Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

.• N 1 M :;; 1'.: > '3 ... ~ w Z W ...J U >- U Marty Tripes won the Superbowl of Motocross despite a second moto crash and a broken frame in the Photos by Steve French LOS ANGELES, CAL., July 7 - If you didn't know better, you migh t have sworn that the 1973 Superbowl of Motocross was a well put together play of three acts. From the beginning to the end things went at least superficially smoothly: and thanks to the all-star cast ;md the sterling performance of Marty Tripes, action rarely faded. At 38,808 gate the '73 Superbowl was a succes for the promoters, and as Marty Tripes. proved that his 1972 win was no fluke, it became a success for spectaton, too. The Superbowl motocross course is laid out totally within the confines of a football stadium. It sounds like a nearly impossible task to lay OU t a good course, but for what was available this one was quite good. It was bumpy and jumpy, and mud holes abounded in the earlier motos. Two straights led into tight comers and kept everyone honest. All this is what you migh t have expected in a foothall stadium. But, what you might not have expected was a big uphill and a big downhill. How? Up into the stands, that's how. At the end zone the course routed up about fifty rows of seats, around some pilings and then back down. The uphill capped a rough course for twenty-five minutes of motoing. MOTOONE MOTOTWO The course seemed to suit Tripes admirably, as he emerged from the first comer smash up just behind Maico pilot Gary Chaplin. Leaving behind eL-fiasho stars Karsmakers and Lackey in the hay bales, Tripes quickly passed Chaplin and made away with a whole straightaway lead. There he was, out there leading the whole thing within five .minutes. The crowd and the announcer, Larry Huffman, couldn't have asked for anything more exciting. Meanwhile, in the great European-American chaHenge, Europeans backed Tripes up. Mikkola ran second and Czech star An tonin Baborovsky (CZ) pursued him. Back in the pack a little ways Jim Pomeroy and Gary J ones moved through from mediocre starts. By the sixth lap Gary moved from next-tn-last to fourth, and h is passing performance somewhat overshadowed a rapidly approaching As the two deep line broke from the starting line for the second moto, all eyes were on Marty Tripes. It was the usual question, was the first moto a fluke? Marty got to the outside in turn one and was blocked by the cbarging Czechs. He came out of the turn fourth behind (get this) Tim Hart (Yam). It looked like the fear of some thing or other was in the Czechs as they were just flying. They moved along in front of the tightly packed first four runners. Pomeroy dogged Baborovsky and Tripes dogged Pom.eroy. It was some kind of good thriller, as the four moved steadily away from the pack. A fter five, Tripes decided it was time and nipped Pomeroy. The audience had gotten their breather and now it was time to be on tip-toes again. Tripes charged at Baborovsky on the downhill and nearly tangled himself in the course markings. He was riding all out. Then the extra THE MARTY TRI Czech, Jaroslav Falta. Falla followed Jones through the.pack and by half-way moved passed him to assume the fourth position. Then Mikkola slipped, and by the time he got going the right way he was looking at six fellows in front instead of one. The tally sheet then read: Am e rican-Europe.an·AmericanEuropean-American- AmericanEuropean. Though the Europeans held only three of the top ten position, a dubious scoring system gave them a points advantage. Marty still led the whole gang by a substanial amoun t and the tension began to moun t. Every one was afraid he would either crash or break. But that's not the way it went. Marty did get the first. In the fmal moments, second place Baborovsky picked up some course markings in his rear wheel, and there was some hope that third place Pomeroy might get past. No one should have expected Baborovsky to slow down for a little thing like that. Pomeroy stayed third and the other Czech, Falta, followed him. Jim West (Hus) rode quickly and consistently to a fifth in fron t of Mikkola. . A t the end of the first round the European-American tally read Europeans: 7.0, Americans: 48. That·s how the uphill-downhill worked. Check the wump-de-oumps and turns. It was about as dose to /'

• Cover