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/126010
John Allison (8 3 ) and J im Odom (18) on a Yamaha (surpriset) - one of the good 'races - within races during the he ats. winded and sore. Danny was transported for observation. Roller disease struck the second Semi. Eddie Wirth, one of those sent back to the p en alty line, shot into mid-pack off the start and eventually slipped under early leader Paul Bostrom to win in sp ite of the penalty. Trophy Race John Gennai , Paul Bostrom and Mike Myers made it off the line in a tight, wobbling group behind early leader Pat McCaul. The tacky, workable Ascot clay was "grooving up " noticeably in the north tum (berms starting to form in tum three) and crossing these grooves in an outside-to-inside line was setting everyb ody in to speed wobbles of varying intensity. Pat McCaul's front end wa s co min g off the ground as he caught traction in some of the grooves exiting tum four. Bostrom, from third place, was putting a big lunging charge into tum three, almost tapping the leader once, in an effort to slingshot into a le ad . It didn 't work; even though Mc Caul dropped , out just past the halfway mark, Myers managed to hold Bostrom to a bike length at t he fin ish , Ge nnai's Triumph wen t on one cylinder under the white flag, cutting his p ossible second p lace from under hi'!'. Nat ional Final What the announced gate of 9,471 had come to see. On the pole in an inverted start, AI Jorgensen, a rookie Expert who had won more regular season half-miles at Ascot than any other, and another rookie, Tom Berry, on his left. Also on the front row of the s i x-s i x -two grid, Hank Scott, Rick Hocking, Skip AksIand and Gary Scott. , Ken Roberts and J ay Springsteen (who .h ad chanlled to a Carlisle rear tire after his heat) were side-by-side on the second row with Co rk y Keener. Starter Bob Malley got in to a speed-wobble of his own during his fa mous cartwheel run to the line and bounced o ff the w all. Hank Sco tt and Rick Hocking read his flag right, going in to tu m one just ahead of Gary Scott, with Roberts dropping lo w but bo ttled up in traffic. J orgy had high-lin ed in to fourth while the Brothers Scott played sees aw the first two laps behind Hoc king. Hank stayed inside and in second as J orgy came u p to join them. A drag race for third-fourth down the front straight, then Gary Scott got way wide in th e so uth tum an d dropped seve ral places. Roberts, with Skip Aksl and in t ow, used the shuffle to move into fourth. About the same time, Hocking and Hank Scott went into the north turn together, Rick outside, Hank inside, and Han k took over the lead, using an o utside-to-inside pass. As this passing was goi ng on, Roberts got by J o rgy , leaving Aksland to find his way around later. Behind came Springsteen, Berry, Hateley , a slowing Gary Sco t t , Mike Kidd an d Eddie Wirth. Ro b er ts , mean wh ile, pushed an d finally got under Rick Ho cking in the south tum. J orgy tri ed, go t it truly crossed-up in the No rth tum attempting to get under Rick. He finally made it good as Hocking almost lost it. Aksland, going so wide he cli pped a few hay b ales in the sou th tu m , diced with Jorgy' for third, made the passing stick, and sneaked up on Scott/Roberts. He said later, ul just went where Kenny went." ·As Kenny drew underneath Hank in the exit to tum four, getting away with extra drive , Skip wasn't far behind. The time of the race was a new record for a 20·lap final at Ascot, and while Roberts was coming from behind no ne of t he front five h ad been m o to rin g slowly . Ric k Hocking had held Jo r g y w el l aw ay, sett lin g t he fo urth/fifth fin ishes; th en came Berry. Springs teen, Keener an d Hateley. Gary Scott limped in 10th; the pace had gotten to Lawwill and Morehead earlier. Roberts was all smiles an d few wo rds in the winner's circle, as happy for protege Aksland as for himself. Ironically, an AMA press release had a week earlier asked the rhetorical question: "Is Kenny Roberts the forgotte n ma n of 1975?" In his typically blunt fashio n, Kenny wo uld pr o b a b ly have answered (if asked) ut+$%@, n o !" r--. 1-<' ' v ..0 o ... o o • Results NATIONAL FINAL- 20 Laps, 7 mi n. 3 7.71 sec. (rec ord) : 1. Ken Roberts (Yam). 2 . Sk ip A ksland (Yam). 3. Ha nk Sco tt (Y am). 4 . Ric k Hock ing (Yam ). 5. AI Jo rgensen (Nor) . 6 . Tom Berry (H·b ). 7 . Jay Sp rin gsteen (H· O). 8 . Co r k y Keene r ( H· O). 9. Joh n Hate ley (Yam) . 1 0. Ga ry SCott (H·D). 11 . Eddie Wirth (H·D). 12. Mike K idd (H·D). 13 . St eve M or ehead ( Yam) . 14. Mer t Lawwl1l (HoD). T R O PHY FIN AL. -12 Laps : 1. Mike Myers (H· O). 2 . Pau l Bo st ro m (H·D) . 3. Joh n Allison ( Yam) . 4. Jim O d o m (Yam). S. Rand y Sk iver (H- O). 6 . Steve D ro ste (H- D). 7. Dennis Briggs (Yam). 8 . Jo h n Genn al (Trl). 9. Pat McCaul (Nor). 1 0 . Gen e Romero (Yam). Tom (11) Berry's move underneath Roberts at this point won him a heat. Split seconds late r he'd be in the right spot at the right time. 7