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
i 50th INTERNATIONAL 6-DAYS un ~ g ; Germany, Italy ilber alles O"l ....-4 By Charles Morey ISLE O F MAN, ENG LAND, OCTOB ER 13-18 The International Six Days Trial is much more than just a race. When three hundred riders with support crews, families, trial organizers, and press people from around the world experience a demanding six d a y marathon event, literally l i v in g toget her wit h a n overw hel ming common . interest, there is no single way to summarize it in a newspaper article. It is so big, so in tricate, such a conglomeration of varied details and points of view, that words can only hint at the reality that is the ISDT. It means many different things to many different people from many different places. For the Auto Cycle Union (ACU), the week started with a co mbina tion explanation and apology. The ACU had been asked to organize the event, which nannally requires two years in the plann ing, in one year. The mileage, they said, was shorter th is year than it had be en on the two previous Isle of Man ISDTs. The reason , of co urse, was due to a familiar proble m; lan d owners not wan ting to allow their property to be used in th e event. Land closure, it seems, is a world wide dilemna that faces off road rid ers everywhe re. At the first Isle of Man ISDT in 1965 , 'only nine tee n' of th e 299 starters ea rned G o ld Medals. In 1971, there were 14 3 contestants who scored Golds, followed by 41 Silver Medal winners and -19 Bro nzes. Th is year at the third running of the IS DT on the thirty mile long by eleven m ile wide island, a total of 71 G old Medals, 25 Silver Medals and 71 Bronze Medals went to the 167 finishers of the original 307 man field. For the West German World Trophy Team and the Italian Silver Vase Team, both winners in their respective contests, the 1975 Golden Jubilee 50th ISDT m arked their m om en t in the spotlight and th e intense pride in having won a t the world's most difficu lt motorcycle event. Roadrace around part of famou s TT circuit fin ished the sixth day. 8 Gary Surdyke's new Yamaha 4-stroke has a crowd favorite. Shorted kill switch put him out . For th e Czechoslovakian teams, it mean t the end of a five year winni ng streak in both the World Trophy and S i Iver Vase races, b ro ken only by America's Silver Vase win in 1973. For the American teams and their followers, the 50th IS D T held disappointment and tragedy , and offered consolation on ly in the individual victories o f eight U.S. G old Me dals, t hree Silvers an d thirteen Bro nzes f rom the forty -man U.S. starting field. T he U.S. Trophy Team led the American effort into the disasterous first day, taking the first loss when T om Penton dropped out before re ach ing the first checkpoint. "I was just riding down the street, and apparently the foam aro und by airbox caught fire," explained the thoroughly dejected rider when we caugh t up with him at the first gas stop . The exact cause of the fire that destr o yed the Penton's air box , burned the seat , and sco rc hed the gas tank b efo re h e re moved it. was not disc overed. "There h ad to be a sp ar k fr om