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/125817
> :; .., ~ w Z W ..J U > U With the NatioNlI Championship looming larger ewry week. Roberts made a late lap eharge to snatch victory from BeaucheMP. Here ha sips the victory sarsaperilla. lj[}{] ~ ~@[l@OOi!\[P)@ ~i!\lj~@~i!\[l [M~~~ by Richard Creed Finally & Nancy Schaeffer COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO., July 5 - Kenny Roberts, aboard a Yamaha twin, scored a narrow victory today over Harley mounted Rex Beauchamp in the second thrilling National Championship Mile in as many weeks. It was also the second week that Beauchamp lost almost certain victory at the fall of the checkered flag. The Main event was a repeat of Saturday's Junior program as race officials once again shortened the heats to five laps and the Main to sixteen because of approaching storm clouds and track conditions. Saturday evening's torrential rains laid waste to the Pike's Peak turf club surface as water settled unevenly, causing ruts and chuck holes to form in every tum. Despite efforts by the promoters to improve the track, the surface remained fragile and continued to deteriorate throughout the day. It was a sccko. day for Kenny Roberts as he easily topped the field of forty-eight Expert qualifiers with a record setting time of 40:94. Despite less than ideal track conditions a total of eighteen riders bettered the previous record., . The squeaker win over Beauchamp marked Roberts' first victory in Mile dirt track racing and also made him the first rider of the '73 racing season to win more than one National. Roberts' other win was at the season opener Astrodome short track. With the two National wins under his bel t, floberts now had an almost uncatchable lead over second place GaryScottwho managed only a distant fifth today. Triumph teams ter Scott started the day au t by posting a seven th fastest time that was almost two seconds slower than Roberts' sizzler. Scott's best performance came in the third heat as he ran away and hid from Don Castro (Yam) and Dave Aldana (Nor) to secure the second berth. In the first of two five lap Semi events, Chuck Palmgren, aboard an All-American .Racers Yamaha, scored an easY win over Dave Seh] and posted a Earlier on. Roberts stuffs his Vamoha into it. Photo by Bill SPencer. fastest Semi time of/3:45.18. The second Sem( featured a tigh t clash between Roger Reiman and Terry Dorsch that saw the lead change hands no less than seven times. Harley mounted Reiman favored the outside cushion while Dorsch hung his Triumph closer to the rail. The Reiman-Dorsch feud ended on the last lap as Frank. Wierd photo of the week. Ulicki of Kenosha, Wisconsin piloted his "Harley past both of them in the last two turns and took the win wi th a time that was slightly slower than the frrst semi. THE TROPHY RACE As heavy storm clouds dar.kened the sky and memories of the shortened six lap Main event of Saturday's Junior program came to mind there was some talk of cancelling the Trophy Race in order to run a full Main event. But...everyone held his breath and Roger Reiman led the field into the first tum followed closely by Steve Droste. Reiman held off the charging Droste until the third lap when Steve stuffed his Triumph low into tum two and sped away to an unchallenged victory. Reiman continued on the high line and held off a late attack by local rider Merlyn Plumlee. While Droste accepted the winner's laurels everyone grabbed a last beer and got ready for the Main event. THE NATIONAL MILE. GAS IT! It may have been a socko Sunday for Yamaha, but for Triumph and Harley-Davidson, it was a heartbreaker as both watched their respective chances . for the National win evaporate. The Triumph team, fresh from last week's victorious shutout of the San Jose Mile, dominated the Main fran t row wi th Dick Mann and Gary Scott in the middle, and privateer Mike Kidd on the outside. Although the Harley team failed to score a heat win they couldn't be counted out of the running as they had scooped up four of the top ten qualifying slots. But the weight of the Harley effort fell on the shoulders of Rex Beauchamp after Jim Rice, who pipped Beauchamp for fourth fastest time by a millisecond, went out with mechanical problems in the third heat. Also to be watched was the Norton gadfly of Dave Aldana who had posted the third fastest qualifying time but could manage no better than second to Gary Scott in the third heat. . When the flag fell it was Aldana, hugging the inside rail like a brother, who led the field into the frrst tum, hounded closely by Triumph veteran Mann. Aldana's lead didn't last long as Mann 'slashed ahead coming out of the second tum and Rex Beauchamp moved up to challenge Aldana. Mann held onto the lead for the first four laps with ease as the crowded stands went berserk. If Dick Mann ever worried about his