Cooper, Read
to Norton?
Norton Villiers of Great Britain,
makers of Nortons. and AJS, are
attempting to ink Phil Read and John
Cooper" for the 1972 season reports
England's
Motor
Cycle
News.
Negotiations are not conf"ll"ffied as yet,
but a spokesman for NorVil says the
def"mite outcome should be known in
the next several weeks.
Meanwhile, the British firm has
already signed up Frank Perris, former
works Suzuki rider, to head the racing
portion of the company. Perris was
signed last week to become the
Competition Manager.
Rockwood
Iniured
BARSTOW, CAL., Dec. 10, 1971 AMA National star Tom Rockwood of
Gardena, Calif., was critically injured
Monday afternoon while road-testing a
new Kawasaki on the open highway
near here.
Rockwood sustained three fractured
vertebras in his back and had internal
injuries when his motorcycle apparently
landed on top of him during the crash.
Upon
arrival
at
the
Barstow
Community Hospital, Rockwood was
reported to have no heart beat and
almost no blood pressure. He was
revived and is currently listed in critical
condition.
The young star and son of
well-known announcer Roxy Rockwood
of BSA{Triumph, was testing the
machine about 20 miles east of Barstow
when high winds and the subsequent
cross-winds blew him off the highway
after an oncoming "car had passed. The
bike apparently toppled over and landed
on Rockwood.
His stomach was jarred out of
position in the spill and doctors are
awaiting to see if other internal injuries
develop before they put the Ascot
National winner into a body cast.•
Only close friends and relatives are
able to visit Rockwood, but cards and
letters can be sent in care of the
Barstow Hospital. It is not known at
this time when he will be able to travel
to a local hospital in Gardena.
His immediate future in racing is not
clear, but his father is hopeful that Tom
can return to racing before the '72
season is over.
Once again snoopy Cycle News captures a historic behind-the-scenes vignette of writer Szilagyi
putting the final touch on his swell plod-through-the-past-with-old-motorcycle-mags piece. Good
fun on page 7. Photo by Dave Swift.
CiCAI.E!NBWS
II..........
Ne~spaper
