Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

at least one get-off, was Suzuki's latest import, Koji Masuda. Koji was second in the Japanese National Championship. Tarao Suzuki, who rides for Yamaha, was first. The one-two Japanese riders found themselves circulating together in this mota about 7-8 most of the time. 'They were having a race back there-that was a nice spectator bonus to the flawless precision of .the front three Europeans. The young Japanese were crazy-fast, on the front wheel, rear ends sidehoppingdeep into the bumpy, soft turns. Masuda seemed to have the edge and got along well with the 370 Suzuki. He will ride the rest of the series. Werner Schutz had his Maico apart on its side, Karl-Heinz worked methodically to shape Adolf's bike, Mike Hartwig ran across the track with a gas can, all the mechanics wire-brushed furiously at the muddy bikes. There had been some casualties. Bob Wright had the clutch on his new CCM go away and spent most of the mota rebuilding it. It would also get sick in mota two. Jim Pomeroy went out and .cheered his little brother on by yelling at him to gas it and pointing out faster lines. Ron Pomeroy's Bultaco didn't break. He was on Jim's old GP 250. The call for the International riders had been made, several were on the starting line, then I bump into Jim who has no helmet or equipment on. I look at him questioningly and even before I can say anything, he fires off angrily, "blown. base gasket." Now he is really P.O.'ed. Jim will not race again today for himself or the Uhometown" crowd. The little niggling things have kept him from having good results the entire series. He is very tired of breaking. Adolf led the pack out of the first tum (Roger had gotten the point but. was squeezed back about ten positions) but before the end of the lap Sylvain Geboers (Suz) passed him and just started streaking. He really appears to be back on form, completely healed from his shattered leg. He says he is ready to go 100% and proceeded to show that. Smooth, weight slightly back in a half crouch on the pegs, Sylvain proceeded to open up a lead on Adolf, which he extended for the next 40 minutes. Third was Gerrit, then Tim Hart, capitalizing on a good ride through the first corner crunch and looking controlled. Bauer, Karsmakers, then Bradley Lackey hisownself looking like his adrenalin was flowing again as he moved up on Willi and Pierre. Brad really looked as good as last year. Roger's bike sounded really ratty. Honda teamster Gary Chaplin crashed over a downhill jump. Honda teamster Marty Tripes was wearing a Peruvian ski mask and riding a new 370 Honda that had just arrived from the Land of the ,Rising Prices, but he wasn't going as fast as the 14-15 riders in front of him. Brad motored past Tim Hart and Jim Cooke crashed superhard over the jump on . the back straigh t. He restarted slowly. Brad closed on Willi Bauer as DeCoster finally got' around Mike Hartwig and stated moving up. Mausda and Suzuki were going at it; Suzuki seemed to be the more tired. Wolsink passed "young" Adolf into second and then missed a whole bunch of shifts, letting a whole bunch of riders get by before he got sorted out. He took off after Roger, who had just come around and passed him. Roger repassed Wolsink a few laps later. Pierre moved away from Bauer and into third. Brad crashed. He hurt his hand. Pain, boo. John DeSoto is back: He is, by his own admission, at only about 75% but was still leading most of the American riders around the course for the first 20-25 minutes. He then retired and, after a considerable pit lapse, returned to the track motoring slowly. Brad was also meandering around up on the pegs, waiting for the flag. John figures maybe by Hawaii, December 9th. Mike Hartwig was still putting on a respectably quick, dependable show in front of Arne Kring. Tarao Suzuki crashed in front of Sylvain and Adolf, who were coming around through traffic, and Adolf used the bike and possibly Tarao for traction. It looked like he bounced off the resilien t- Japanese several times. Tim Hart started dropping back and Roger passed him. Hartwig's bike wen t sour and he eventually would call it off. Masuda and Thorwaldson got tight behind Willi Bauer and then Masuda passed Bauer. Thor was motoring very consistently. American Suzuki-ite Mike Runyard was also coming steadily up through the pack in the second mota. Roger just keping on coming, even with a machine that sounded a little off. He moved up on Wolsink and then executed one of his "Ooh-Ahh" passes with scalpel-like precision. He took off after Karsmakers Who was then in fourth. Pierre's expansion chamber had come adrift and the Yamaha, though still running pretty well, did not have top speed any more. Sylvain was way out there looking for a black and white flag. Then, with five minutes to go in the moto, Sylvain's rear wheel came apart (If European bikes can do it, so can Japanese machines!), Adolf inherited the lead, and Pierre won the motocross. Roger had moved up so much on Karsmakers that he passed him on the slight downhill after the fmish line with the momentum of his rush. Karsmakers did a good job of. keeping it together with no expansion chamber, sand course or no sand course. Tim Hart and Koji Masuda switched finishing positions in the second mota and Tim seems pretty firmly entrenched as top American in the TransAm. He's quick, controlled and, best of all, his bike doesn't break. Adolf wasn't too unhappy with another mota win, Sylvain wasn't all that unhappy because he had shown that he could win .this one. Roger was moderately unhappy the chain incident was a bummer. Brad and Jim were very unhappy. A reflective Lackey said though tfully, nursing his blue and red finger, "I guess you just have to start gassin' it a little at a time." .• IIIlI • IIIlI = ..,;lI U Koji Masuda was fifth overall in his fint ride for Suzuki in the U.S. 250 Support class The support racing generated more enthusiasm from the crowd than the international class did, as the partisan fans cheered strongly for Ron Pom~y. Riding his big brother's GP-winning Bultaco, Ron went immediately to the lead in the first mota. Bryar Holcomb was in pursuit, quickly getting by Bill Clements (Hus) and going after Pomeroy. Series' leader Rich Eierstedt (Hon) got hung up on the new Preston Petty starting gate, and was allegedly advised to wait. for a restart but it didn't happen. When Rich finally got underway he'd lost at least half a lap to the leaders. Tom Rapp (BuI) was well back in the field as Holcomb moved up to challenge Pomeroy for the lead after five laps. They had opened a wide gap on the pack as Gaylon Mosier (Hon), Bill Clements and Buck Murphy on a four-stroke Honda fough t for third position. Rapp was . on the move through traffic, bu t so were Greg Robertson and Parry Klassen, both CZ-mounted. Holcomb intimidated Pomeroy into some mistakes as the rno to neared half-way, and the' more experienced rider got by and moved away. Holcomb took the flag 20 seconds ahead of Pomeroy, who was followed by Mosier, Clements and Robertson. Tom Rapp moved up to finish seventh, and Bill Grossi overcame a bad start to get up to tenth. Eierstedt had moved up with Grossi, but slowed considerably in the closing laps with bike problems. Holcomb wired the second moto with no serious challenge, though Mosier and Eierstedt gave chase in the early laps. Tom Rapp was fourth until Grossi got around him, and Murphy . kept his four-stroke in the chase in sixth place. Eierstedt again retired, and Grossi moved into a distant second behind the fleeing Holcomb when Mosier had problems and fell back. Rapp moved back up to fight with Mosier for fourth position, getting by him and going after Grossi, who disappeared from the field a few laps later. Rapp took over second place as Ron Pomeroy moved up on Mosier and slipped underneath to grab third in the closing laps. Mosier was fourth, followed by Robertson. Pomeroy st.oked the hometown crowd again in the final moto, taking the early lead and riding well. Bu t Rapp was after him and took the lead within a few laps and opened a safe but not . The 250 Support Class heads for the first turn amidst the wet, cold pines. - Photo by Brad Lackey. Left: the 1973 500cc U.S. Motocross Champion. Right: the 1972 500cc U.S. Motocross Champion. Roger took the white flag in moto one and then lost his chain. He pushed to the pits. distant lead. Pomeroy got hot again a;:;d, accompanIed by cheers from the crowd, moved up to challenge Rapp for the lead. But a slow-tum fall stopped his charge, dropping the youngster to fifth. Holcomb was motoring safely in second after Pomeroy's mishap, not taking any serious chances that would jeopardize his overall victory. Grossi had been closing steadily and passed Holcomb to make up some ground on front-running Rapp. Pomeroy got by Mosier to move up to fourth, the position in which he finished. Grossi cut a little from Rapp's margin each lap, but never got close enough to make a serious bid for the lead. A t the flag it was Rapp, Grossi and Holcomb, who won the day with a fme 1/ I /3 performance. Pomeroy's 2/3/4 card gave him second in the final standings, with Rapp's 7/2/1 tally putting him third for a Bultaco sweep of the support class_ Gaylon Mosier ended fourth, followed by Rick Long and Tom Doherty aboard Yamahas. Buck Murphy displayed gallan t perseverance to finish seventh on the Elsinore-framed XL 250, followed by Rich Poulin, Bill Cook and Rick Jordan, all on Maicos. • Results 1. Srya, Holcomb (8ul). 2. Ron Pomeroy (Bul). 3. Tom Rapp IBUI). 4. Gaylon Mosier (HOn). S. Rick Long Vam). 6. Tom DOherty (Yam). 7. Buck Murphy (Hon). 8. Rich Poulin Mai). 9. Bill Cook (Mai). 10. Rick Jordan IMai). Overall 500 International 1. Pierre Karsrnakers (Vam) 2-2 Neth; 2. Gerfit Wo'sink (Mal) 1-4 \\18th; 3. Willi Bauer (Mal) 3-1 W. Car; 4. Tim "Hart (Vam) 6-5 USA; 5. Koji Masuda (Suz) 5-6 Jap; 6. Rich Thorwaldson (SUZ) 7-9 USA; 7. Peter Lamppu (Kawl USA; 8. Mike Runyanl (SUZ) USA; 9. Jan Johansson (Hus) Swed; 10. St.",. Stackab'. "(Mai) USA; 11. Jim West (HuS) USA; 12. Jim West (Hus) USA; 13. Taro Suzuki (Vam) Jap; 14. Brad Lackey (Kaw) USA; 15. Tom Kratz." (SUZ) USA; 16. Gary Semics (Hus) USA: 17. Adolf Well (Mai) W. Ger; 18. Blfl McLean (Vam) USA; 19. Roger DeCoster (Suz) Belg; 20. Lauri. Alderton (CZ) Aust; 21. ~Ick Bur....tt (Vam) USA. •

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