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M g. Q. N " '" .D " " o ~ w Z W ...J U >U Kenny Roberts (80) and Gary Seon had it out in the Expert Main. by Maureen Lee GARD~: A. CAL., Nov. 26, 1972 For three weeks now the traditional end to the Ascot racing season, the Golden State Championship has been rained out, but finally, this afternoon it made it. In years past there was a bit more glamour to the even t, climaxing in a banquet where the high point awards for the season were given away. Fans. racers' wives, their friends and others who were part of the Ascot scene got in for a modest sum, and I think the riders themselves only had to pay something like 50 cents extra at sign-up if they wished to attend - and most did! 1twas one of the social even Is of the year. Maybe all the unfortunate cancellations did it, but this year the crowd was really down attendance-wise. A t one pain t a wag remarked that there . were more Experts in the pits than people in the stands_ It was bad, and a great season shouldn't have to droop off .like that. The people who didn't come missed some good racing. The Ascot surface, for flat track purposes, isn't good during the day, especially when the sun shines. It beats down into a hard asphalt-like groove, cutting tbe times down and doing away with tbe fancy sliding the troops can do at night. There were three Novice heats. The first went to Randy Bailey (Yam) who had no troubles winning it. The second was Danny Hackie's (Oss) and he really put the distance between himself and the others. In the third was when the lifting-the-front-wheel business started. After a real bad jump off whi ·h ended with four riders being put back. it was Rob Morrison on his Bultaco lifting it up on both straights, and setting the fastest heat time while doing it, 2: 11.82. In the Junior Division heats Dennie Kanegae clipped another rider's rear wheel and went out but under full controi. but not gaining him a place in the program. 1n the second heat it was I"'1n Shigemasa (Tri) , Larry Gino, and Ron Powell wbo put on the show. They'd come up tight together on the turns but couldn't gel lHound each other. With that groove, caution was the better part of bravery. The Experts transferred two to the main from three heats. Eddie Winh on a good looking Yamaha took the first one, Kenny Roberts (Yam) the second, and Ron Moore on a Triumph the third with a good wheelie at the checkered flag. That left a lot of good Experts to sor> it out in the semi which was good enough to be a Main event. Terry Dorsch, who had set the fastest qualifying time of 24.97 (nigh t times are in the 22 second brackets) went up against Keith Mashburn, Dave Aldana, Frank Gillespie, Eddie ~lulder and Don Castro_ Eddie Mulder took the lead wiLh Tom Rockwood righ t on his heels and showed a classic rear wheel slide when Tom attempted to pass him on the Last year's Novice state champ Ivan Shigemasa loses his c;:hance for a repeat as aJunior as he rear outside. He didn't get around (not with that groove) and had to settle for second place with Dave Aldana (Nor) and Don Castro behind him.) Terry Dorsch and Frank Gillespie went at it but couldn't transfer with Dorsch ending first alternate. In the trophy Dash it was Aldana off the line first, a lead he kept. After Lhe race he said, "If you don't get off Lhe line first. you're in trouble." Amen. Another rider who pUl that philosophy to the best advan tage was Terry Moriarty in rhe Junior semi. He literally flew off Lhe line and just couldn't be caught. In the Junior ma.in it was the sam/; principle again. Tom 1I0rton got lhe drop on them with Larry Gino right behind him. In an early lap Shegemasa flopped righ t in a cloud of riders but no one else wenL down although .things Were pretty tight. Up front it wa' still I-lorton. 'rhe riders weren't gaining on each other on the sLraigh ts showing lhe care they had to take in the turns. The real battle was between Ron Powell and Terry Moriarty who Were dicing behind Tom WhiLe. Powell was determined to pass Moriarty but it was no go, Terry held the groov, and that was it. The Expert main showed one thing. Two riders, Gary Scott and Kenny Roberts had figured au t the fastest way ro get around the Lrack, the styles were a bit different but iL ended up the quickesL way. Scott took the lead but Roberls, in second, wasn't fooling around. There's Jimmy Odom made a return appearance at Ascot. quite a difference between pitching it sideways and speedwaying a bike and that's what Kenny was doing. He was literally leading with that rear wheel in the effort to catch Scott. Ron Moore got into third and held it while Eddie Wirth and Dave Aldana sorted themselves out behind for the eventual fifth and fourth place positions and in the remaining laps Eddie ~Iulder canle up 10 really challenge Wirth. But up front was where the.action was. On lap 1 1 going into the south turn, Roberts went under Scott and took the lead, only to be passed back on ule same lap in the north tum. Whew! Roberts' technique changed a bit and when he did re-pass Scott it was a cJassic in styles as they came into the tum. Gary was sliding feet up on the pegs and Kenny was road racing it, and gained the advantage. Sheer delight for real Oat track fans . Ln the Novice Main, two singles beat Lhe twins as Rob l\Iorrison (Bul) and Danny Hackie took Lhe measure of Bru e Hanlon and Randy Bailey on Yamaha twins. The day ended with no one allowed in the pits due to a evening car race and ule presentation of the Ascot Trophies. J. C. Agajanian awarded them to llave Aldana in the Expert division, Tom Honan for Junior, and Rob Morrison, Novice. '~lajt 'til you see the racing next year \\'ith ::.all these riders moving up into their nex l division! Dan Mahony photos_