Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Wolsink,won, Weil won. That made Karsmakers the winner Bryar Bultaco,does it again By John Huetter Photos by Tod Rafferty & Huetter PUYALLUP, WASH., NOV. 18 IlJ .D E IlJ > o Z Sylvain should have won it, Roger could have won it but the new American 500cc champion, Pierre Karsmakej"s, did win the overall first for his best show since the opening of the Trans AMA series two long months ago. As the international motocross series winds down on its Western swing, it is those who endure who are successful. Today, amidst the occasional snowflakes of the Northwest, Pierre Karsmakers endured better than anybody else.' He never led or won either of the 45-minute motos but pressed on with speed and considerable determination to take second in each. He was behind one of the fast Maico pilots the first time out; Gerrit Wolsink. He barely kq>t second behind Adolf Weil in the second heat. It was not at all clear, except possibly to Pierre, that he had a shot at the overall. Many were not sure who won even after the last checkered flag was dramatically waved by Bouncing Boh. Even witb the dwindling of European entrants, there was a full crop of talent. Hakan Andersson has gone back to Sweden, Mikkola and Vehkonen to Finland, Jim Weinert is through for this seasOl;l after getting thoroughly de tuned and broken up at Phoenix. But there are some new faces in the start line" also. K,oji Masuda, Suzuki works rider and Jan Johannson, Husqvama works rider, come to mind. The familiar winners are here: Weil, Wolsink, Bauer, DeCoster. The Puyallup track did not excite the imagination of too many of the international riders. It was fairly flat with a few artificial jumps. Roger DeCoster said, "Long straigh taway, tight comer. Long straightaway, tight comer. There is only one line most places... It still did not keep him from using those lines and he created new ones as the track got rougher in the second moto. Other riders followed suit, or found even different ones as the track got rougher. You couldn't slide the comers by the second moto. Gerrit Wolsink (Mai) had protested about the lack of technical expertise required by the track but obviously determined that the only way to go was out front. He led at the end of the first lap and he led at the end of the last lap, even though the gap and the rider following him varied throughout the 45 minutes. Largely ignored by a crowd tha twas appropriately Pomeroy partisan was the fact that Mike Hartwig was second on his 360 Husky. Mike'was circulating under control, and more rapidly than anybody except Gerrit. Behind him were Karsmakers and DeCoster, who traded positions at least once. Behind them were Willi Bauer, Pomeroy and Geboers. Then there wasn't anybody behind Sylvain for quite a while. Adolf was doing his usual smooth move up for the full 20 laps (or whatever length the moto happens to be) when his gearbox stuck and he shot over the berm on the outside of the finish hill. Chagrinned and unhappy, he pushed the Maico into the infield as the immobile rear wheel dug a trench. Mike Hartwig continued to run fast and seco-nd, seemingly without prohlems, for at least 30 minutes. He then overshot a soft berm that almost everybody else was missing, too, except for the first eight. Karsmakers and DeCoster passed him. Mike drove back over the berm and continued in fourth, still without too much threat from anyone until he ran out of gas with about two laps to go. Mike has the worst luck of any obviously first rate rider on the TransAMA. Well, maybe not quite the worst. Jim Pomeroy spent most of the first half hour in sixth, then he set up Willi Bauer and pulled a beautiful power-on inside pass, taking a new line. Jim was in fifth and still charging, seeming to build up momentum even with a sticking throttle, when his rear Pierre never won, was always s8c0nd, so he won overall. Sure is a fast American. " Bryar Holcomb should be happy. He won the Support dass. wheel came apart. Not just the spokes, but the hub, backing plate, everything. Jim disgustedly pushed into the pits where Arnie Beamon started installing the new wheel. This let Bauer have fifth back for free, then Hartwig ran out of _ gas, and on the last lap, Roger DeCoster's chain came off the. rear sprocket just as he was taking the white flag, so Bauer inherited third behind Wolsink and Karsmakers. Sylvain , Geboers had been moving up without much drama throughout the moto and was not that far behind Bauer at the finish. First 'Merkin was steady Tim Hart in sixth but nearly a full lap behind the lead three. Wolsink" Karsmakers and DeCoster had been circulating for the last 15 minutes with about two bike lengths separating each of them. Followingquickly, waiting for an error or a slip that none of them ever made...until Roger's chain went. It was a long time for riders of that caliber to ride that fast that close together. The gaps narrowed til the end. In fifth, after a quick rid~ that included getting smashed by stones and Jim Pomeroy had more success and bettllr luck as coach for brother Ron than as a racer. Mechanicals kept him down. '

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