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/125834
Jim had fallen but got right back on again and finished a distant third, which counts just as much as a close third. Lucky he had such a lead on the pack. Before the second International moto could begin, there was a forced intermission when the clouds decided to stop showering and begin gully-washing. The riders sat under canopies and pondered their fate. Rio Bravo's creek became a river, and the track became a creek. Twenty-some-odd bikes slathered through the ftrst turn and sent spectators belly-whomping down the slick hillsides. Amazingly, no one fell. Kring, Pomeroy, Gary Seroics (Hus), Weil, then Weinert. Jimmy soon got the rhythm and picked off the leaders one by one. Several fell down because their handlebars were simply too slick to hold on to. So Weinert was leading again, but very precariously due to the natu« of the track. Pomeroy dropped back. Weil, Wolsink and Willi Bauer rode together, scheming on Weinert. J ones was nursing a !>roken expansion chamber. Kring got the water blues. Soon there weren't too many riders left, and after a while there was no telling who was where. Belgium's Jean-Claude Jobe (replacing Kalevi Vehkonen on Montesa), Weinert, Wei!, Wolsink, Tripes, Karsmakers (Pierre), Semics, Jones, Thorwaldson, and Hart kept charging. So did Kent Howerton, a San Antonio, Texas rider, who managed to keep his stock 400 Husky dry and wired, while most of the expensive factory jobs had either drowned, seized, or otherwise self-destructed. Pierre DNF'ed the first moto when he hit a couple of downed riders, but was after Weinert now. He moved up quickly and passed Jimmy who was just playjng it cool. His pit crew just flashed a chalkboard that said "WElL OUT". Jim just had to maintain his position to take the overall win. By the time be had it wrapped up, the only way you could tell Jimmy was Jimmy was by a small patch of green on his back...and the grin through the mudpie on his face. Hard riding and a favorable (though messy) set of circumstances allowed several Americans to place. well in the money. Especially Kent Howerton, who probably fmished better than a dealer-sponsored rider ever has or ever will in International competition. • • • I II I II ..,;iI E Barstow To Vegas Competitors SPEED CENTER u.s.A. Is supplying Southern Callfornla dealers with all the latest trick stuff needed to finish this grueling 175 mile Hare and Hound. Items like, tool box/number plJittl combination, 45 second tire repair kits, Vesco 3.4 9allon skinny·fat desert tanks, plug holders and plug wrenches, racers super tape, nylon lined cables, Konl, Boge and Arnaco shocks. solid aluminum J-Bars. kidney betts, JT hand Modte,. shin. knee and elba guards, flip up goggles, face and rock guards, surgical grips, Casler desert bars. pocket tlr. Husky· Swede Arne K.ring berserkecl it to beat James W. but didn't make it. pumps, As with the International class, the final Support moto was run under the . worst conditions. Only about half the riders were still around to start and an additional ten or twelve dropped ou~ before the finish of the moto. Grossi came off the line last this time, instead of his usual first, giving Eierstedt an easy holeshot. Rapp slid (literally) into second, and Arkansan Tony Wynn (Hon) sloshed into third. followed by Frank Stacy (CZ), John Borg (Yam) and Mosier. Grossi motored around, stopping once or twice to wipe the mud off his hands, stopping fmally with engine SPEED trouble. Eierstedt built an incredible 45-second lead over the rest of the Support riders, who were busily hahdling the ankle-deep mud slowly and not too deftly. Mostly it was ride, fall down, curse, get up, wipe the mud off the grips, fall down again, curse, wipe the mud. Eierstedt had taken care of winning, everyone else was hoping just for a fwsh. • Sup'~jBul) 2·2-4. (Han! ~~OCSt 3. BII Holeomt> cross.-bar C..NTIER at (714) WHITTIER HONDA ~~~~m Bell Helmets Full Bore Products WHITTlE~ 1-1-1. 2. Bryar Clemonts (Hus) HONDA 14324 E. Whittier Blvd: (213) 698~5comPI'I' $lock 3-4-7. 4. OCSy Foust (CZ) 7-6-12. 5. Jonn Franklin (Mai) 6-8·14. or Darts and accessories ror street and dirt On your way to Saddlobaek The Bike Shop cz - MONARK - HODAKA Custom Pi.,.. & Accessories 4418 ust Chapman Ave. Oran",CA 1. Jim Welne,t (Kaw) 3-2. 2. GerrH Wolsink (Mal) 4-3. 3. Gary Jones (Mai) 54. 4. Ricn ....horwafdson (SUZ) 9·10. S. Gary (714) 532·3634 semles (HuS) 15-5. 6. Jean-e...uCSo Jobo (Man) 11-9. ,. Kent Howerton (Hus) 16-7. 8. Mike Hartwig (Hus) 6·17. 9. Marty Tripes (Hon) 19-6.10. Tim HOtt (Vam) 12-14. Rio Bravo's tight, twisty, up-and-down course was moist and tacky for the first Support moto of the afternoon. As they've been wont to do since the beginning of the Trans-AMA, California riders Bill Grossi (Kaw) and Rich Eierstedt (Hon) ran away from the pack on Lap One. This time it was Grossi with a smart lead over Eierstedt and an outrageous lead over everyone else. Gaylon Mosier (Hon) and Bryar Holcomb (BuI), two more California 'shoes, along with Bill Clements (Hus), an In temational class defector, and Dallas' Jody Foust (CZ) attempted to maintain Grossi's pace while keeping each other at bay. Bill had built a winning lead, but had to renege on the win when his engine seized. Coast Bultaco riders Ron Pomeroy and Tom Rapp both got mediocre starts and weren't able to work their way up to money positions. Maybe Rapp was still spooked by his last ride at Rio Bravo when he unloaded in a corner and tweaked his leg. With Grossi gone, Eierstedt cruised to an easy win, well ahead of second and third place finishers Holcomb and Clements. I Grossi duplicated his first moto performance by again snatching a healthy advantage over Eierstedt, and again, he disappeared back in the forest somewhere. Mosier briefly held first position at the start but began to fall back when the rain increased in intensity and the track got sloppier. Eierstedt had an easy lead, and steady Bryar Holcomb was making zero mistakes for second place. Thus it ended. U_S.A_ 97'.... 122 for next day delivfWY. International Results Support Class pads. and anything needed to helP you finish this classic event. rf YOUI'" favorite deater isn't stocking our line of Barstow to US Vegas stuff1-tell him to get It on and call Look who has the hole shot. Yeah, Jim Weinert. He lost it on the lest lap of Moto One but managed the overall. . - J ....... ~ EXHAUST TUNER I SST.· ONTARIO.CA 91762·714 983-5871 Texas local K.ent Howerton knew about watarproofing his Husky end motocross at Rio Bravo; managed to finish best any dealer-sponsored privateer has done. glR·fJR ':~ .CYCLE ~8 p:O.I;a. 1/1416463271 cos~!!~~hY Y~BtoeknOt"lhof 1951. 1tII1 illwawm_ _....I..IIIIIIIII!"......I N - . . . .....I...... i • i i ~ Roger DeCoster, Hakan Andersson, i • Ake lon55On & Rich Thorwald5On i I ENDORSED PRODUCTS I I SendBox 1051,eatalog: Progressive Products i for free I La Mosa, Calif. 92041 ! i l l..IMIIIIItIItIUnltllllll_.IIII1I,"""_llllllnlllllllllllllnllllllllllll11111111 WARDS RIVERSIDE MOJAVE IBv Benolil, PARILLA CAPRIOlO MV AGUSTA 250 BIANCHI CAPRI SCOOTERS PARTS World', large,t inventory tor Iralian motorcycln Reb.~t Engine Exchange. ~lU.T"'_. Hatboro. Pa 19040