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/126014
Marty Smith s in Nebraska KOIL/Omaha Trans-AMA By Jim Gianats is HERMAN, NEB. , OCT. 26 Unbelievable as it sounds; Honda's Marty Sm ith kept his CR 400 on full gas for two 45-minute motos to p ost a one-two finish an d walk' away with round five in the 1975 Series. World ChampIOn Roger DeCoster could do no better than second for the day Trans-Alvl A . Roger D., flaps and landing gear extended, just like a big yaller bird. .\ Rich Eierste dt (35) and Jimmy Ellis shave the wh iskers of a t oo-frien d ly photographer. Ellis turned the tables late in each mota to take the Support Class. after getting a bad start in the first moto and being held back in the pack because of extreme dust. Rounding out the top three positions in the 500cc International class was Marty Tripes on Bultaco who also turned in a fantastic ride to show that he was once again back on form. With last week's mechanical problems behind him , Jimmy Ellis once again took command with his Can-Am in the 250cc Support class, blasting up through th e pack in both motos to pass Honda's Rich Eierstedt near the ~nd of each race and grab the ~verall victory. Can-Am teammate Mike Runyard turned his usual strong, steady ride into third overall behind Eierstedt, Racing conditions at the KOIL Radio spon~ored event we:e bad due to dust, despite the precautions the promoters had taken to prepare the track with water and sawdust. "Events like this are what hurts the sport of motocross," exclaimed Roger DeCoster after the race'. " Dust as bad as this makes the first time spectator never want to come back again." . The course Itself was a good one; fast and sem i-rough with n?merous manmade obstacles. The starting gate shot riders up a long uphill run which certainly favored high horsepower machines like the 400cc Hondas, Once through the first tum, the dust was so thick that any rider further back than third had to slow up to kee p from run ning off the track. A lot of people must have had an idea of what conditions would be like and didn't come out to watch, making this week's spectator count of about 4 ,000 people the smallest so far in the series. First 500cc moto Team Honda dominated the first mota right from the beginning as Marty Smi th pulled the holeshot au t a f the gate ahead of teammate Pierre Karsmakers, then Gaylon Mosier's Wheelsmith Maico , Gary Chaplin (CZI, Marty Tripes, Kent Howerton and Tony DiStefano. Getting poor starts in the middle of the pack and being held back: by dust were Weinert, DeCoster, Wolsink, Pomeroy and Lackey. Gary Chaplin suffered more thrown chain problems, which have been preventing him from finishing each event in the series so far, and dropped back early in -the race to allow Marty Tripes to move up to third. Most riders just played things easy in the dust. Gerrit Wolsink said, "I wasn't feeling tired or anything. I just couldn't see in the dust and didn't want to take the risk of going fast." Past the mid-point in the moto things began to clear up a little on the track and Roger began moving up. Tripes pushed himself to the limit and passed Karsmakers to take over seco nd place behind Smith. Tripes claimed he grew a little tired towards the end of the mo to , but it sure didn't show. With two laps to go, DeCoster passed Karsmakers for third and began to close on Tripes, but there just wasn't enough time left. Marty Smith looked super smooth as he collected the first mota win ahead of Tripes, DeCoster, Karsmakers, DiStefano , Howerton, Weinert, Pomeroy, Lackey and Mosier. Steve Stackable continued to score more of his usual bad luck and broke a rear shock, repeating his problems with a broken wheel in the second moto. Second 500cc moto 6 Scott goggles was doing a sellout business in the second moto as all the riders applied as many tear shields as