Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

CMCAscot By Greg Cain/Creat ive Images GARDENA, CAL., J AN. 26 This year's first CMC sanctioned 11 and half mile flat track race at Ascot was made up of a small but fast field of riders. This event is going to run every Saturday (weather permitting) with a prom· ise of more money and lo ts of fast action. With the track in very fast 12 co ndi tion and all the riders be ing pretty even as far as ability and sp eed o f th eir bikes the races were for th e mos t par t won a t the starting lin e. There wasn ' t a ra ce all day that wasn't run with th e majority of the pack being wheel to wheel all the way. The first six ra ces were IT heat races wit h two heats in each class. With the comp etiti on broken d own into six heats the to p riders went to the main and the rest of th e field went to the semi- main. By the time the main event was posted, just about every rider whose bike was still running was in the main. The first 125 IT race began wi th Mike Tid well (Yam) off to a fast start with · Bobby Brown (Yam) in hot pursuit, Steve Woskoski (Yam ) was h old in g down third. In the middle of the second lap Tom Hutchinson (Yam ) sq ueezed by Woskoski and was headed for Brown but he just didn 't have enough speed to gel by . In the end Tidwell and Brown held on and transferred to th e main. The second heat was fo llow the ' lead er fro m Green to checkered with Mik e Minnig (Kaw) an d Tom Doty (Hon) going to the main. Next up were the 250cc ma ch in es. Into the first tum it wa s Elbert Turner (Yam ), Mike Tidwell (Y am) and Steve Scott (Bul) . In the mi dst of the second lap Scott got around T idwell and held on the rest of the way. In fourth it was T ony Henera (Bul ) mnning hard for th e first three laps but he was forced out with problems. Tony and teamma te J im ( Be a r ) Thorp were plagued with problems all day but swore th ey would be back nex t we ek , read y. T he second 2 5 0 even t was a real m ind bender. Dave Pessy (Hon) j um pe d off to a quick lea d an d , held it, fr om there on back the score keepers were pulling th eir hair o ut. Tom Warre n (Bu l) th ought he ha d seco nd nailed d own bu t Willie Ho ckie had o ther id eas. Larry Levoff (H on) saw th is and on the nex t lap he pulled the same tr ic k. When th e race ended it was Pessy , Hockie and Levoff goi ng to the main . The first 500 event was settled right at the finish line and the first turn. Richard Marquis (Hon) and Kir k Redding (Mai) took the first two spots and wen t to the main. The second heat was a rerun of th e first with David Ham (Mai) and John Sperry (Suz) advancing. The remainder o f the field went to the semi . The nex t four races were half mil e with only one heat in the under 200 class. When the green dropped and the riders went into the first turn you co uld cover the field with a blanket. a u t of the first tu rn it was Eddie Lawson (Ya m), Mik e Ti dwell (Ya m) and Robert Goodwin (RVA special) hol d in g do wn the first th ree spots. The race was close all the way wi th on ly seconds between eac h rid er as they passed the chec kered. In the n ex t two races we h ad the on ly California R R racing father and son team. T hey are AI Mark , Sr. and AI Mark, J r. T his was their first ti me on the lo ng half m ile and they didn't do too well th is week. Both, however, d id advance to t he semi-main. T he first 250 heat ke pt th e crowd on their feet for the entire race. Cha rles So de ns trorn (Yam) flyin g o n the outside too k th e lead an d held on all the wa y with Mike T id we ll and Elbert Turner both on Yamahas a cons t ant threat to the leader. On the second lap Fran k Vasquez (Ka w) moved from six th t o fourth. The next time around Frank h ad slipped back and AI Mark, Sr. had from last up to fourth . Tidwell and T urn er meanwhile changed pl aces on every other lap with Tidwell fin ally holding on to second, Turner third and Edward Du eckert (Yam) coming from wa y behind to grab fourth . The next two were very fast follow the leader races with T o m Berry (Yam) and Robert Murry (Yam ) going to the main in the first heat a nd Scott Marshall (Ya m ) and Vin ce Mead (Yam ) in the second. Eddie Lawson (Yam ), Steve Steel (H od) and Bob Hammerich (Yam ) fou ght a wheel to wheel battle in the sem i main for the 125 IT. By t he end of the rac e several rid ers w ere out wi th troubles and th e remainder o f th e field transferred to t he main. In th e 25 0 IT semi -ma in th e track p roved to be a on e groove race course agai n wi t h t he lead er s fly in g a ll the w ay. Larry Levo ff (Ho n) doin g so me fan cy cro ssed up jum ping was ou t front with Leonard Gilliland (Yam ) ho t o n h is heels. It wasn' t u nt il the las t lap tha t Levoff got o ut f ro n t far enough to ma ke it a sure w in. With all riders in the semi mains going to the main and no semi in the under 200 flat track, the ne x t events were the mains. In t h e 125 TT m ain the ra ce was won right at the st art ing line. Mike Tidwell (Yam) who had been fast all day screamed aw ay from the green and held on all th e way . Eddie La wson (Yam ) grabbed seco nd and Mike Minnig (K aw) third. It was an even race all the way with t he entire field bunched closely all th e way. In the 250 IT the fir st fo ur places were har d fough t a ll the way. Dave Pessy (Hon) and Steve Scott (B ul) cha nge d pl aces fo r the lead several t im es and so did Larry Levo ff and Leonard Gill iland for th ird and fou rth . Wh en this race got to the flag the leader s co uld have just about touched eac h o ther. The 500 IT started w ith Rick Reddin g taking the lead and ho ld in g it on his very fast Maico and Rich ard Marq uis (Ho n) in second . Fro m th ird on back the race was really mean. John Sp erry held t hird f or th ree laps an d th en David Ham began to move up . By the sixth lap Ham had managed to get by Sperry in a turn then Vern Maxwell (Bul) be gan to move and got by both Sperry and Ham. Coming out of the last tum heading fo r th e winner's flag Ham w as still ch alle nging Maxwell but his Mai co jus t couldn't get around the qu ick Bul. The under 200 main st arted with the riders lined up acco rd in g to the way they finished the heat. It was quick little Mike Minnig (Kaw) and Tom Doty (Ho n) who were out front. Eddie Lawson and Mik e Tidwell on Yarnahas were in third and fourt h. T hey changed positions twice during the race with Lawson finall y holding out fo r third. In the 250 FT main it was a fiel d of Yamahas with Charles Sodenstrom and Tom Berry fighting for first. Berry finally got ah ead and held on but Sodenstrorn was never far behind. Brian Garcia held third. All in all it was a very in teresting day of CMC racin g. T he promise of good weather and a good rider turnout for next week should make for an even better program so gr ab yo ur favorite ? and co me on out to Asc ot. Ra ces begin at 2 :0 0 p .m, • Resu lts 125 TT 1st HEAT : 1. M i k e Tid w ell ( Va m) . 2 . Bobb y B rown ( Vam) . 3 . Tom Hutchinson (V a m) . 2 n d HEAT : 1. Mike Minnig ( K aw). 2 . Tom D o t y ( Han). 3 . Edd ie L awso n ( Va m). S EMI MAIN: 1. E d die Lawson (Vam) .2 . Steve Steel ( Han) . 3 . Bob Hamme r ic k ( V am). M AIN : 1. Mike Ti d well (Vam) . 2. EddIe Lawson (Va mi' 3. Mike M i nnig ( K aw) . . 250 TT st H EAT : 1. El bert Turner (Vam ) . 2 . Steve Scott ( B u l ). 3. Mike T idwell (Yam ) . 2nd HEAT : 1. Dave Pessy (Ha n). 2 . Willie H a c k ie III (OSS) . 3. Tom Warren ( Bul) . SEMI MAIN : 1. La rry Levoff (Han) . 2 . Leonard G ill iland ( Y a m ). 3 . Rich Kou ns (auu. M AIN : 1. Dave Pessy (Han) . 2 . Steve S cott (BUI) . 3. Larry Levoff (Han) . 500 TT 1st HEAt" : 1. Richard MarQuis (Hon) . 2 . Kirk Red d i n g (Mai) . 3. La rry L evoff (Han). 2nd HEAT: 1. DaVi d Ham (Mai) . 2. Joh n Sperry (SUll . 3 . Vern M axwe ll { Bu t) , SE MI M A I N : 1. Vern Max we ll (B u l ) . 2 . Gal'Y And er son ( Bu l) . 3 . L ar r y Leve t t (Han ) . M A I N: 1. Rick Red ding ( Ma il ' 2 . Ric hard Ma r Quis ( H a n ) . 3 . Vern M ax well But} . HAL F' M ILE FLAT TRAC K U NDE R 2 00 HEAT RA CE : 1. Eddie Lawson (Y am ) . 2 . M i k e T idwell (V am ). 3 . Robert Good win (R VA s p . ) MA I N : 1. Mike Minn ig ( K aw ) . 2. T o m D o t y ( Honl ' 3 . Edd ie La wson ( Yam) . 25 0 cc st HEAT : 1. cnas , So d en st rom (Ya m). 2 . Mike T id well (Ya m) . 3 . E lbert T ur n er ( Y am) . 2 n d HE A T: 1. To m B erry ( Y a m) . 2 . Robert Murray (V am) . 3 . Craig Hudso n ( Bu l) . 3rd HE A T : 1 . Sc ott Ma rs ha ll ( Y am). 2. Vince Mead (Yam) . 3 . R lc nara Pla egon ( K aw) . SEMI M A I N : 1. Elbe rt Turner ( Y arn ). 2 . B r ian Ga r c ia ( Ya m). 3 . R ichara Plaegon ( K aw). MAI N : 1. T om Be rry ( Y ~ m ) . 2. cnas. SOdenst ro m ( Y a m). 3 . Br ian C arcla (Yam ) .

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