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/125815
CD l M .... en M > '5 .., ~ w Z W ...J U > U Hakan Andersson (Yam) put the final grip on the World 250 by taking a second and a first in France. Rahier, front-running Suzuki, crashed twice and pulled into the pits with bent Andersson and Weil Go At It handlebars. Righ t after that, Vehkonen While Pomeroy's Motors Go Out motored his new prototype Montesa into the pits foUowed two laps later by to Lunch Moisseiev on the KTM. Falta finally called it off after crashing his malfunctioning CZ and hurting bis arm. by John Huetter Hansen finally just pulled off to wait for a push across to the checkered. Rulev pulled in with his KTM. The field was thinning out as the two CASSEL, FRANCE, June 17 - It was Maicos of Weil and Maisch circulated not entirely by accident that American au t fran t. The new shocks work awfully Jim Pomeroy qualified 22nd out of well and keep the rear wbeel to the 40-odd starters. He usually is in the top ground, among other reasOns for their five and everybody figured, on go-fast attributes. Then Hakan Saturday, that Pomeroy wasn't going Andersson was unspectacularly, in too fast; his 10-day rest had de-tuned fourth behind Mikkola who had been him instead of restoring him. But Jim holding third for maybe half the mota. had gotten cagey. He was on the front Then they both went by Maisch who row of the long start gate and not too pulled in to the pits with his own version many of the top riders were taking him of bike troubles. Other riders were also seriously. He had a new high retiring but not from contending horsepower motor with a specially built positions. heavy.<:Juty crankshaft. Believe me, his Two laps later, Hakan passed a tiring Bul was fast. And Jim had his head Heikki Mikkola and the Japanese together. He was playing "psych out" Yamaha rider, Tarao Suzuki, shook off and it seemed to be working (maybe not all the other competition for fourth on Hakan but on most everybody else.) position. The young Japanese rider is The heartbreak and the loss of GP WFO all the time and a little wild but is points for Jim Pomeroy set in 11 laps some fast - definitely Grand Prix into the first moto over the cabby, caliber, as he was demonstrating. He dusty circuit near the English Channel. usually rides a 125cc. The new crank broke and Jim was out Adolf Weil had a nine-second lead of seven th place.· He had been figh ting over Hakan Andersson when the two lap for six th with Hakan Andersson al the sign came out. A t the flag, there was time. Pomeroy was not the only rider to maybe five bike lengths separating them go out. The heat and dusl and and many more than that back to third pot-holed, bumpy circuil sent almost place Mikkola. Again, the smooth, quick half the starting field to the pits. Hardly German had held on - barely. Another anybody liked the course or hidden lap and Hakan would have passed. ate holes. of in terest: Between lap three and lap The firsl moto was dramatic only in eleven when he went out, Jim Pomeroy watching Hakan Andersson (Yam) pass was picking up two seconds a lap on the and seeing who the next rider pulling front-running Weil. Tbe crunched crank off would be. Torleif Hansen (Kaw) put him a fairly meaningless 24th. exploded with the hole shot. Jaroslav At the end of 45 minutes, behind Falla (CZ) was righl behind him. Jim Adolf and Hakan were Heikki Mikkola was 12th after getting stuck in a comer (Hus), Torao Suzuki (Yam), Leonid along wi th Joel Robert. Both had chosen the inside line which proved not Tchinkarenko (CZ). Jean-Claude as good as it looked due to tall grass Laguaye (Yam), Evgeny Rybaltchenko (CZ). Harry Everts (Puc), Andy hiding the ever-present chuck holes. Adolf Weil continued his dominating Roberton (Hus), Uno Palm (Puc). All except the front four were lapped. ways and put his Maico in to second Between matos, Jim's bike got a new ahead of Falta's misfiring CZ by. lap motor and everybody else's mechanics three. Hans Maisch (Mai) moved up to third and Russian KTM pilot Gunnady worked madly on the other retired Moisseiev got ahead of Heikki Mikkola machines. The No. 2 motor wasn't as strong as the one that had eaten the (Hus). Jim Pomeroy had passed World crank but, it was hoped, would last Champ Robert to eighth with 15 minutes gone while Adolf got by enabling the Bultaco pilot to stay in the top ten. Hansen's suddenly-gone-sour Kawasaki on the long back uphill to take the lead. When the gate dropped the second Hakan was in 10th from his mediocre time, Gaston Rahier (Suz) pulled a start when he went seriously to work. beautiful, controlled hole shot and He just rode past four riders to move to grabbed the lead followed by Moisseiev; sixth after the dice with Pomeroy ended Tchinkarenko; Andy Roberton (Hus); along with the Bul's lower end. Hans England's sale entry; Tarao Suzuki; Maisch passed Torleif's sick-motor and Mikkola; WeiJ; Andersson, and the Swede pulled in to the pits only to Pomeroy. Then Gunnady grabbed the be sent back out again with funny lead on the red KTM by lap three, noises coming from the bike. Gaston Hakan ·moved right up on Tchinkarenko's tail and Jim Pomeroy was out again. His fresh engine had seized jusl as Jim moved into eighth place. Andersson moved into second, passing both Rahier and Tchinkarenko with app~ent ease. Adolf Weil also got by the Belgian. Jim came back into the race a lap down chasing Mikkola but it was jmpossible to get unlapped in this stellar field and after passing everybody he came up to for IWO laps, he called it off as a hopeless efforl. He pulled over and talked 10 Sylvain Geboers who was also out. Soon after Jim's seizure, Rabier retired to the pits again. Then the final au Icome was decided as Hakan pulled a beautifully executed pass to the inside on a bairpin comer putting Moisseiev in second. He began to streich oUI a lead. Torleif Hansen's Kaw went belly up again. Meanwhile, Adolf Weil and Tchinkarenko were racing motocross: Maico .and CZ, though neither like anything you've ridden, were each trying for the advan lage. Adolf got by and continued his charge past Heikki Mikkola and teammale Maisch into third and a shol at catching Hakan. Hakan was slowly pulling out on Moisseiev, then the Russian pulled in his KTM again and the pressure was off Andersson. He buzzed around in front on his way to another Grand Prix viclory. Everyone commented afterwards how Hakan was riding the way Joel used to. Ln a sense, that may be true - since both their styles are resulting in a lot of wins. The person ably Swede just about has the World Championship in the bag. Robert, by the way, did 'not start the second mota. Heikki moved up on Adolf Weil in the closing minutes of the mota; Hans Maisch had been fourth ahead of Tchinkarenko for the last 10 minutes. And that's the way they finished. Rybaltchenko (CZ), Laguaye (Yam) and Palm (Puc) were nexl but nearly lapped by the fron t four. Sr. Bulto, who was on hand to watch the star factory GP rider race, termed the day a mechanical catastrophe for Bultaco. It was, but not only for Bultaco. It's just that you take it a lot harder when you've only gOI one rider and harder still when be's the only American in the contest. Jim Pomeroy missed oUI on a stack of GP points but still held fifth in the world 250 motocross. RESULTS, 1. Hakan . Andersson (Vam) Swed., 2·1·. 2. Adolf Well (Mai) W. Ger., 1-2. 3. Heikki Mikkola (HU5) Fin.. 3·3. 4. L..eonld Tchlnkarenko (CZ) USSR, 5·5. 5. Jea~Claude Laguaye (Vam) 8eI9 .• 6-7. 6. Evgeny Rybaltchenko (CZ) USSR. 7-6. 7. Uno Palm (PUC) swed .• 10-8. 8. Tarao Suzuki (Vam) Jap., 4·17. 9. Antonio Baborovsky (CZ) CSSR, 11-10. 10. Hans Maisch (Mai) W. Ger., 18-4. ·First overall awarded to Andersson on basis of best total elapsed time. Both Weil and Andersson scored 27 GP points, Adolph Weil won a strong first mota and took second to Anderuon in the second. Zahrt Flies at Carlsbad by Scott Heidbrink CARLSBAD, CAL., June 17 - After last week's huge turnout at ~merican Motocross Club's race at Saddleback, it looked. like they would draw a large crowd of Experts out gelting the track all memorized for the biggie here next week, but it seems that only Kenny Zahrt and Greg Robertson were the smart ones, by coming out. They both took home $30, and got the track aU set in their crafty little minds. In the 250 Experts, Greg Robertson really shined. By the end of the first Lap in every mota, this hotshot would already have about one bundred yards on the next man. From then on, this teenager never had to worry. No other bike or rider even got close, unless they were being lapped by the swift American J awa ace. Robertson held all the cards, and they looked like aces to me. The only other machine and rider close was AMC regular Ron Bandy on his swift CZ. He consistendy fmished second, followed by Montesa rider Gary Stokes. The 500 Experts provided just as much action as the 250's, with Kenny Zahrt being the one doing all the hot riding. Ken has really speeded up since I used to race in the same class with him a couple of years ago, when little Kenny was still in pigtails (remember Kenny, out at Bay Mare?). He won two years ago against Juniors, and today he's stuffmg Experts into the weeds with his speed and style. And today he did just the same thing, and smoked everybody. The only other bikes in the running were those of Mike Reber and Rod Kershaw. No matter what these two did, they still couldn't latch on' to the tail end of Zahrt's hot' Pursang. He just doesn't seem to like fans following too clos.e, so he just out distances them early, then sits back and motors to the win. Too bad next week all the good Experts. will be at Carlsbad; anyway, AMC will keep on racing at Saddleback.