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The USA was represented by Billie Clements on a Husky. He finished 17th overall in his first GP.
and thousands of Belgian fans crowded
By Sp-awberry Enterprises
in fron t of busy cafes and bars to watch
Photos by Terry Pratt
the racing.
NAMUR, BELGIUM, Aug. 6, 1972
Swedish Maico rider, Ake Jonsson,
Under brilliant blue skies, Suzuki
was the only rider to offer DeCoster any
factory rider Roger DeCoster dominated
challenge but after dicing briefly in the
both 40 minute heats in the Belgian
opening laps Ake dropped back a few
Grand Prix here today to clinch the
seconds and accepted two second place
500cc Motocross World Championship
finishes.
for the second year in a row.
Adolf WeiJ and Yamaha rider Jaak
DeCoster flashed flawlessly around
Van Velthoven traded third and fourth
the demanding Citadel circuit laid out in
place in the two races but WeiJ had the
the hills and forests surrounding the
historic city fortress in Namus not far
better overall time by 15 seconds so the
from his home in Tremelo, Belgium.
German was scored third and Van
Velthoven finished fourth.
Another Belgian, 250cc World
Mark Blackwell and Billy Clemen ts
Champion Joel Robert was scheduled
were the Americans on the program.
to ride bu t a training acciden t on
Both Californians are racing under
Saturday left him watching the race on
sponsorship from Husqvarna and they
cru tches from the sidelines.
are receiving advice and help from past
The course included straigh taways on
World Champ, Rolf Tibblin.
cobblestone roads and steep trails so
Blackwell has put in a full season of
slosely lined with trees there was barely
Grand Prix racing under Rolf's
room for one pair of handlebars. Parts
supervision this Summer and Bill's
of the track ran on or near city streets
II
European debut in Belgium will be
followed up next week in Luxembourg
at the last 500cc Grand Prix of the year.
Riding the same Husky that Bob
Grossi used early in the season,
Clements finished 17 th overall but
Blackwell's gearbox seized up on the
starting line, so for the AMA's top rated
rider, the Belgian Grand Prix ended in
disappointment even before it began.
The starting gate was positioned in
an old sports stadium before a huge
stonework grandstand decorated with
Roman columns and an ornamen tal
facade. A fter the start the pack made a
lap around the gravel-strewn flat track
and then jumped off the top of the hill
and disappeared into the dark woods.
Roger, Ade and Adolf held the first
three placc:s from the first lap through
Hodaka.
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'
the last and Jaak Van Veith oven took
fourth away from John Banks on the
second lap. One lap later Banks' CZ
locked the rear wheel and Big John
skidded along the ground until he went
into the crowd. John's injuries were
minor but painful so he skipped the
next race.
Bengt Aberg moved into fourth place
but East German CZ ace Paul Friedrichs
came storming all the way from 14th
place in just seven laps and passed
Bengl's Husky half way through the
race. Bengt had his revenge a few laps
later thwn Friedrich's wheels slipped
ou t of a deep berm and Bengt repassed
the CZ while it was high centered.
Heikki Mikkola had been in sixth
place on the first lap put he was
momentarily blinded by mud and water
780-1768
: .. '
: "'
,
The Hodaka is built for one
purpose. To out-last and outperform its competition. How
is this done? By refining the
same basic, superior design
year' after year. Perfecting the
little things that multi-model
manufacturers don't have time
to notice.
Carefully examine the new Hodoka. Notice the trip-set odometer. The feather-light clutch
operation and spring protected
throllie cable. And the rubber
mounted gas tank.
TORCO OIL
2 Cycle
4 Cycle
RACING FORK
Little things that add up to big
things. We only build one
bike. But we build it better
than anyone else in the world.
fHN,-$~
~~~tWEIG
FAT
REG. PRICE
HODAKA DOMINATES USMRC MOTOCROSS
AT EL TORO RACEWAY
July 28, 1972 100 Expert
1st Joe Flores Jr.
2nd Bob Stem
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