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Page 27 September 11, 1973 • AMP Vanalla AMP Maico AMP SUZUki AMP CZ AMP Kawasaki ACTIO A D1V. OF AMP iNDUSTRIES SUPPLY 1fIMU'4- ~ ~ikt~ 6' tibr.t 4de ~ &(I.~i-ilt9 ~ ti-e ~~de, ! &fI.e'Ulti-iIt-9 ItJ-It ii-e Itidu ! aluminum swing arms, wor.ks frames Flying Finn prodUCts, Koni shocks, Sallee Goggles, MX leathers, MX boots, JOFA, Akront; DID rims, Viking prodUCts, Carrera goggles, U,S. Sports products, Maverick Shocks,Cheney frames in stock, CZ 10-speed bicycles, Maguras, Diamond chain, Dunlop, Pirelli, Goodyear, Barum tires NGK, Champion plugs, Blendzall, Chain-Life, Torco, Lok-Tite, Hang Ten. Hansen was third OA in Russia, second in Sweden. MAIIUFACTURER OF AMP IMOTORCYCLES Communism & motocross don't mix By John Huetter LENiNGRAD, U.S.S.R.,. AUG. 12 The Russian Grand Prix disaster for everybody Maico veteran Adolf Wei!. Andersson crashed badly was a except Hakan in his first motocross as World Champion, scabbing his face on the rough, bumpy course with numerous potholes filled with powdery silt dust. Joel Robert very nearly got into a knockdown fistfight with Soviet officials. Joel doesn't like to take crap from anybody. Jim Pomeroy got stripped naked and had $135 confiscated by those ever-friendly, smiling Russian border guards. it was not a pleasant trip for anybody. Perhaps it was worse, though, for the Czech riders than for others. When asked about the CZ team's experience, manager Ernie Zemen half shook his head and replied, "Well, you know how it is between us and the Russians..... There was a lot of unstated meaning in his words but that summed up everybody's experience and coLored the competition far more than simple geography would indicate. Surprisingly, however, the Leningrad venue did not result in a win for Mosseiev on his home track as was half expected. The smiling gray-haired Maico master, Adolf Weil, went fast, pressed on when others crashed or broke, and convincingly won both motos on the long, dangerous course. The Maico's enviable new suspension helped him over the hidden- potholes, but it was Adolf's speed and skill that made the difference in the end and his first GP win of 1973. In the first moto, Heikki Mikkola (Hus) got the hole shot and led for over 15 minutes. Just before Adolf went past hjm, Jim Pomeroy (Bul) who had moved up to third from abou t a nin th pIa e start, hit one of the dust-filled holes and wen t head-first over the handlebars. The order then changed abruptly to Adolf, Heikki in second, and Jim on his head poking holes in Mother Russia. Pomeroy remounted, somewhat dazed, and charged off after the pack. Hakan crashed shortly after that when moving up through fourth position. The new World Champ reti.red from the moto after his get-off. Sylvain Geboers (Suz) summed it up neatly: "That course is dangerou.s." Meanwhile, an emergent Torleif Hansen on an extensively reworked KX250 Kawasaki just kept moving up as riders broke, retired, crashed or slowed. By the end of the first moto, he was in thHd. The riders passed the checkered one-two-three:, Weil (Mai), Mikkola (Hus), Hansen (Kaw). it was the fast Swede's best GP f"mish all season. The Kawasaki's unconventionally ·mounted new suspension and a reliably strong motor seemed to make a difference and Hansen was really wickin' it in his best Viking fashion. Jim started after the front-runners as he kicked his battered Bul to life and worked his way back up to eighth when the 40 minutes plus two laps of the first moto were over. Not bad from nearly last place. Gunnady Moisseiev (KTM) pulled one of his explosive hole shots trying for a last moto win in front of his fellow comrades. He started aviating around the course followed by Mikkola, Andersson, Hansen, Weil, and Pomeroy until he crashed dramatically and drastically on a big downhill. Jim then ran in fourth for a few minutes while a fair amount of the hot-charging pack bounced off and around Mosseiev and the KT-M. Jim's respectable placing was terminated this round when his special factory crank went ou t for a bite of lunch; the same as had happened to him while running seventh in the French Grand Prix back in June. Jim is now a firm believer in stock Bultaco crankshafts. Adolf kept motoring in his usual smooth, swift manner, effectively dominating the treacherous Leningrad course and most of the other international motocrossers. The finishing order was the same as the first moto: Maico, Husqvarna, Kawasaki with Weil, Mikkola, and Hansen in the saddles. Adolf smiled afterwards, "Great circui t, Leningrad!" it must seem that way when you win, but by no stretch of the imagination was it a good circuit. Weil repassed Mikkola in to second poin t stanmngs. Pomeroy picked up only three points and Hansen's 20 po in t gain made a three-way tie for fifth in the world between· Pomeroy, Falta (CZ), and Torleif. e'ither the Czech nor the American were too happy or mentally well-prepared for racing in Russia. It was, at very best, a giant bummer. No official results were released, and start/win money was paid in unconvertible rubles. • Results World Championship Motocross - Russian 250 Grand Prix, Leningrad, USSR, Aug. 12, 1973, 1.. Adolf Weil (Mail. W. Ger.• 1·1. 2. Heikki Mikkola (Hus), Fin .• 2·2. 3. Thorlief Hansen (Kaw), SWed., 3-3. Trick accessories tor all bikes. Works tanks, Frames. Dm rims Chromoly bars, SuPer Red oil, eAction Supplye A D1VlSION OF AMP INDUSTRIES Dealer and Distribuwr Inquiries Invited 8803 ALMEDA-GENOA ROAD, HOUSTON, TX 77034 PHONE TOLL-FREE 800-392-4949 EASTERN DISTRIBUTOR FOR BOYD & STELUNGS FRAMES & ALUMINUM SWING ARMS (713) 946-3004 IN TEXAS DOWNJE9N~J: CYCLE CENTER OSSA cz MAICO SUZUKI YANKEE 11835 E. 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