Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

! oberts breaks eDome TT jinx ...... ...... By Richa rd Creed HOUSTON, TEX. , JAN. 3 1 Grand National Champion Kenny Roberts decisively won a wreck1 age-strewn and restart-plagued opening round of the 1975 Camel Pro Series ton ight before a crowd of over 29,000 spectators. In so doing, Ro berts fin ally defeated the Astrodome IT jinx that has hounded him for th e last four years. Two years ago Roberts hit a soft spot in the ins ide hairpin tum and stalled, leaving the winner's circle center st age to Triumph-mounted privateer Mike Haney. Last year the combination of a fresh frame design and Dave Hansen's determination kept the National Champion from wearing the victo r's laurels. The 23·year-old champion added tonight's TT win to his short tra ck victories of ' 72 and"'73, becoming the first rider in the eight-year history of the Astrodome races to have won both events. Flashing a broad smile and shaking a bottle of champagne, Roberts wisecracked with reporters, posed for photos, kissed the trophy girl and congratulated arch-rival Gary Scott on his second place finish before popping the champagne in a bubbly geyser. Joining Roberts and Scott in the foamy fun was Norton-mounted Mark Williams who placed third. although Roberts led the National Final from the second lap to the finish and qualified first in time trials he had to battle back from fo urth to second place behind Scott's Harley in the first heat when he experienced momentary engine problems on the third lap. The Heats 16 In the first of four heats, Gary Scott took the hole shot over pole-sitter Kenny Roberts, Dave Hansen and Mark Williams who held the outside front row position. Scott was never headed or even challenged after Roberts had his problems. Mark Williams and Dave Hansen slipped past Roberts before his engine cleared. Roberts quickly repassed Williams and set out after Hansen, last year's TT winner, but Hansen fought back after Roberts passed him and repassed the National Champion on the next lap. Then Hansen slipped off his lin e and Roberts motored away . Mark Williams began a successful challenge on Hansen's position and locked up the last direct transfer spot to the main, leaving Hansen to contest the first of two scheduled semis. At the finish it was Alex Jorgensen (Tri), Bruce Hanlon (H. D), Terry Dorsch (Tri ), Ike Reed (Tri) and DeWayne Keeter (Yam) joining Hansen in semi action. The sec o nd heat was restarted after a first tum crash involving Frank Gillespie (H-D) and others brought out the red flag. John Hateley (Nor) had been leading at the start. On the restart Danny Hockie (Yam) fell while ro undi ng the infield hairpin and was centerpunc hed by Sonny Burress (Tri). Burress was ab le to continue but the evening was ove r for Ho ckie who was shaken a bit and whose bike sustained a cracked gas tank and broken shift lever in the accident. While an alternate rider was brought out to take Heckle's place Mert Lawwill made an "inquiry" to the starter about Guy McClure's rolling start technique. The third restart finally got underway just before the Astro-clock flashed 9 p .m., but a jumped start by Charlie Brown (Tri), Ricky Graves (Tri), Sonny Burress and Rick Hocking (Yam) further delayed the program. On the fourth and final attempt, the field broke away cleanly with Mert Lawwill (H-D) in the lead fo llowed by rookie Guy McClu re (Yam), John Hateley and Rick Hocking. The former Grand National Champion had little trouble pulling away from his pursuers an d would occasionally look b ack to chec k on their madness. Madness it was, with first Hateley then Hocking challe ng ing and then passing McClure who seemed to tire at ab o u t the midway point. Two laps later McClure regained his form and began battling with Charlie Brown for fourth place. TIme ran out and Brown prevailed. Chuck Palmgren became the first non-starter of the '75 season when his BSA lunger coughed its carb on the way to the line of the third heat. It was a disappointment to say the least, as Palmgren ha d qualified the only four stroke single in the race on the pole. Randy Skiver (Tri) dominated the action from the start leaving John Gennai (H.D) and former Astrodome short track winner, Jim Odom (H-D) to fight it out with Kenny Roberts' protege Ski p Aksland (Yam). Aksland was the gadfly in the Harley so up and held on to "third place during the last three laps un til the final tum when he nu dged Odom, who was in second, to t he outside. Gennai , following closely behind Aksland, saw the opening inside line and powered by both into second place. Odorn found traction and beat Aks land to the flag. The fourth heat was delayed while Dave Aldana sorted out some minor engine problems an d was restarted. Aldana dirtied his new skeleton st yle leathers in a first tum lay down. As usual, Dave emerged unscathed, but Mert Lawwill had a few words with the officials while everyone returned to the line. At one point Lawwill turned to the crowd and, gesturing toward the trackside scene, exclaimed, U\ Ve don 't need this. " Observers of the incident were about evenly divided as to whether Aldan a h ad been bumped or not. Aldana made the restart in gra nd style, gassing it out of the pit ar ea to the applause of the crowd. Despite th e feelings of those concerned with motorcycle racing' s " im age " th e cro wd loved Aldana and his Mr. Bones attire. Roberts is the only other rider who drew lo uder applause. Eddie Mulder took the lead on the restart and appeared to be in a secure lead over Ron Powell (Tri) until Mulder slipped the line on the front straight and Powell got by him for the win. Jay Springsteen (H.D) and Aldana also got around Mulde r before the chec kered flag came out. The Semis Bruce Hanlon crashed he avily co ming off the jump on the first lap of the first semi and the race was restarted. Dave Hansen took the lead on th e restart followed by Alex Jorgensen and Dennis Briggs on a Kawasaki two-stroke single . Roberts won the TT with Gary Scott a distant second. Tracksiders say a fat wallet must have slowed him in the following night's short t rack. First heat scramble as Roberts sets his sights up the inside. Leading: Gary Scott. then Hansen , Jorgensen, Williams hanging to the outside and Eddie Wirth trai ling. Rick Hock ing. new number and all, shadowed by 1971 short t rack winner Jim (18) Odom . Briggs took a deep inside line app roaching an infield t um which intersected second place man J o rgensen 's line alongside the leader, Dave Hansen. Briggs wriggled, Jorgensen bobbled an d locked up with Hansen who was on the outside of the tum. Briggs too k over the lead as Jorgensen and Hansen, still tangled up, hit the hay bales. When Hansen was on his feet again he gave Jorgensen a middle finger greeting and watched the seconds tick This John Hatele y (98I/Guy McClure (SON ) battle went back and forth after they finally got the second heat going. away his last chance of defending his TT win of las t year. Briggs went o n to win after his strongest challenger. Guy McClure, cra shed spectacularly off the j ump. The second semi was forced into a restart when Chuck J o rd an (Yam) and Tom White (H. D) were involved in a first tum crash that scattered riders three different directions including a path over the hay bales and through the press area taken by Steve Delgarno,

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