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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125993
o ...... it , followed in by Bob Sanders (Yam) and Tom Clark (Tri ). At one point, Clark dam near went over the handlebars o n a b ad jump landing . About the only time in th e evening th e boys go t anxious and tried to jump starter AI Mintz was in th e Trophy Dash . First he had to settle down Ron Powell and John Sperry and then it was J ohn Ha teley who was ea ger to be away. Hateley wo n with Tom Whit e second with Lit tle John kissing the trophy girl with suc h en th usiasm, he, his Triumph and th e girl almost toppled o ver in a heap. Eddie Lawson had some an xious moments at th e lineup of the Nov ice Main. His 'Saki didn 't wan t to fire and it too k q uite a bit of help from his friends to get Eddie to the lin e. Lawson too k the lead an d wasn't to los e it so all the earl ier pushing wasn't in vain . Behind were Mar k Reichert, Rick Marquis an d St eve Fortune. Fortune go t by Marquis, who promptly passed him back again. The rest of th e ra ce it was these two putting on th e show, changi ng pl aces several times, with Fortune un abl e to put an y helpful di st an ce between himself and Marquis when he did pass. Rick was alw ays right th ere to ge t th e position back. Meanwhile it was still Lawson comfortably in the lead . Mark Reichert was going ver y fast too ; ne arly missing th e jump on one lap and havi ng to pull his mount ba ck into lin e in a h urry. His second place lasted 'til around lap four and he became one of the long list of mechanical failures. With the ra ce co mi ng to an end, ..J ..J Fortune made a real run on Marquis as UJ o they came over the jump and got by. ..J Rick got h im ba ck agai n as they exited ..J the esses and it looked like Fortune could have misssed a sh ift. It was now >the white flag lap and it was now or l/l o never for Fortune. He again passed ~ o Marquis and then they were dragging for the fin ish line. At the critical moment Fortune looked like he miss ed '.. gear again, and it was Marquis by a Little John (981 o n his way Up. pressuring Spe rry (281. Hateley later passed Wirth and all those other guys out in the fuzzies. hairsbreadth at the lin e. Onl y three Juniors had made the Main , Steve Eklund, Earl Roloff, Jr. and Frank Adamo. Eklund was to tum in a tremendous ride in a main that was so busy you couldn 't seem to absorb what was happening all at one time. Ron Powell was first away, then John Allison and Eklund. Allison and Powell at one point were side by side o n the straight, then Eklund, Tom White and after White was Eddie Wirth. It was a By Maureen Lee tight race at this point and way back in seve nth was John Hateley. GARDENA, CAL., MAY 31 Lap three, John Allison passed J o hn Sperry over the jump. Eddie Wirth was worrying aw ay at Tom Whit e who was holding him , while Steve Ekl und was app ly ing the same pressure on John Allison who in tum had moved up on Powell. Junior rider Eklund was eq ual with the Expe rts surrounding him and lap five it was Powell, Eklund, Wirth now in third, Allison and Tom White and Hateley. Wirth was pushing Eklund and then it was Hateley and White passing Three heats of Juniors and Expe rts so mething to do with it, but q uite The Rick Marquis (187) - Steve each other back and forth with J o hn mixed came next. Fastest Expert in a few big names missed the Ascot Fortune (171) battle going o ver taking over. Coming down the straigh t trials had been John Hateley (Tri) at TT. Th e crowd wasn't large either th e jump. 4 6.3 2 with Tom Whit e (H. D) at 46.6 8 Powell was holding onto th at lead by a b ut they were treated to a Main whisker when Eklund's hand suddenly second. Fastest Junior was Doug even t that was an honest-to-God cliff Garrison (Yam) 47.7 8 but he was to go shot in the air and he was out o f the Ju nior Steve Eklund dazzled in the hanger between five top riders. ou t in the second he at. race. Now it was Powell and Wirth. At J r./Ex . combined Main until his It was also a night for quit e a few one point they came out of the Prior advert isin g had liste d Eddie bike quit. half-mil e and ri gh t w here some of the bi kes to b lo w. One of the IU"St to drop Mulder as scheduled to ride but out was No vice Vin ce Mead who blew pileups ha ve started this season, Powell's reportedly his bike wa sn 't read y on time an engi ne in practice. First Novice he at bike shoo k its head on him wh ich so he be came Hateley's pit man. Hateley Mark Rei chert (Yam) had the lead then wasn 't too great a feeling at that point. was extremely busy in the IU"St heat Wirth took the lead and ph ew , there was Rick Marquis unloaded from his Honda getting through the pack as they roared twin on the rear left hander and Crai g John Hateley in third pl ace! th rough th e esses, to get a run on leader Armstrong (Yam) went with him. While It was still a Tro ph y Dash or looked John Allison (Yam). Hateley dove to like one. Eddie Wirth was dragging them . they were un -scrambling themselves J im the inside of the left hander leading to down the straight in a tight line and lost Allison did a nasty get-off going down th e half-mile and took over whil e the lead to Powell but got it back again . the straight and the red flag came out. behind Allison John Sp erry (H-D) and Hateley then got by Powell and on th e Next time it was Reichert again, Steve Eklund (Yam) were goi ng at it. same lap dove under Wirth o n the tum Marquis and behind Armstrong was Suddenly Little J o hn 's bike started ' after the j ump an d blasted into the lead. really working to get up front again running on one side only an d it was At the same time To m Whit e overtook after go ing off th e course. Chuck Petty touch and go if he co uld nurse it alo ng Powell for third, and was moving (Bul) had third well in hand until hi s for a transfer and he did, to a fi fth towards Wirth as the flag fin ally cam e b ike blew on the last lap. behind Tom Clark (Tri). Vern Maxwell was the man to go out down. in the second heat with engine problems Tom Whit e (H. D) bl asted into the Th ere will be one more hal f-mile at whil e he was leading it. Th at left Terry _ Ascot on June 2 7 before th e Gardena lead in the second he at with Ed die Griner (Yam ) leading but Greg Wilburn Gold Cup in July , and the Pro-Am Pilot With onl y three spots now to move Wirth (H· D). Wirth started moving, (Han) and Marlon Parks (Yam) were them to the Main it was natural th e Program has been suspended until passing Bob Sanders and had just passed Doug Garrison for second wh en Junior-Experts would get with it. John school's out. • settling who was to be the other direct transfer to the Main and Greg was it . Garrison's bi ke let go . Hateley claimed his transfer by winning Results in Results Section. '" '" ____. t A Trophy Dash Main AscotTT Maybe the stiff schedule of a Regional TT In Oregon Friday; then Asco t Saturday and the Calistoga 'half-mile Sunday had 10