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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125861
-- Ul 51 r;Q ;i!!: r;Q ..:lI g ~ g ."j" rO"l Pomeroy first non-Czech in Czech-dominated Czech250GP By Martin Christie HOUCE , CZECHOSLOVAKIA, MA Y 5 Young Czech J aroslav Falta pulled >- out his lead in this year's 250cc 2 Motocross World Championship in the Czech Grand Prix at Holice. 00 C'J (';l Falta, on the gas-damped, reed valve factory 250 CZ won the second moto, and was leading the first for II laps before his ignition packed up . Falta now has a 15 point lead over Russian Gunnady Moisseiev (KTM) who ·ran out of luck on the hard , fast, twisty ' Ho lice course. Moisseiev finished only the first moto in sixth place, suffering handling p roblems on the tortuous track, and was way out of the running in the second leg. . Reigning World Champion Hakan Andersson is now in big trouble if he plans to hold onto his crown this year. During practice on Saturday, he fell off the Yamaha coming down off one of the fast jumps - unable to pull back on the bars because of his still-swollen wrist. While he was still struggling on the ground in the blinding dust, Czech factory rider Miroslav Halm landed on top of him. Andersson was able to walk away, but he immediately decided to pack up and head back to Belgium to seek the services of top motocross doctor Jan der Vanduven. Also requiring medical aid that day, Belgian Sylvain Geboers never made the Czech border. He stopped off in Dusseldorf, Germany to see a doctor because of stomach discomfort. Sylvain just wanted some pills to tide him over, b ut the German doctor immediately rushed hi m to the ho spital with a severe inte'stina l i n f e c t i on , possib ly appendicitis . After h is wi nning fo rm in Italy , Ji m Po m eroy to o k third in the second mo to - a big improve me nt on hi s seve nth on the first. Ji m is still suffering from serious damping problems with the Bultaco, having to throwaway a pair of KONls or Telescos after each race. The new swingarm o n the works Bul, with the damping un its m oved forward, really makes those shocks work. The factory isalso having J im test the Italian Marzocchi forks w hich feature a un iq ue conical pis ton co n trolling the oil damping. Ji m tried t he Marzocchis in practice but they are a bit longer than the standard Berors. So he used the stock Be tors he prefers, instead, for the GP . Top Belg ian rider was re la tive unknown Gaston Rahier,long considered Number Three rider on the 250 Suzuki team. He is gassing it consistently this season. He and Brad exchange hot tips in Belgium. Despite his col lision with Andersson in p rac tice , local boy Halm wen t on to have best overall performance fo r the day, w ith a fifth , and a second in the two heats. T he Gr an d Prix was a be nefit fo r the Czech s. all round, urged on thro ugh b linding dust by abou t 35,000 en th usias tic .fan s. Falta (CZ) appeared to be walking away wi th the fi rst m o t o until his sparks failed at three-q uarters distance, but the flag was taken up by Jiri Churavy (CZ) who won t hat · moto . over compatriot Antonin Baborovski - also, strangely enough, on CZ. Po m e roy was the top placing non-Czech at the Czech 250 GP, ranked fourth overall behind Hal m, Falta, and Churavy, with seventh in the first heat and a blistering third in the second. Only Falta, ahead in th e dust, and Halrn, on his home track, were able to stay ahead of the blue and white Bultaco. Fastest KTM of the day was that of wild Russian, Pavel R ulev, who ran third in the first leg. But, by the second leg, the Austrian factory's overall threat was ended. He trailed home ninth. Best J apanese facto ry rider of the meeting , Torlief Hansen, finally managed to finish a Grand Prix, in fourth p lace on the Kawasaki. But his luck didn't last in the second heat and he was back spectating again. Six times 250 World Champion, Joel Robert, d idn't like the goi ng at all and reti re d ea rly in bo th races. In fact, top Suzuki rider was flam b oyan t Belgian, Gaston Rahier, wit h an eighth in each moto. J ust be hind him in t he first heat was stocky Scot Vic A llan, on the "other" Bultaco. Allan was virt ua lly last away b ut carved his way th rough the backmarkers and blinding dust up to ni nt h. In the second moto, A llan went to the other extreme - getting away first o ut of the gate. After a few laps, he fou nd his goggles fogged and pulled them down, but was unable to see the flying Falta get by him outside. Mir os lav Halm was the next man past Allan. Then Jim Pomeroy came up and di ced for several laps before eventually zapping the Scot. Pomeroy maintained third to the checkered ahead of Harry Everts (Puc), but couldn't catch the Czechs. The 14 GP points tied Jim for seve nth in the title chase. After mechancial troubles in the first moto, the Puch riders were back in action in the sec ond, with Herbert Schmitz finishi ng sixth, closely tailed by Montesa's Raymond Bove n. T his GP was another impressive runaway for th e European bi kes, with G a s t on R ah ier putting the only J apanese bike (his S u zu ki R H) in the to p t en . In fact , th e n ex t o rie ntal mac hi ne was th e pri vately -entered Yamaha of E nglish m an .Roger Harvey a st oc k YZ, now alm ost an a n t iq ue in the day of monoshocks. • Results M o ~ o One : 1. Jifl C hura vy (eZ) CSS R: Z . Ant omn Baborovsk y rc z) CSS R; 3 . Pav e l Ru ley (KTM) .U SS R ; 4 . Tarlie f H an sen (Kaw) s we d; -. 5. Mlroslav Hat m (e Z ) CSS R ; 6 . Gunna d y M Oi sseie .., ( K TM ) USS R; 7 . Jim Pome r oy (SUI) U SA ; 8 . Gaston R e tu e r (SU.l) 8e19; 9 . Vic A ll an (SUi) UK, 10. An t a o li Ovtctunmkcv rcz i, USS R. Moto Two : 1. .rar osta v Falta rcz i CSSR; 2 . Mirosla v H al m (eZ) CSSR; 3 . Jim Pomeroy (SuI) USA; 4. Harry Everts (PUC) 8 eI 9 : ~ . Vic Allan , (8ul) UK; 6 . Her bert Schmitz (PUC) w . 34 Ger: r. ~aymon d Boven (Mon) 8819 ; 8 . aaston Rah,er (SU.l) Belgj 9 . Pavel Rulev (KTM) USS R ; 10 . Jiri Festa (CZ) CSSR . Jaroslav Falta CZ-ed int o a commanding lead in the points standings, winning the second moto. Pride of Yakima, and the USA, J im Pomeroy continued on form 'taking a seventh and a third in the Czech round of the 250 World Motorcycle Championship . This fast Puch 250 carried Belg ian factory rider Harry Everts to more GP points.