
enough 10 carry him to a Combined
Jr/Expert win, just barely, however.
That super fast Junior, Gary Scott (Tri)
came from 5th to push Mel several laps.
At the wire Mel was able to save it by
just a bike's length.
(Results on page 24)
By Ed Drechsler
Photos by Walt Mahony
GARDENA, CAL., July 9, 1971
Sammy Tanner set the fastest lap times
but Mel Lacher, on his C.R. Axtell
tuned Norton captured both the Trophy
Dash and the Main Event.
The third and fourth Novice heats
provided most of the night's action with
Ron Byrd challenging Tom Horton
(Bul) for the