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/125977
Cycle News North and predict able . Aft er the lead riders had est abl ished their pos itions they stayed there until the end no changes, no sharp battles .. . n o exci temen t . Then, just as the second set of motos b egan , fat, blac k clouds jumbled up over Sears Point and let drop a thick , slashing rain which turned the course in t o a tri al of man and m achine against mud and inertia. The c ourse was slic ker than a margarine coated shuffleboard in th e best of places and muckier th an a rice paddy in the worst. The 500 Exp erts sloshed off into the gloom with Russ Powell (Pen) in the lead followed by Dick Man n (BSA) and John Dieu (Yam) . At a pl ace where the course dips down into a drainage ditch - no w full of w ater and ooze - Powell bogs do wn and waters out and is p assed by Mann and Dieu. He gets himself together and takes up third far behind. Now Mann and Dieu are battling fo r the lead. Man n is fast and Dieu makes slow head way , but finally comes up as they approach th e ditch on the last lap. Dieu swings wide to pioneer an original path and seems to be m aking better speed whcn - whoosh - he has slid out and is lying in the mud, his bike on its side with throttle st uc k and engine screamin g. Mann climbs up th e opposite ban k by the longer rou te and t akes an j rnp ossib le lead. 75 Honda CR125 "Super Horsepower" Ours really works. This is th e one th ey copied. Broader PO-::Creased RPM Write or call fo r details: Fl ying Machine Factory 14 18 W. 259th Dept. CN .Harbor Ci ty, CA 90710 Su nnyvale m ud has Da n Geery (154) hanging off at both sides as Mar k (97 ) Peters spies an ope ning. si.. 213-530-4656 Doubling up on the mud Crown Cycle By Steve Castillo SUNNYVALE, CAL, FEB. 9 _Yamaha Ron Self slithered to an impressive win in the goo and muck of Sunnyvale today. Sel f had co mplete con trol of the 25 0 Pro race YZ80B specialist Track - i\fo t O CTO SJ - Deser t Three modification kits av ailable. Complete suspension modification. Mail Order 8904 E. Garvey, Rosemead, CA 91 770 2 13· 283-6934 213442-5414 which he won handily , b ut not withou t prob lems. Self started the first moto in first an d no one was able to get near t he ch ar gin g Montesa rider. Back in the p ack Dan Geery on an erratic Husky was holdin~ down .second with Mark Peters (YZM) st artin g to close the gap . Ge ery finally succum be d to the b ik e-sapping m ud and Peters went by. Dick Gracia (Bul ) pulled the hole shot in moto two followed by Brian Marchbank and Bill Roush (YZM). Dan Geery had missed a couple of shifts when Fremont Raceway Marathon Sunday, March 2 2 man - 2 hour races One mile cou rse No license required 415-327-4461 •......................... ~ OrderTolI Free:: 800-348-2764 : H J. Products: . • pistons South Bend, Ind. • i lUiirl • i.....JrJ\9J'.~t!,.I!.~.~t~jJ .... ~.: .-an_§,.. ...," 'Ill"'. Cent ra l Cali fo rn ia's largest dea ler Servicing : Fresno, Merced, & Modesto Yosemite Sport Cy cles 18 211 W.17th St .. Mercect .CA95340 209-723-3802 Ron Se lf and f riend try t o occupy the same space at the same time. Ron Self was behind him at the start. Self almost came to an complete stop, his motor going dead in the thick mud, as the rest of the pack roared aw ay . Self was able to get his VR back to life and started off in last place . Gracia had built up a co mfortab le lead, but Self was on the move. In o ne lap Self had worked by three riders and he was now in third place. Bill Roush gave Self a little trouble but Ron got by in one lap for the second spo t. He co uld now see Gracia and he st ar t ed cutting it clo ser each lap until fmally h e go t by go ing down th e straigh t aft er the jum p . Mark Peters and Ron Self just switch ed positions in the 500 Pro race . Peters won both motos on an evil sound ing Maico . Self, riding an o ther Montesa, was able to lead for awh ile bu t the mud just go t to h im. Peters was Mr. Consisten cy as h e motored aro un d at th e same fas t, steady spee d . Mike Middleton (Mai) also led for a time but a partial seizure held him b ac k. Bill Johnson (YZM ) was another who rode two classes in the muck, Johnson, en t ered in the 125 Intermediate class couldn 't quite seem to get his small bore Yamaha running right. The 250 Intermediate class was a different story. Johnson grabbed the lead in both races and was never threatened as he pushed his monoshock to an impressive win in each moto . Results in Results Section. Motocross goes amphibious By Kinsella & Doody SEARS POINT, CAL., FEB . 2 The first set of motos had been run. They had been fast , smooth Thrill of victory - To m Rapp w ith that eleva ted fee lin g. Agony of defeat - Oh, No-o-o ! Not face-first in t o the m udhole ! Dieu gets to his feet, mounts thc bike, struggles to catch up but fails as Mann takes the flag. Meanwhile, Powell, wisely cooling it remains in third behind and near' Dieu as they cross the fin ish . Dick Mann refuses to accept credi t since he is a promoter of th e event and so the more consistent Powell, who has also taken the first moto, re ceives the overall trop hy. Soon the 250 Experts began their o dyssey through the churned up, glue y quagm ire . A cou p le of fell ows named Rapp and Turner, both on Bult ac os, tanked through the mire into first and second respectively and held those places to take the trophies. By now the rai n had taken full effect on the surface of the course and anyo ne who could stay afloat, let alo n e break ahead of the -,