September 18, 1973
Page 15
eateb 1lamJDarllren and Pomeroy. He
didn't lose any positions in grtting up
and re-starting the 360 Yamaha be had
previously complained wasn't fast
enough bak is strong and fast but he
doesn't L~-essariIy ride smart.. Hartwig's
rear wheel started de-spoking itsdI.
With two laps to go, John DeSoto's
footpeg finaDy came off. It had heen
getting bent up more and more on each
lap by the deep, squareff ruts worn
in the cornt:rs by the sidecan. John held
OIl to the CZ, with his left foot balanced
OIl the red frame of the works bike, but
he couidn't main tam the same speed
and one o{ the Russians, Popenko, got
:by him. (Many riders couldn't believe
DeSoto band't been lapped by the f"~ld
when they saw him finish without a
footpeg.)
Mike Hartwig was stiJJ running. He
bad been ~culating in the low twenties
positions for most of the moto, then
with only a few laps to go never slacked
up and passed ·sIowing riders up to 18th
again. He was consi$tent and strong but
GP-type racing in Europe isn't
'something you master in two days.
Jim's ride -aboard the 400 Bui was
inspiring, exciting, even emotionaDy
moving to the few Americans scattered
amidst the thousands of spectato.... He
was trying very bard and it was worJcing.
Jalm D. held on to tenth, getting lapped
by A1r.e on the last lap of the moto. "I
was SO happy to see him come by," said
Jalm later. "11lat munt one less lap J
bad to do with no footpeg," he vinned.
At the end of the second moto, which
was timed at anywhere from 45 to 55
minutes, A1te was way Ollt front. ROll"'r,
in second, bad won his second
Motocross des Nations in a row. Then
came John Banks for third and third
.-ran.. WoIsink., wbo nevtt seems to go
fast Ollt front, outlasted Jim's
determined cbarge. Then came
Hammargren, Van Velthoven,
Vebkonen, Popc:nIto and John DeSoto
to fill out the top ten.
Sylvain Geboers had dropped back in
the second moto as his leg started to let
him down and Robert's replacement on
the Belgian ,team, Raymond Heeren,
actually scored third Belgian points for
the team standings with a twelfth place.
It was enough to ensure them the
victory as fuI1e of times on the latter).
Everybody, induding Swiss officials,
thought-or-boped-third for the US. It
was finally a fourth, but it was the best
evtt, an unprecedented feat for a
three-man team, and it threw a heD of a
scare into everybody else. American
motocrossen have definitely arrived in
Europe. Their superior performances are
no accident and they can be no longer
regarded, almost scornfully, as also-rans.
That era is oYer.
DeSoto's ride was strong, fast,
aggressive and calculated not to le.t the
team down. Hartwig's baptism by fire
showed he bas the potential with his
strength and consistency. Pomeroy's
rides were absolutely llDprecedented by
any American mo tocrosser in this even t
or the 250cc Tropbee des Nations. He
ended up f"lfth overall in individnal
standings. His Spanish mechanic calls
Jim a nationalist fanatic. When it comes
to Americans in international
motocross. maybe he is. Bllt it seems to
be working for him and for the
besl-f"misbing US team in the history
