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/125840
; • • • • • I II e ~ r-O"l Photography: Art Friedman, Tomie Lafon, Jim Gianatsis, Marcia Holley, Tod Rafferty, Dan Mahony, Richard Creed, Gary Van Voorhis, Floyd Busby, and John Huetter Commentary by John Huetter What is past is prologue. He who ignores the lessons of history is doomed to repeat them, and lots of other tired copybook homilies could be used to preface and "dignify" the following pages. But the events need no added attempts at dignity if they were "uppers" and any such attempt would be futile for the "downers" in the past year of motorcycling. We note, in no particular order, the events that moved us, made us think, or affected our lives as motorcyclists and human beings dur- ing 1973. The world of sport on two wheels presents a frighteningly accurate microcosm of the world we live in. There is triumph, tragedy, defeat, and comedy. The year just past provid~d a 1974 preview of a sport that has reached new highs just as its existence as we know it seems most threatened. Just think of all the good stuff and it gives you a nice friendly glow or maybe a short tingle up your spine. To a lot of us, that- is what motorcycling is all about. Another nice guy who provided an upper of large dimensions is Kenny Roberts, who won the AMA National Championship with an unprecendented point total (2014) and was the first rider to do it on a Japanese motorcycle (Yamaha). which was probably inevitable sooner or later but Kenny did it first. 3 A general upper, on reflection, was the first ISDT to be held in the USA. It was an immediate sort of victory, albeit technical, over some misguided eco·freaks who were seeking legal action to block the whole thing. AI Eames' handling of the whole affair from start to finish counts for much. Most especially, the U.S. winning its first Silver Vase due to the efforts of Ron Bohn, Dick Burleson, Ed Schmidt and Malcolm Smith on Husqvarnas was an uncompromised upper. Great Britain finishing second, on Rickmans and Triumphs prepared in the U.S., was an upper if only to reassure all Anglophiles that though the sun may have set on the British Empire, they are still able to produce an occasional flash in the darkness. It was also the best they'd done in nearly 20 years. 1 Jim Pomeroy's performance all season on the 250 Bultaco provided one of the more extreme uppers of the year. It's almost redundant to list all that happened again, but 1et us not forget he was the first American to win a World Championship Grand Prix and, perhaps more importantly in the long run, Jim significantly upgraded the European image of American motocrossers. What makes the list of "first" accomplishments even more of an upper is that Jim is really a pretty darn nice guy. 2 Dave Aldana got a real Norton sponsorship, won a National and finished in the top ten in the U.S. It was a bizarre but successful combination of British reserve and Chicano power. Contrary to rumors, Dave did not pick up an English accent with the sponsorship. 4 7