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Page 28 September 11, 1973 National MX: same series, same winners Eirstedt negotiates some of Talladega's bumps, .... By Carol Neill Photos by Bill & Carol Neill TALLADEGA, ALA., SEPT. 2 Alabama sinkholes, haybales, and thrown chains were the order of the day at the dry valley AMA National motocross held .after the BIG BIKE SHOP POWER! CZ. MONARK. HODAKA COMPLETE DIRT SHOP TOTAL ACCESSORIES tII_.Custom Engine Building• • • THE BIKE SHOP 4418 Cnapman Ave. Orange, Ca. (714) 532·3634 FOR THE BEST IN MOTORCYCLE ACCESSORIES I~OIA EAST BALL ROAD. ANAHEIM. CALlFClR"'tA 714-776-1250 Talladega Grand National Road Race at Alabama International Motor Speedway. Gary Jones and Pierre Karsmakers took yet another set of National wins in the 250cc and Open classes respectively, thereby virtually clinching their respective number one titles. Rick Thorwaldson took second overall in the 250 class without winning a mota, ahead of Tim Hart who did, by virtue of a lower accumulation of pain ts. Terry Clark and Rich Eierstedt rounded out the top five in that class. In the Open class Wyman Priddy gave Karsm akers a beautiful run for his money, taking two mota wins in the process, bu t was dropped to second by an initial fifth place finish. Mickey Boone, Peter Lamppus, and Rickie Brown completed the top of the Open overall list. The professor, Gary Bailey, created ye t another creditably motocross course, utilizing the same basic layout as he used last year. This year he added a few new twists to confound the competition, the most drastic of which was sort of a sinkhole excavated out of one portion of the track going onto the front straight. There was a little depression there last year, but it was mild compared to this year's monster: two razorbake mounds of earth edging a huge hole into which the riders almost completely disappeared as they rode through it. Haybales were piled at the side of th e second razorbac k to ke.ep the riders on the straight and narrow. These and the sinkholes itself spelled grief to many riders through the day. 250 Class Rich Eierstedt (Han) grabbed an initial first mota lead, managing to stay clear of a first tum melee which found four riders on the ground. He must have been really jazzed because he rode a fantastic race, leading every lap to the checkered flag. By the end of the first lap Eierstedt was followed I;>y Rick Jordon (CZ), Karl Siegel (Yam), and Jimmy Weinert (Kaw), Siegel moved into second place ahead of Jordan the second time around where he stayed un til the seven th lap. Weinert maintained a consistent and close third from the third lap when be also passed J ardon, who eventually faded to eighth by the moto's end, until the sixth lap when Gary Jones (Hon) edged him out of that spot. The next time around as Weinert came through the esses approaching the big sinkhole, his rear hub broke. He drifted off the edge of the track, disgustedly threw the big Kaw to the ground and walked away, out fo.r the afternoon. Gary Jones meanwhile had been pressing from an initial seventh position in the first lap, picking up places almost every lap to the seventh where he sEpped by Karl Siegel to take over second. At this point Eierstedt was almost half the track's length ahead of J ones. As they moved through traffic, lapping slowe'r riders, Jones was content to maintain his second ahead of Siegel. Father Don Jones later said Gary was riding to finish, not necessarily to win in order to protect his National points lead. This turned au t to be an unnecessary pre€au tion. TeJ:ry Clark (Hus) flew to an early lead in the second mota, followed by J ones and last year's winner Gary Bailey (Bul). Clark's lead lasted only two laps as Jones passed on the third and held an everwidening lead to the final flag; he made it look easy. Clark held onto second until the eighth lap when he was bested by Rich Thorwaldson (Suz). Thorwaldson was fourth initially bu t inheri ted the number three spot in the fourth lap when Bailey hit some unwanted mud created by an aircraft fire truck which doused the track periodically throughout the afternoon. He highsided and the Bul loaded up, dropping him way aff the pace. The final positions checked au t that way: Jones, Thorwaldson, and Clark. Tim Hart (Yam) filled in the number four spot after so spending the mota fighting off a mediocre start. He brought Rich Eierstedt with him through the ranks to a fifth. F or the third moto Rick Jordan grabbed the hold shot but by the end of the first go around Don Henderson (Han) was leading. That lasted until the fifth lap when J ones appeared ou t of the crowd to take another lead; he hadn't gotten such a hot start. This time Hart followed Jones past Henderson and Jordan in to second. The Jones-Hart chase carried them far out front of the rest of the field with Jones pulling a lead on Hart. Then the unexpected; two laps before the final flag Jones tang.led with the haybales at the side of that second razorback coming Out of the big sinkhole. Each lap J ones had been drifting closer and closer to the big mound of hay. This time around he sort of landed in one and the baling wire around it became entangled on his left footpeg. He' landed, drifting to the outside of the track, desperately trying to kick the big lump away. The bike almost came to a halt before he could free it. That was just the chance Hart had been waiting for. He zipped past and the chase was reversed Hart maintained his lead to the checkers as J ones backed off a little, fighting a flat tire. Thorwaldson had grappled his way from tenth at the- end of the first lap to third at the end. Open Class The Open class at the Talladega National was not a Pierre Karsmakers benefit, although it sort of seemed as though it wou.ld be in the first mota. Pat Freiberger (Mai) grabbed the hole shot only to lose the lead to Brad Lackey (Kaw) on the first lap. Gary Semics (Hus) followed Brad with Pierre Karsmakers (Yam) on his tail. By the third 'lap Karsmakers had moved into Hrst, displacing Brad to second. Then Karsmakers moved away for an easy win. Brad maintained second at the flag with Gary Semics still in third. Semics led the pack in to the second mota with Wyman Priddy (Kaw) close behind. They played a pass and repass . game for the first five laps as Pierre and Brad moved into third and fourth behind them in the third lap. Sen;lics disappeared on the fifth lap, apparently running into mechanical gremlin~. That gave the lead to Wyman Priddy for good; he ran an absolutely flawless race, never allowing Pierre to pass him. Pierre "appeared to be au triding him in the turns but the Kaw would pull away on the straights. Lackey maintained his third place, even through a fall on a, sweeping' broadslider type tum. Mickey Boon (Suz) moved in to a creditable fourth at the final flag. Steve Stackable (AMP) took the third mota hole shot, holding a lead until the third lap when Wym,an Priddy replaced him; Wyman was having a good day. From there on, the third moto was his except for one short interval when Stackable repassed in the fifth and sixth go arounds. Pierre moved in to second place in the six th lap and the Priddy IKarsmakers battle was on again to the end. Stackab.le maintained third to the final flag with Mickey Boone reeling in fourth. Brad Lackey had lost his fourth lap third position when he fell, losing his silencer in the process and had to ride wildly to try to catch up. In the twelfth lap, however, he broke his chain, giving bim an overall tenth for the day. •