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/125999
Ph il Read leads as Ago ex t e nd s h is air br ak es a nd Shee ne t rie s to hug th e tank. Unset! Barry Shee ne (Suz] followed Ago until th e last tum. then poured o n the co als t o wi n the fi nish line d rag race. Sheene defeats Ago & Read in Dutch thriller By Chris Carter Results ASS EN , HO LLAND, J UNE 28 Barry 500cc before at the , , Sheene won his first ever world championship race a record crowd of 140,000 Dutch TT in breathtaking style. Tr ail in g beh ind Giacom o Agostini at th e last corner of the 16 lap race, Sheen e's four cylinder water cooled Suzuki blasted past th e Italian 's Yamaha-I to win b y half a machine 's len gth in th e 200 ya rd run to the fla g. " Earlier in the race , 1 found the Suzuki was much quicker than Ago's Yamah a," said Barry after the race . " . knew 1 co uld pass him down the fini shing straight." Poor Ago was sh attered by the defeat, and th ere will have to be pl enty of work in Yamaha workshops in Amsterdam be tween this race and the Belgian GP at Sp a-Francorchamps, Third in this 50 0cc clash was reigning world ch am p ion Phil Read on an MV th at lacked the pace of either the Suzuki or the Yamaha. Agostini looks to have lo st his 3 50cc title, to add to hi s problems: Young Ve n uzuelean Joh nny Cecotto finished fifth in the 350cc race , just behind the leading group of four rid ers, after a p oor start. But Ago wasn 't able to take advantage of Johnny 's troubl es . His Yamaha was not as quick as man y privateer machines down th e straight and on the co me rs problems with th e rear " slick" tire created handling faults. Brit ain, crashed on the six t h lap while in close pursuit. Mac broke his ann in the accide n t, and passenger Gordon Russell was detained a t th e hospital with a fr actured skull. . Un h ap p ily this was not th e only serious accident o f the meetin g. Rolf Thiele, the young 125cc German national cham p io n was killed in an ac ci den t in the 25 0cc ra ce . lie suffered serious head injuries . • Ago fin ished fourt h , a nd only victories in the re maini ng fo u r ro unds ca n salvage the cro wn he h as wo rn for th e last seve n su ccessive seasons. Dieter Braun, the wil y , ex perienc ed West German wo n the 350cc rac e a fte r a great scrap with Finn Penti Korhonen, Alex Ge o rge of Scotland an d Ago. It wasn't re all y Cecotto's da y, either! After a poor sta rt robbed h im o f h ighe r pl acing, he was forced ou t of t he 25 0cc eve n t while leading the Harley-David sons o f Michel Rougerie and Walter Vill a by a comfo rt abl e margin . H is Y amah a , housed in the e x-Kanaya 3 50cc can t ileve r frame, suffered a m ajor engine blow up on th e ninth lap. Rougerie led for a cou ple o f laps until he slid off, under p ressure from Vill a. Walter then pulled away to anot her co nvinci ng , if lucky , win to brin g th e 250cc world title even closer to his grasp. Rougerie remou nted to take s e c ond spot, while Dieter Braun sn atc he d ba ck third pl ace from Swiss sta r Brun o Kneu buh ler a fte r a great sc ra p. TII C 125cc t itle is almos t the propc r t y o f lill ie Paul o Pileri, lie an d teammat e Pirp aulo Bian ch i d emoli shed th e o p position to m a ke it ano t her ~ Io rb i de ll i one-two. One m ore win will cl inc h it for Piler i, Pileri and Bian ch i ra n away with the 125 class on their 43 horsepowe r Morbidelli screamers. and even that is not needed if Kent Andersson does not win th e next round. The Swede needs to win all four remain in g ro un d s to keep his title, but th at would be a m ajor miracle. The Yamaha is just not quick e no ugh, a nd once again Kent's water coo led twin broke down trying to catch the u ncatchable Morbidellis which now t u m ou t a st aggerin g 43bhp. Bruno Kneubuhler was left to carry the Yamaha challenge to th e It alians. He t oo k t hi rd pl ac e, but he was m or e than a m inute behind Bianch i ill second spot. The remaining solo class pro vid ed one o f th e da y's best ' finishe s. Three 50s , led by An gel Nieto crossed th e line sep arat ed b y just three tenth s of a sec o nd a ft er a reall y superb ra ce. Third was Herbert Ri t t be rge r on ano t he r Kreidler , while Euge n io Laz zarini o n th e Piovat icci took -t h ird pl ace, an d a re co rd la p ! In th e sidecar class West German Wern er Schwarze ! o n th e Konig o u tfi t prov ed h is pole po sit ion fro m practice was . no . nuke b y winning comfo rtably from Swiss ace Rolf Hiland. Sch warze ! m igh t ha ve had a much bigger p rob lem o n his hands had n ot Mac Ho bson , from SI DECAR : 1. W . Schwa rz el /A. Huber (Kon) • . 2 . R. Bll a n d / B . Grube (Sey) . 3 . A . Pa ntell i n i/F. Mazz oni (Kon). 4 . G . O'Dell /A. Gosli ng ( K on). 5. A . lin t/A . Fo r n ar o (Kon) . 6. S. Maler/G. Lehmann (SM S). 7 . C . Smll/J . Smit (Kon) . 8. H. Lu th r lng shau ser/H . Hahn (BMW) . 9 . O. Halle r /E. Haselbec k (B M W) . 10 . C. Pape/F. Kallenberg (Kon). WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ST AN D I NGS , 1. Ste lnhausen /Huber (Kon) 4 8 . 2 . Schwarze l/Huber (Kon) 39. 3. B ililOd (S e y) 30. 4 . Pantell in i/Maz zon i ( Kon ) 2 8. 5. Hobson/Russe ll (Vam) 22. 5 00cc : 1. B. Sheene (Su Z) . 2. G . Agost in i (Yam) . 3 . P. Read (M.V.) . 4 . J. N ewbold (Suz) . 5 . T. Lansivuor i (Suz ). 6 . G . Bonera ( M. V .) . 7 . J . Will iams (V am). 8 . H. Stadelman (Vam) . 9. K. Auer ( V a m ). 10. p. v.d, Wal ( Yam). WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS , 1 . G . Agostin i (Y am) 57 . 2 . P. Re ad (M.V.) 54. 3. H. Kanaya (Vam) 45. 4. T. Lans lvuori (SUZ) 28. 35OCc: 1. D. Braun (Vam) . 2 . P. Korhonen (Yam) . 3. A . George (Yam) . 4. G . AgoStin i (Vam ). 5. J. Cecotto (Vam). 6. W. Hartog (Yam) . 7 . H. Stadelmann (Yam) . 8. T. Rutte r (Yam). 9 . C. Mortimer (Yam) . 10. J . Ekerold (Yam ). WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS, 1. J . Cecotto (Yam) 63. 2. G. Agost in i (Yam) 4 7. 3 . D . Braun (Yam) 41. 4 . p. Korhonen (Yam) 33.5. H. Kanay a ( Y am) 2 5. 2 5 0 c c : 1. W. V illa (H · D) . 2. M . Rouge r ie (H·C). 3 . D. Braun (Vam). 4 . B . Kneubuhler ( Vam) . 5 . V. DuHamel (Kaw) . 6. P. Korhonen (Vam) . 7. P. Pons (Yam) . 8 . N. v.d . Zanden (Va m ). 9. J . Gu lgnabodet ( V am ) . 1 0. L. Gusta fsson (Yam). WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS, 1. W . V illa (H·D) 60. 2 . M . Rouge r le (H-D) 4 9 . 3 . P . Pons (Vam) 36 . 4. J . Cecotto (Yam) 27 and C. Mort imer (Vam) 2 7. 1 25cc: 1. P. Piler l (Mor) . 2. P. P. Bianch i (Mar) . 3 . B . Kn eubuhler (Vam) . 4. L. G u stafsson ( Vam) . 5 . J . Schurgers (Brl) . 6 . O. Buscher fn t (Mal). 7 . J . Z e m saue r (Rot). 8 . H . Barto l (S u z ) . 9 . R. Carne l is (Vam) . 10. P. van N lel (Vam) . WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDIN GS , 1. p. Pile ri (M o r) 85. 2. P. B ianch i (Mor) 5 6. 3 . L. Gustafsson (Yam) 48 . 4. K . A n d e r sso n (Y am) 45 . 5. B . Kneubuhle r (Vam) 35. 50cc : 1. A . Nie t o (Kre) . 2 . H. Rlttberge r ( Kre ) . 3 . E . L azzarin i (Pio) . 4 . G . Strlkker (Kre). 5 . J . v : Zee b roeck (K re) . 6 . R . Kun z ( Kre ) . 7 . J . Bosman (Jam) . 8 . T . v , Ge ffen (DR M). 9 . G . T huro w ( K re ) . 10. H. v , Ke ssel (Kre). W O RLD C HAM PI O NSH IP S T A N D I NGS , 1. A. N iet o ( K re ) 60. 2 . E . L azzar in i ( Pio) .1 ? 3 . H . R ittberg e r ( Kre ) 3 1. 4 . J . Y. Z ee br " (Kre) 28 . 5 . S . Dorf linger (Kre ) 25 . 11