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/125889
Trans-AMA: Roger vs: everybody Adolf Well: 1973 winner Yokio Sugio: a comer The man who won at Saddleback last year and domi nated t he 1973 Trans·AMA series has had a rocky road this year. with sparkling performances bracketed by falls and mechan i· Roger DeCoster The man whose name means motocro ss on t\VO cont inents has to be th e heavy fa vorit e at Saddlebac k, a track he uses fo r pract ice a nd play wh en he' s "In residence" in Souther n California . Last year he swa pped w ins w ith Ado lf Weil here, ru nn ing second to th e German in the crucial final moto. This year he will be ridin g w it h the develnpmental Maico-styl e forks fitted to his 400cc works Su zu ki. cal ills. By way of his engineering skill and long associat ion w ith Maico. he has left his indelible stamp on the fi rm's motocro ss machinery . Loo k for his wor ks Maico to be the near ultimate in LTR technology . Japan's answer to the Southern Cali fornia Fast Kent Howerton going away-so far The Husky rider fro m San Anton io . Texas has three win s and twO seconds in the series (not munt ing Livermo re) to all 6ut clinch the points championship . Factory Teenager Syndrome has the motorcycle press hustling to fi nd out where he's been hiding until thi s year . now that he's steadi ly w orked his way up in the T rans-AMA standi ngs in his first appearance out side Japan. At age 20, he's been under contract with the home factory for better than two years, and was 197 4 Japanese Nati o nal Number Two 125cc motocrosser beh ind Tarao Suzuki. He p refers the 125 class. a nd up unt il this year had nev er gated from an Amer ican-style starting gate in the midst of 30 or more hungry riders . With a thi rd at Orlando a nd a third at Puyallup , he's obviously not letting preferences or habits stand in his way . It's go or blow for Jim Pomeroy Th e first Amer ican to w in a moto cross Grand Prix is still on Bult aco despite all the rumors and despite a fru strat ing 19 74 season. A ft er Puyallup he stood fou rt h ove rall in the Gen it W olsink A dent ist who has yet to hang ou t his shingle because he found someth ing better to do. Gerr it Wolsink a t 26 is one of the most articulate and respected of Grand Prix motocross riders. The mult i..fingual Wolsink . as presiden t of the GP . Riders Assocation, acts as the prime med iator between riders and race organizers world-wide. An early leader in this ve ar's Trans-A MA. he won at Orlando, Florida a nd of cou rse b lew Californ ia spectators away wi th his do-or-die victory d'targe at Carlsbad th is s umme r, Tr ans-AMA stand ings and first Amer ican. ju st 23 points up on Brad Lackey . His best finishes t o that ti me were a pair of th irds. one at Linnvi lle. Oh io and one at Orlando. Florida - consistently high mote fi nishes wor king to his advantage in each. It 's not his sty le, though , t o loaf and save th e equipment . He goes for the front position and has the strength to get ther e. Brother Ron Pomeroy: a cold wind from the Northwest Number t hree in th e 1974 ta lly aft er a fift h at Puyallup, Ro n Pomeroy is giving Bultaco its best ride in th e class w ith consistent finishes in all but one T rans-AMA (Lake Whitney , wh ere a lost chain cost him a moto win J. Come to think of it, that demon chain cost him at Puyallup , too. For Marty Smith and K Zahrt: en a homecoming, of sorts Harry Everts on Puch Giving th e b ig Puch prototy pe its first pub lic expo sure in t he U.S., Harry Everts vaulted into serious co ntentio n in the 19 74 TransAMA with a seco nd at Lake Whitney, Texas and a win at Puyallup, Washington - bo t h man/ mach ine punishing mud runs. Well- 12 know n in Europe. Everts has suddenly become a force to reckon with in Amer ica. Coming back to one of the Southern Cal ifo rnia tracks they built their reputat ions on . these two will be on home turf . Smith, with a full Honda rid e. has two f irsts. Atl anta and Or lando . plus several other strong finishes to put h im second after Howerton on points foll owing Puyallup . Ken Zahr t got on the book s in this series by winn ing at Puyall up . Brad Lackey The only Ameri can who could cope w ith the early 450 Kaw asaki prototypes, now on Husq varna , Brad Lackey has to beat Jim Pomeroy to come out top A merican in this series. Brad's been consistent. w ith a top-ten finish in every T rans-AMA up until Puyallup. where a second mota fall cut h im short of a good placing. It all begins to happen at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. December 1. with the opening of the first practice session. First Internat ional moto is at 12 Noon , 40 minut es plus two laps; and at 1 p.rn. , the first Support moto will go 30 minut es plus two laps. Tickets are 57 adults, $4 juniors age six to tw elve, under six free. Kawasaki deale rs, and Orange County Grant Boys stores have discount coupons. Gates open at 6:30 a.rn. They'll be going off on a premiere Southern California tra ck that will have been combed and brushed like a thoroughbred's mane. With with the mud baths at Lake Whitney and Puyallup, the normall y dry cond it ions may be a welcome relief to most of the riders. After all - it never rains in Southern Californ ia.