Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

• - • • Thorwaldson (Suz) 8·~. 7. Brltd uekey (Kaw) 7·10. 8. Kojl MelUda (Suz) 9·11. 9. Tarao Suzuki (VarnI 14·9.10. Steve Sl4ckeble (Mal) 12·13. 11. Gary Choplin (Hon) 1S·12. 12. Mike Runyard (SUZ) 11·16. 13. Tim Hert (Vern) 13·15. 14••Gary 5emles (Hus) 17·14. 15.,Wern.r SChutz (Mal) 25--8. 16. Gary Jones (I\oIal) 10·24. 17. Jim West (Hus) 16·19. 18. Pwter Lamppu (Kaw) 181.-8. 19. Jan Johansson tHus) 22·1? 20. Jim Cooke (Kaw) 19·20. II II ..:I = - 250 Support Class ca By John D. Ulrich DeWayne Jones predicted that Rich Eierstedt would win the support class today because Eierstedt had the fast!'st lap time in practice and the horsepower needed to win on his factory Honda. DeWayne's prediction came within one second·moto handlebar·tangle of being correct. as support class champion Eierstedt showed a little of how be got his crown. Eierstedt was rllst into the fllst turn of the rllst moto, and started right away to build a lead that was never challenged all the way to the checkered flag. Morris Malone (Yam), Ron Pomeroy (Bul), and Gaylon Mosier (Hon) followed a few seconds behind the flying leader the firs t tw 0 laps. Bryar Holcomb (Bul), who blew off everybody at Carnegie last week (as long as his bike ran), began to move up from his usual lower·top-ten start, while Bill Grossi ran about thirteenth. Holcomb moved up to challenge for third as Grossi worked his way into dghth by the th ird lap. Two laps later Eierstedt had a 9-second lead over Mosier, who had passed Malone and Pomeroy, and Holcomb was on one of his irresistible charges that brough t him in to fourth place; he also 'had passed a slowing Pomeroy. Grossi seized soon afterwards, and was out for the day. Mosier pulled away from a Malone/Holcomb dice, but was still unable to make up time on Eierstedt. The next lap Holcomb held third and had his sights on Mosier, Eierstedt, and the lead. It was too late, though, as the white flag signaling the last lap came out as Holcomb had moved up into a position to pressure Mosier. When the checkered flag flew it was Eierstedt,. Mosier, Holcomb, Malone, Tom Rapp (Bul). Pomeroy, and Buck Murphy (Pen) at the head of the huge pack. Bill Clements (Hus), whose consistency paid off with an overall win at Carnegie rast week, finished fifteen with a transmission that had blown second gear. Since the big blue and yellow Husqvarna bus carried no spare engine, he was out for the day. Malone got the -hole shot in the second moto and Eierstedt immediately put the pressure on him in a battle that had both of them wheel to wheel much of the time. Pomeroy and Mosier were doing the same thing in third and fourth, with Holcomb and Bill Payne righ t behind. . Holcomb suddenly slowed, and dropped back to dead last. After the race he would insist that his bike started cutting out because his knees accidently wrned off his gas taps. Malone, Eierstedt, l'omeroy, Murphy, Mosier and Payne rode around in a tight parade Cl") I' O'l ~ u .!:J E u u u Cl Tom Rapp (2) overtook Malone for second place in the final moto, but Malone's 412/3 card was good for first overall. while everyone else followed a course of hundred or so feet behind. Pomeroy fell back when his bike quit, but he got going again fast enough to take a sixth at the finish. Pomeroy also main tained after the race that his knees turned off his gas, an affliction which seemed to only affect Team Bultaco only' at Saddleback. On the same lap Malone slowed a bit and let Eierstedt, Murphy, and Payne past.. although he was able to hold off Mosier from passing too. Malone made a brief attempt to regain the lead and actually challenged Eierstedt again, but when an outside pass on the big uphill failed, he again fell back into fourth. Payne passed the now-second Murphy and blasted righ t up to Eierstedt, determined to win it. But when Payne tried an Oil. tside pass in the twisty Saddleback backfield. he locked handlebars with Eierstedt in mid air, sending them both into crashes. Murphy inherited the lead for the first Penton-won Support moto in the Trans-AMA series, with Malone second and Mosier third, followed by Rapp, Robert Brown (Mai), and Pomeroy. Holcomb had worked his way back up to twen tieth by the end of the 20-minute moto. Eierstedt again took the lead . from the start in the third moto, with Murphy second, Mosier third, Malone fourth and Pomeroy fifth. Holcomb was back around eighth off the line. Pomeroy hit a course marker post a{ter the start and got his body tangled up in course flags. He got going again almost last, but was in thirteenth by the rmish. DeCoster won the first moto just ahead of Wei!. The positions _re reversed in the deciding round. Holcomb, Mosier and 'Eierstedt chase support class winner Morris Malone. J While Eierstedt and Murphy led, Holcomb started the passing game he has mastered better than any other support class rider. He quickly moved into fifth place just behind Mosier and Malone. Malone passed Mosier for third, Murphy seemed about ready to try to pass Eierst!,dt, and Holcomb just flew past Mosier on the backfield downhill to take over fourth. Murphy's Penton suddenly seized up tight, and just as suddenly Tom Rapp came around the track in second, having sneaked up behind Eierstedt with ligh tning speed. Eierstedt won. with Rapp second, Malone third, Holcomb fourth and Mosier fifth. Overall it was Malone, Mosier, Rapp and Eierstedt. • Results: Support Class 1. Morris Malone (Yam) 4-2-3; 2. Gaylon Mosier (Hon) 2-3-5; 3. Tom Rapp (SuI) 5-4-2. 4. Rich Eierstedt (Hon) 1-15-1; 5. Robert Brown (Mail 11-5-6; 6. Bill Cook (Mai) 10-7-1-; 7. ~on Pomeroy (Bul) 6-6-13; 8. Srya, Holcomb (SuI) 3-20-4; 9. Rick Poulin (Mal) 14-11-8; 10. Buek MurPhY (Pen) 7-1-24; 11. Rick Long (Vam) 12·10-11; 12. Dave Bunker (Bul) 17-16-12; 13. John Dellalre (Mai) 27-12-10; 14. Parry Klassen feZ) 13-11-25; 15. Bruce Baron (Vam) 20-13-14; 16. Ron Self (Mal) 8-1-38: 17. Oavld Clemence (Bul) 14-24-16; 18. Joe Ferrini. Jr. (Yam) 21-21-12; 19. Sherman Schneller feZ) 18-23·20. The Palfreyman/Gardner Triumph-Wasp about to get aced by the Monahan/Ramsden Honda-Wasp. 31 .-

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