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/126003
" ens point lead h how he felt after winning the tro phy race . Cleek played second fiddle to Steve Droste ("No th ing seemed to go right today.") until Droste's throttle st uck open and he pulled over to le t Clee k an d Ha teley by. Droste cooled it for a lap or so, debating on whether to chance the throttle sticking in a p lace where it m igh t not be so easy to save it, decided "what the hell " and charged back to nip llat eley for second. Ike Reed finished fo urth to net th e last point-paying position. National Kenny Roberts' heat race record put him on the pole for the National with Burres, Beauchamp, Caves, LawwiIl and Aldana setting up the front row of the three-row grid. Hank Scott, Joyner, Williams, Skiver, Springsteen, and Gary Scott were second row starters while Romero, Palmgren, Bostrom and Jones lined up on the last row. Gene Romero got a good laugh with his race co m men t , "If everything goes righ t and I cheat a little, I1I be the first rider into tum one," but it was Aldana who really got the crowd of 16,000 roaring. "I'm going to be like a turtle. You never get anywhere unless you stick your neck out a little." Gary Scott figured consistent ridin g would net a good finish, but wasn't enthusiastic abou t his second row starting slot. Even less enthusiastic was Chuck Palmgren who didn't fa ncy having to "work my bu tt off to start on the back row." As the lfi-ri der pack cleare d th ro ugh th e wide area known as tu rn s one an d two, it was Son ny Burres who was kicking di rt in everyone's face with A l da na, Beauc hamp and Ro berts foll owing him ove r the ju mp. Skiver, Gary Scott and Springsteen fo llowed in a pack close behind. Somebody ticked Lawwill's gear lever into second on the opening lap and Mert spent the rest of the race making up ground. " Pe oria is not a track to come from behind on ," he said. Hank Scott dropped out on lap four followed by Bostrom one lap later. Han k had mechanical woes while Paul 's kidneys wouldn't stand for any more beating. Around lap 10 Burres caught his foot in a hole in the quick left-right-left switchback after the jump and almost lost the race right there. He backed off for a moment then got back on the gas. hoping for a second wind as the heat and humidity clawed at all the riders. Aldana still held second at the halfway flags altho ugh Roberts was nibbling his lead little by little . Beauchamp held a little breathing room ahead of a close battle between Chuck Joyner and Mike Caves with Lawwill closing in on both. With riders being lapped, it was hard to tell the order, bu t there was no qu estio n th at Burres was leading co mfortab ly . By lap 15 Lawwill h ad worked his way around Cave s an d began to d raw a bead on Joyne r as Ro be rts was on Aldana. Two laps later Roberts got by him on the fro nt st raight fo r a short two lap s u ntil his chai n broke from the flexing created by his Yamaha's cantilever suspension. One lap earlier Beauchamp, who was a safe fo urth. ticked a neutral going in to tum one and crashed in to the fence. The double dropout moved Joyner to third with Mert a close fourth. Having their own race were Palmgren, Gary Scott, Williams and Romero with Williams suffering from gearbox problems and Romero from painful blisters on his throttle hand that were bloody by the end of the race. Jay Springsteen circulated on one cylinder behind Jim Jones to fill ou t the list of riders still running. On the last lap Lawwill got a drive out of the final tum to nip Joyner for third place behind Burres and Aldana. "Fantastic." Sonny said. "This is my revenge for not winning Castle Roc k," Four years [Castle Rock, 1971] is a long time between National victories, whi ch explains why Sonny was so happy. Burres says he is "39 years old and damn proud of it." • Sonny dials it under Rick Hocking during a heat. Gene Romero worked into the National through the Semi, but his task wasn 't easy . Results NATIONAL: 1. Son ny Bu rre s (Trl). 2. Dave Al dan a (H-O ). 3 . Mert La wwil l (H· D). 4. Chuck Joyner rrrn, S. Mike Caves (H-D) . 6. Chuc k Palm gren (Y am) . 7. Ga ry Sco tt (H·D) . 8 . Mark WIllia ms (Trl) . 9. Ge ne Romero ( Va m ). 10. J im Jo nes (T rl) . 11. Jay Spr ingsteen (H- D). 12. K en ny Ro berts (Yam) . 13. Re x Beaucham p (H-O ). 14 . Ra ndy Skiver rr rn. 15. Pa u l Bo str om ( H -D ). 16. Han k Sc ott (Ya m ). TR O P H Y : 1. R an dy Cl ee k ( Yam). 2. Steve Droste ( H ·D)., 3 . John Hateley (T rl ). 4. I ke Ree d (1'ri). 5 . Bu d dy Po well (Yam). 6 . Ph il M c Donald (Yam). 7. Bru ce Hanl on (H· C) . 8. Terry Sage (Tri). 9. Mike Gera ld (Ya m ). 10 . Roger Peterson (H-D). 11. Jay R id ge w ay (H - D). 12. John Gennal (Trl). (Mo re photos next page. } 7