Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

It; (Cont:d. from page 1) laboratory in the Fatherland, analyzed and duplicated just to have on hand· in case something breaks beyond repair. The fun story of the cloak and dagger stuff that goes on with a\1 the national prestige at stake in the ISDT will never be printed, but it makes James Bond Southern California's desert ace J.N. Roberts gave the ISOT a try and got a Silver Medal for his efforts.. look like Snow White. AMA policy is to try and win the ISDT without cheating. By the end of the second day, riders were complaining of boredom. The 187-mile course, run both directions on the two days, was laid out in case of rain. While morning mists made the trails a mite slippery, the sun soon dried them and it was flat-out to the next check, where AMA support crews had to be on point to keep Americans from clocking in early. A heaping helping of bad luck befell three of our heroes: Mike Patrick on Manufacturer's Team No.3 retired due to a failure of his MZ's ignition. Max Switzer on the same team likewise suffered an engine failure, and Les Grable, on Mfr's. Team No.2 lost an hour fixing two flat tires on the Dalesman. All three retired from the chase. Before the second day was over, Preston Petty ventilated a piston and half of the Puch Silver Vase team was sitting on the sideline. However, the Trophy Team purred smoothly up into fourth place, with none of the new quiet Pen tons missing a stroke. Weather stayed sunny for the third, fourth and· fifth day and the COUTse looked like a Sunday ramble. Unchallenged, the remaining riders goggled at the scenery of the pretty Island, stopped to eat wild blackberries and had to ride harder at the end of the day to get back on time for the final check. We' did lose Dale Richardson, Bob Mason and worst 'of all, Dick Burleson to machine failure. Burleson's retirement dropped the Trophy Team 'Last minute replacement, Dane Leimbach, came through with a Gold Medal effort. ri o ~ w Z W ...J '-' >- '-' Jack Lehto (1.) and Jack Penton. Lehto won a Silver Medal for Husqvarna whire Penton won a Gold for himself. back to fifth place. Each night the AMA held a riders' meeting and told them what to expect . the next day, Tom Clark having ridden the course. For the first time in three years, we seemed to be organized, and it was beginning to show, for America still held onto 11 gold medals on the morning ohbe sixth day. I t seemed like one long day - early to bed and early to rise - I have to refer to my notes to know what happened when. Jerry Pacholke and BiIl Uhl, both on Golds at the time, had blown their rods within hours of each other on the fifth day, finishing the Puch Vase "B" team. The sixth and final day dawned with heavy clouds and a thick north wind warning of winter coming around the bend. Stin the rain waited and all the Americans who had survived this far made it through the dreaded downhill of 6-foot slabs of stone that the organizers had saved for last. Each day the special races had been conducted to sort out the fastest men at hillclimb, motocross and acceleration, Scores in these special tests, as well as noise level checks, equipment (lights, horn, etc.) tests and the grand finale road race would determine who, among those who zeroed their enduro times, would win Gold and who would' deserve only Silver or Bronze medals, Bronze you get just for finishing. To keep your Gold, you have to score within 20% of the fastest man's points in each of the specials. A grubby group of 20 Americans identified in blue helmets striped with white, lined up their tired, dirty machines on the famous Isle of Man road race COUTse. Mind you, with knobby tires! The Italians and Germans stripped off their Barbour suits revealing , skin-tight black leathers, for all the world like Grand Prix Supermen, and had at it horizontally as if their battered trailers were Kreidlers and MX-Threes. It had been the easiest 6 Days ever. . The Czechs won by a wider margin than the year before. American team and individual results were the best yet as we moved from nowhere to right at the throat of East Germany: Not too bad for Sunday riders. One day, God willing, we'll display that trophy in Worthington, Ohio. Next September the Czechs bost the ISDT on their turf. 0 Lars Larsson, who qualified for the ISOT team by winning the Berkshire Trials in New England, got a Gold Medal in Old England.' RESULTS US. GOLD MEDAL WINNERS Jack Penton Pen Eugene Cannady Pen Tom Penton • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . Pen Dane Leimbach _ Pen Lars Larsson . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pen Dave Mungenast Pen Chas. Vincent . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . Oss Malcolm Smith Hus Ron Webster David Lathem Oss Ed Schmidt ...•............•...•.•.Jaw US. SILVER MEDALISTS Charles Boehler Dal Ron Jeckel . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dal Leroy Winters Hon Mike Lewis Pen Jac"k Lehto Hus Ron Bohn Hus Don Cutler ,. . Oss J.N. Roberts Hus Gary Surdyke Yam . . . . . . • . . . . . • . . . .no U.S. Bro'nze Winners) WO,LRD TROPHY TEAMS 1. Czechoslovakia 99.4 2. W. Germany 108.5 3. E. Germany . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . 339.8 4-5. USA 400.0 4-5. Holland 400.0 6. Sweden . 7. Great Britain . 8. Italy • • . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9. Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10. Switzerland . SILVER VASE TEAMS 1. Czechoslovakia B 2. Czechoslovakia .. . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . A 3. West Germany . . • . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . . . A 4. Italy , ,, B 5. Great Britain B 6. Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . 7. East Germany . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . • . . . . B 8. East Germany •. . • . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . A --J.~:;::::'~i:: :..;.::: j :ay.:. :.:':.: A

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