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/125821
'" ~ w Z w -J (,) > (,) Bruce McDougal (Pen) took the early second mota lead, but was soon absorbed by Bob Grossi. • him for two more laps. By lap six Marty began dropping back as Bob Grossi and Ken Zahrt (Bul) moved up to take over third and fourth positions behind the Europeans. Tbe way they were riding ~ose gut-screaming little 125's was something that had to be seen. The bikes really had' to be kept on the pipe and cburning out the RPM to go fast, and the only way to do that was never shut them off. Cornering was something like a combination of speedway riding and short tracking. Going into a turn, the bikes would be throttled back only momentarily and the back ends pitched out into a slide as the gas was jerked back on. The riders then got up on the tanks and worked them through the turns like speedway bikes, wi-th the back ends skittering every which way. If they got out of shape or ran off the track in their attempts to keep them screaming, it didn't matter. They just kept the wick on and plowed through any shrubbery, course streame'rs or tires that were in the way. Nothing would get theJll to back off the gas and lose a precious few RPM. The first moto finished out with Nilsson taking the win, then De Roover, and John Harrington zapping on both Mickey Boone and Bob Grossi near the end to capture their place with his Penton. A number of pileups occurred in the dust cloud that followed tbe second moto away from the starting gate. Gilbert De Roover was one of the riders who got tangled up in a pileup under the first jump along with Terry Clark (Hus), Karl Siegel (N og) and others. De Roover was able to get running, again but from last position. Bob Grossi had grabbed the lead and was long gone, with Bruce McDougal (Pen) back in second. By lap three the dust bad begun to clear out a little, giving McDougal the opportunity to move up and take the lead away from Grossi. In third was Dan Turner (Bul) who was doing a good job of holding off Nilsson. McDougal began to tire out as the moto went on, along witb a lot of other riders who were affected by the heat and dust, and he dropped back a few positions as Mickey Boone. moved up into third place after banging it ou t with Nilsson for a while. Grossi, Turner al)d Boone spent the last few laps of the moto running fender to fender in quite an exciting climax that saw the three of them rmishing less than fift,en feet apart, after for-five minu tes. Nilsson was fourth, whicb was good enough to give him the overall win, as Nils-Arne Nilsson could only get fourth in the second mota, but it was good enough for the win. . Harrington and Tony Wynn finished fifth and sixth. 250 Support The 250 class was an excltmg, day long race between a' number of factory riders, who showed up to compete for the rather small $900 purse, compared to tbe $5,100 prize the 125's were after. Ghy Semics (Hus) made the best getaway at the beginning of the first moto, but before they had completed· the first lap, Bob Harris (Mai) took over, The moto evolved into a duel between Harris, John Franklin (Mail and Bryar Holcomb (Bull. with the three finishing out in that order. Franklin had his Honda of Piqua sponsored Maico cooking in the second moto and was holding down the lead ahead of 1'Iolcomb, when it blew a crankshaft oil seal on the final lap, giving Bryar the win. John came back in time for the final moto, with his engine fixed and proceeded to take the win ahead of Bryar this time, but tbe blown seal had cost bim the overall win, giving it to Holcomb. Bob Harris finished the final molo in third with bis Eastern Maico to net second overall as Doug Grant took third on a Bultaco. Results: 125 GP: 1. Nils-Arne Nilsson (Hus) 1/4: 2. Bob Grossi (H·us) 5/1: 3. Mickey Boone (SUZ) 4/3; 4. John Harrington (Pen) 3/5; 5. Dan Turner (Bul) 21/2: 6. Gilbert De Roaver (Hus) 2/40; 7. Tony Wynn (Hon) 7/?; 8. TOr8JOrn Winzell (Hus) 9/7: 9. Ken Zahrt (Bul) 10/8; 10. Bjarne Bloom (Mnk) 6/15; II. John Borg (SUZ) 8/40; 12. Bruce McDougal (Pen) 23/9; 13. Morris Malone (Yam) 12/10; 14. Bruce Baron (Yam) 11/12; 1$. Tony Distefano (Asoes) 16/1l. 250 SUPPORT: 1. Bryar Holcomb (Bul); 2. Bob Harris (Mal); 3. Doug Grant (Bul); 4. Gary Semlcs (Hus); 5. Frank Stacy (eZ); 6. John Campbell (Mal); 7. John Franklin (Mai); 8. R.G. MartindaJe (Mai); 9. Charles Curtis (CZ); 10. Marvin Whitman (Vam).[