Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

• In ots oe How it started: Beauchamp (31) and Hocking (31z) already clearing away f ro m Laww ill (7) . A ldana (13 ). Will iams (70) . Romero (3). Ascot Half-mile National Sp ringsteen's Mich igan Harle y an d ca me fro m far back in the early laps to take over third an d lasi transfer o n th e final two ro unds. Io wa 's Steve Dr ost e, wh o nearl y wo n the main event a week ago , was far off his firs t night pac e an d ran a dist an t sixth. By Bob F. Read GARDENA, CAL.. OCT. 12 Semi fin als Rookie Rick Hocking won his second straight AMA National dirt track race a fter favored Corky Keener fell off in the 16th annual running o f th e Asc ot Nati on al Half-Mile_ H o ck in g ret urned to his " ho me " tra ck rid ing a nin e-in-a- 6 row win streak o n th e half-m ile (thr ee he at s, th ree T roph y Dashes an d three main events) , plu s r a one night short track swee p of four races . However , he was no t th e pre-race favori te . That ho n or was shared by Kenny Roberts, th e '7 3 winner and Michigan 's Corky Keener and Rex Beauchamp. Rick missed fas t time in qualifying by one tick of the cloc k when Rex Beau ch amp go t the nod; becoming only th e third no n-Californian ever to do it. (Res we be r and Mar kel we re the o t he r two , man y , many ye ars ago .] Rex Beauchamp tailed Mert Lawwill in th e op ening heat race fo r the fir st five lap s before gra b bing th e lead and go ing on for th e win with the fas tes t 10 lap s of the night. Gene Romero moved in to thi rd on lap five but co uld not close , taking last di rect transfer to the final . The secon d heat found ro o kie Hocki ng getting hi s first rea l t est o f th e night. He jum pe d into th e lead fro m th e sta rt wit h Corky Keener righ t on his rear wh eel. T hen Keen er star ted to drop ba ck and Ascot vet erans DeWayne Keeter and John Hatel ey st ar ted to close up . Keet er dro p pe d Co rk y to thi rd o n lap five with Ha te ley m oving by in to thi rd on lap seven . Keen er h ung on to fourth spot over Tom Whit e to gain a transfe r to the Semi. Flo rida rider Charlie Seale co uld p ull no better th an a distant seventh . also mo ving to th e Semi . T hree di ffer en t rid ers led th e th ird heat . Fo r the first. th ree laps i t was r o okie J ohn Ge nnai (H-D) . Then . O regon 's Mark William s on his self-t une d T rium ph too k over and led for fo ur laps. On lap seven Kenn y Rob erts sh o t into th e lead o n his fac tory Yamah a an d wen t on to w in to t he deligh t of the all -time reco rd cro wd. T he fourth and final heat race also featured t hre e different lead ers :" First it was John Sperry, a newer Expert who had nev er before led a race at Ascot. Sperry held the lead the first fo ur laps before b "ving way to Dav e Ald ana , again ridi ng th e Mik e Kid d factory Trium ph. But Hank Scott came on late an d fas t to t ak e th e lead and the win away on lap seven. Fr ank Gille spi e borrowed Jay The first Expert Sem i feat ur ed Corky Keen er , Charlie Seale and Doug Sehl again st a supporting cas t of Asco t locals an d tra veling Ed die Wirth . None of them cam e close to winning. Keen er be came th e on ly fall down cas ualt y of t he night wh en h e got int o th e second tum too hot whil e running second. Ten o th er riders ra n all over th e trac k to mi ss man an d machine and they did. It all happen ed on lap two. Par t- tim e Expert Paul Bostrom went on to record t he win . Ch al k up ano th er out -o f -sta t e vic tim of th e Ascot National jin x. Seal e again failed to get moving and ran o ut of a transfer to t he Trophy Final. Doug Sehl , ho wever , stayed in and o u t of th ird and second place . He finall y grabbed off the n um ber three sp o t behi nd rookie Mike Rens low. The second and las t Semi supplied m uch of t he eve ning 's ac tio n . Ascot aces Ron Moore and Terry Dorsch fo ught it out wh ee l to wh eel most of the wa y with Moore lead ing the first five laps before Dorsch in ched by on lap six. But Moore refused to give up the las t

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