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/125868
• • a cott • • rose san ~-.WIC WIt o erts or .-...,..._essert I In The National Championship field explodes int o the first turn of the mile but th is start was aborted half-a-lap later when Mert (7) Lawwill and Jim (24) Rice fell at once. Mert suffered a tweaked ankle to go with his bruised arm from a time-trial spill earl ier in the day. By Charles Clayton SAN JOSE, CAL., JULY 7 When they turned them loose for practice, you could tell right away that this wouldn't be a re-run of the month-ago mile National at th e sam e p lace. The motors so unded good. AMA 's top Experts were dialed in on San Jose this time and Gary Scott, in particular, was o ut 10 to revenge himself for th e narrow defeat he suffered from Kenny Robert. here the last time around. Mert Lawwill was hungriest for th e win. Trying to set fast tim e in the qualifying laps he br ok e lo ose , nearly saved it. but flipped over th e high sid e, his bod y skid di ng to a st op ju st in ch es fro m th c fen ce. Mert h urt hi s arm . damaged his Harley-Davidson, but got righ t up an d tirn e-tri aled ninth o n h is spa re bike . To Chuck Palmgren went fa st-ti me honors. Ch uck's Gurney Yamaha mad e the mile in 39.20 seconds, leaving Mert 's May Sa n J ose track record of 38.43 standing. Don Castro was back racing after mend ing fro m his rece n t inj ury and Do n q u alifi ed fo r th e show, as di d Al Gunter on the Stan ley Pest Yamaha, advancing Al an o th er step o n the co meback trail. The ski mpy cro wd o f 7,700 gave Albert a large ovatio n. T he firs t hea t got the races all to a sizz ling start wi th Palmgren and Ken Roberts privat e Ya maha versus factory Yam aha - ding-donging it in the ea rly l ap s . C hu ck s h o wed h is ho rse pow er ad van tag e on the straigh t stre tc h es, lead in g Kenny in to th e turns. wh ere the Grand National Champ o u tro de h im cleverly to take the lead, on ly t o be repassed by Palmgr en ' s right-turning twin a t the end o f th e straigh t. Meanwhile, Mert Lawwill was inc hing up o n the lea ders and fina lly passed b oth of them to win the first hea t, followed by Rober ts. Jud gin g by the cheers fro m th e gran dstand, at th is poi n t no fan would have taken $20 for h is tic ke t. T h is was firs t class racin g. Heat n u m ber two began a series of cras hes th at woul d co n tinue throu gh the day. On th e restar t, Jim Odom led bri efl y before fa lling back to four th . lI ank Scott took ove r, fo llo wed by Gene Romero (w ho won third he re last mo nt h) and Corky Keen er o n th e Bart Markel Harley. Keener zapped the two lead ers and won t he ra ce by a long reach . Ron Moore o n the Triumph won fourth and last direct transfer to the National. Th e third heat got unde rw ay fin ally with two restarts . The second try was red-Flagged afte r Larry Gino powered