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/125804
, , HOCKING DOES IT INDOORS- M ,.. ti o ~ UJ Z UJ -' U >- U It's all in the starts. Even in the Trophy Dash. Steve Hernandez (19Y) grimaced hard enough to win it. Dave Lewis (182Y) recovered from his spectacular start to follow Hernandez in for second. Qave Bostrom' came up from behind to beat Hocking (31Y).; who fell, making it easier for Dave. Larry Gino threw it away in practice on the Coliseum's snot-stick racing suraface. by Bill Spencer OAKLAND, CAL., Oct. 7, 1972 Indoor motorcycle racing hit its hiatus tonight with its first ever National, dubbed the American Indoor Champio'oship, and some new racers hit the big time in the money department. Rick Hocking slashed his way to the fore in the 20 lap Main with a rollicking, socking, crashing, bashing hole-shot off starter, Hoy Odom's green flag. The fight for the big bucks seemingly ended on the first start which left J "hn Gennai and Dave Aldana lying on the polished concrete. The subsequent restart w?' all Hocking's as was the entire 20 lapper and the $1200 he won, plus points toward the overall highpoint dough. 'Ihe AMA had ordered qualifying heats for all indoor events of this nature, but many racers expressed a distinct desire for qualifying under the clocks, and referee Walt Masterson decided to comply. The eigh t heats of 10 riders each showed that, indeed, Hocking, Gennai, Hadscn and Hernandez were the boys to beat. The likes of Daryl Hurst, Gary Bailey, and other easterners couldn't force the line and had to watch most of the action as Novices led the way. All except for Hansen and Aldana. The money started to flow in the three Semis with Gennai winning the first easily as did Hocking and Hansen in the following ones. This led to Hocking having the pole in the Main by virtue of a two second faster time on his Doug Schwerma Yamaha with Gennai a second faster than Hansen's Cycle import Suzuki time. The first start on the 20 lap Main was a real basher with Gennai taking a one foot edge into the first tum only to be laid out nat by Hocking with Aldana crashing also, Aldana needed sometime to fix a crimped compression release cahle on Bob Clesson's Ossa but managed a restart that turned into the big baLLle of the nigh t. The restart went to l;locking, and it was his Main even t from A to Z while second spo t was hp for grabs throughout. The crowds of over 5,000 was ready for a good old fashioned ·knock·down, drag-out and they got it. ,Cennai led the pack from second back in to the first turn and while Hocking had the fron t to himself, Hansen wanted 'up front too, and under no uncertain terms, On lap three he banged Gennai hard enough so that the Ascot Novice movedover,Aldanawasn't to be co un ted ou I. yet, ei ther. Second position changed hands often, but the checker held Hansen in front of Aldana and Gennai while Steven Foster beat out Jim Foley for fifth. Meanwhile, I-locking was slapping through the pack easily and coun ling the loot, Easterners, beware, this Hocking kid is tough. A shining ligh I. was held high for Yamaha silver cup winner Steve Hernandez as the ET Cycles Ossa Riders hold shooted his way to a neat Trophy Dash win and the lucious dolly at the encj made it seem like a Madison Square Garden win. On the overall, the American Indoor Chaf)1pionships has a lot to live up to, but this frantic first effort does show that the poten lial is great and by the middle of next February when the Cow Palace holds the las-t of the Indoor Nationals, another breed of mOtorcycling may take its place in history.