Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Cycle News 1971 12 07

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'" By John Bethea i!b LIVERMORE, CAL., Nov. 28, 1971 tf. A f ter sweeping last week's Trans-AMA ,... event at Puyallup, Wash., the Suzuki team of Roger DeCoster, Joel Robert ,.... and Sylvain Geboers appeared to be out ~ doing it again today at Carnegie Cycle o Park, but only DeCoster lasted all three motos and convincingly won the ~ International event before an estimated ~ 10,000. w The Suzuki woes began in the second d mota after the initial round and gone to ~ Robert, Geboers and DeCoster respectively. Roger gained the pain t immediately with Robert right on his rear wheel for the first few laps. Then, suddenly, Joel disappeared from the track. Weak shocks forced him out and Geboers took over with Adolf Weil (Mail third and Willi Bauer (Mail fourth. As DeCoster continued to stretch out his lead in the late stages of the 30-minute mota, England's Andy Roberton, who finished sixth in the fIrSt round, snuck his Husky into fourth slot past Bauer, and then third past Weil where he finally finished. The final round also brought troubles for Suzuki as Geboen was forced to Spectate the last half of the race at the base of the hills while his mechanics tried figuring au t what to do. Sylvain had been running fourth at the time with Robert in frrst. Two laps after Geboers dropped out, DeCoster zapped Robert and the race was on against the clock as Robert's machine began to dip off the pace. Weil got by but the World 250cc Champ rallied back to second soon after and held it for five laps until the rallying Roberton scurried by and wen t on to ta ke second. Robert, again found himself being pressured by Wei! and the Maico finally got by for good with still a third of the event left. Robert back off the pace and began conserving the machine so he could finish, as he did, good enough for fourth overall ahead of teammate Geboen in ~ fifth. The mota breakdown's quickly showed that Weil had accumulated a narrow victory over Roberton in the race for runner-up honors, but re-examination showed the pair actually tied and with Roberton's second in the final round, Weil should drop to third overall; this is unofficial While the European Suzuki riders had troubles, so did America's John DeSoto and Russ Darnell. The Flyin' Hawaiian _ dialed his throttle on wide open in the first moto and was first Yank across in ninth. The next round found his troubles beginning and he lost two positions when the checkered flew. The problems weren't corrected in time and DeSoto was forced to view the final race from the lap-eounters' stands. Darnell, likewise, couldn't find the combination that keeps the bike competitive and it ended with Russ fmishing in the points in only the final race of the day. , With DeSoto out, the Top American honors fell into the lap of Mark Blackwell, who trailed DeSoto by a mere one point going into the final race of the day based upon a 12th and ninth. In this, Blackwell got another of his "fair" s~ts and preceded to work his way from 16th to finish eighth, listing him 11 th overall at the tabulation. Suzukis weren't the only machines to succumb to the rapid pace. Vic Eastwood had to roll in the bike in the 'final race and while he was doing so stopped to chat with Dave Bickers (CZl who had thrown a chain. Bickers got it going again and still finished 19th to I finish 10th overall. West Germain Maico rider Werner Schutz signed up for the 250cc National class and smoked the American foes who have previously dominated the class. In the frrst face-off, Gary Chaplin tucked into the lead and led for a great portion of the race but he tired of the pace and Werner kept right on pushing and got by to win by a good margin. The second time out, Schutz got the lead from the snap of the rubber band and was never headed. Chaplin gave chase for the frrst half but his rear wheel suddenly seized up and the cause was about half-a-dozen spokes having snapped. While Chaplin carted his Maico back to the pits, another Maico took up the charge for second, this being ridden by Jim Wicks, last week's 250cc winner. The lead was too great, however, and Werner won by a wide margin. The final was a different story, however. Schutz again got the early lead but Wicks was hot on his exhaust pipe, as was Chaplin, Ron DeSoto (CZl and Doug Grant (AJS). Grant, who finished fifth and third in the first two, began to push hard and took over fourth when DeSoto dropped out with mechanical problems. Schutz continued to lead but the gap began to narrow as the race became of age and with three laps remaining, Wicks finally succeeded in skipping by. Chaplin, by this time, had dropped a bit off the pace allowing Grant into third and the five-minute sign appeared with Wicks leading, Schutz second and Grant a tight third. Then, Grant got his opening when Schutz banged into a rider he was lapping and went down. Grant took over second and Schutz recovered in time to retain third. Tune ran out and that's how they fmished. Overall, Schutz garnered top honors with Wicks a fme second. Grant snuck in for third and edged out Chaplin. Jim Werner Schutz displays his Maico's ridability. Gary ChllPlin held off Werner Schutz's drives lor much .01 the first National mota but finally gave ,n to the West Gennan, who went on to win overall. Wh en John DeSoto failed to make the last moto's start. Mark Black_II cinched the first American spolat 11 th 0",,",11. ----------------------------------------------_......:_-_...

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