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/126009
THE NATIONAL PAPERS For th e first time In seven teen years a California rider is not going to win th e Ascot Half Mile National! That's based on the five p revious Camel Pro series half miles that have been run th is yea r. The hal f mile events that have lon g bee n do minated by Cali fornia riders are a thi ng o f the past. T he n ew t hreat is the trio fro m Mi c h i g an : Re x Beauc hamp, Corky Keen er , and roo kie J ay Sp ring steen . In five National o utings this seas on these three riders h ave bagge d three wins, fo ur seconds an d one th ird to toally dominate the ty pe of even t tha t is th e backbone of AMA p ro r acing. Yes indeed, California' base d riders have been sh u to ut of the win spot in Na tio nal hal f miles th is year. The man that can stop the assa ult? It lo oks like Kenny Roberts. Kenn y has real ly gone nowh ere o n the hal f mil e s this year, except at Asco t. He en tered two regul ar seaso n eve nts earlier this year, and won them both. It is ce rtai n ly not "Feel Sorry For Kenny" time. 'The Champ has bagged fo ur National wins which is twice as ma ny as any other rider. Remember also that Kenny perhaps turned in his best dirt ride of the season thus far right a t go od old Ascot du ring the National T .T. in July. lIe also has another fac tor riding with him. If he can win Ascot, he becomes the first, and probably the last, rider to eve r win all five or the different events offered o n the National trail - in a single season ! Rober ts' Yamah a is an ideal m ach ine for win ning Ascot, j ust like the BSA Go ld Star and th e Triump h tw in s in the past. Ascot's a racer's track where horsepower is important but ride r ab ility is the key factor. Keen er is ho t right now, after scor ing back-to -back victories a t Sy racuse an d Toledo. Sp ringsteen is the leadi n g h alf mile rider in points, and th e only rider to win a Nationa l half m ile mo re th an onc e th is year . But Beauc hamp may be th e guy to watch fo r in the upse t co lu m n . He came . fr o m th e back las t year at Asco t to finis h second behind Rick Hoc king. Rex is a half-miler deluxe and has been ta king a b a ckseat to Kee ne r and Springsteen al l season . . Keen er also has so me reve nge to see k. Last year he w on Ascot a co upl e of wee ks be fore the big one. Then on th e big night he was the o nly rider to crash d uri ng the entire program . His face has been red over th at one since that time. T he Mi chigan trio p resents the strongest threat ever m o un ted since '59 th rough '62 when Carroll Reswebe r and Bart Mar kel were running hot. It 's be en along ti me . Th en , to o, J ay Springsteen coul d co me up the firs t n on-Califo rni an to eve r w in . If the kid fro m Flin t p ulls it off he also becomes th e youngest winn er an d o nly th e fo urth roo kie in seventeen years to cross th e line first, Ascot will hos t a special "Novice an d Ju nior Inv it ational " hal f m ile race th e ni ght before o n Sep te mber 26. In additio n , th e Expe rts will co mpe te th e same ni ght o n th e T.T. Steeplechase co urse, making this th e o n ly time du r ing the ye ar th at both th e oval and th e T .T. are run o n th e same ni ght. The firs t en try was Ted Boody , the n um ber-tone ra ted J unio r o utside of California. Wher e is his h om e? ,.. Flin t, Michigan, o f co urse . His tuner/sp onsor is n one o ther th an Bart Mar kel. lie '11 .ride the same Har ley th a t Keen er rode earlier th is year - whe n he won the Asco t main even t. Bob F, Read UDORLD ft'OTOCROSS FINALS ~ ~ ~11 1 KEZY ICI:J • ~~ ~ Saturday. December 13 • 8.00 PM • Anaheim Stadium Prime Reserved Sea ts Only $10.00 or $ 15.00 • General Admission $7.50 • Children Under 12 Half Price on All Seats • On Sa le Beginning October 1st • Ticketron. Stat ewide or bv Mail Ord er to: Anaheim Motocross. P.OBox 402 1. Anahe im. Ca 92H03 • Information: (7 14) 494 ·6560 Ii ~1nL Production Husqvarna ' Sales - service . Parts Factory tr ained mechan ics Machin e sh o p facilities Full serv ice engine work " If we don't have it, we '/l get it f or y ou" ,~~ YAMAHA We manufacture club jerseys! . 24020 Narbonne Ave., Lomit a, CA 90717 (213)534-23 11 BILL WALTERS LEATHERS Mik e Patrick 's BW 44 5 So . V ict ory Blvd . Burbon k. Colifornio 91502 Can-Am a' Hod aka . Maic o YAMAHA Corona, CA ,,..... CORONA 1101 E. 6th St reet. (714) 735 .7721 \:' 3