Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

! 'Pile-em-up' Trans-AMA g . -~ WOlsink, Semics split 1OOto wins, but Roger : takes points, match and series e-r ~ ,.Q S ~ ;> o Z By Jody Weisel PUYALLUP, WASH ., NOV. 16 Suzuki's Roger DeCoster won his fourth Trans-AMA round . at Puyallup Raceway Park and clinched the 1975 Trans-AMA Series crown. DeCoster suffered mediocre starts on the 'short wet sand circuit, but effortlessly moved to consis tent second and third place fin ishes. Fo ur rider s were in contention t hroughout the cloudy and cool day. DeC oster, Wolsink, G ary Semics, and Tony DiStefano scored within two points of each o ther. Th e four-time world champion 's co n sist en tly fast riding paid off as mota winners Gary Semics (Kaw) and Gcrrit Wolsink traded firsts and fifths. The 250 Support class came to t he line with th e Can adian National Anthem st raining the loudspeakers. Can-Am snap ped t o attention with lo cal hero Buck Murphy holding off fellow Can-Amster Jimmy Ellis for the fir st mota win. Mick ey Kessler brought his Husky in for third in th e first stanza and then took advantage of th e Can adian marque's pratfalls and bre akdowns to snatch th e o verall fro m Ellis , who got off hard in the second m oto , and Murphy , who snapped a 17-inch ¥ onro<; shock cleanly off his bike while leading. way to Bad Brad and Kawasaki 's lo ne hope Gary Semics. Rog er DeCoster and Gerrit Wolsink came from mid-pack to cap ture third and fourth at the midway point. Yakima, Washingt on's big hope J im Pomeroy set the fa stest lap times o f the day as he vaulted from 20th to fifth only to be pole-vaulted off his blue Pursang in a grinding crash. Pomeroy retired with tom cartilege in his knee. Lackey 's glory lasted for 3 0 minutes and ended w ith the sickening clank of a blown engine. Gary Semics in heri t ed the lead and a shadow named DeCost er . While Roger probed the Kawasaki's rear fender, Team Su zuki's American en try Ton y DiS tefano was on the gas and jammed from 15th to p ass Wolsink for third. Kent Howerton slipped past an out-o f-sh ape Wo lsink too, an d th at 's how they finished - Sernics , DeCoster, DrSt efan o, Howerton an d Wols ink." Se rnics ' ride was inspired as he not only he ld DeC oster off, but pulled away at the tw o lap sign. The big Kawasak i' s motor mount bolt had loosened e nough to create arm numbing vibrat io n s. First mota Second mota Twenty-nine International cl ass riders a p p r o ac he d th e w ari l y ele ctricall y-operated and failure-prone ca ble gat e. Gaylon Mosier led th e charge o n his Wheelsmith Maico with Marty Smith, Brad La cke y, G ary Semics, and Pierr e Karsmake rs breathing down his shorts. Honda's Super kid Smith pressured Mosier for six laps until th e fir e-engine red 400 spit him off. Mosier's motor soured suddenly , giving The second mota · was the closest-fought 40 minutes o f th e 1975 Trans-AMA seri es. Tony DiStefano and Gary Semics ste amed through a light mi st in a dead he at at the first tum. Tony D. took th e insi de line and was gone with Lackey , Smith , Wolsink, a nd Semics in pursuit. Tony DiStefano said " I thought I was about 40 yards ahead, but 1 didn't dare look ba ck: ' It's a go od thing th at Tony D did n't , because wh at "Hey kid , wanna buy some d irty Belgian postcards?" 6 felt like a 40 yard lead was less t han four feet as Brad, Gerri t and Gary were all going for it. As the lead fo ur motored away from the pack, DeCoster lingered in 15th only long enough to hook up with Maico's Steve Stackable, DeCoster and " Short Stack" carved through the track like a surgeon with hi s malpractice ins urance paid up. At the 20 minute mark, Brad Lackey took the lead from DiStefano while Gerrit " Wo lfy" Wo lsink and Semics were unshakeab le . Thepit boards were a blaze of chalk dust as the overall . changed with each pass and re-pass. DeCoster got Semics after following fo r five lap s. DiStefano fell next to the Rocket eigh t laps later. Two turns after the mechanics area , La ckey went wide into the soft loam whil e Wolsi nk dove underneath an d em erged t he victor of the drag race . Wolsink went on to win his first mot o with Lackey , DeCoster, DiS tefano and Semics ro unding out th e top five. . Su zuki has a hammerlock on the top th ree positions for the Trans-AMA series with DeCoster (1060), Wo lsink (750), and DiStefano (551) . Pomeroy's injury co uld hurt his chances to m a ke up the 98 point deficient. • Results 500 INTERNATIONA L CLASS , 1 . Roger D eCoster (Suz ) . 2 . Gerritt W olsink {Suzl . 3 . Gary Semics (Kaw) . 4. To ny D iSt efa no (Su z). 5 . Steve Sta ckab le (MaO . 6 . Pierre Karsmakers (Hon) . 7. Kosi Mas u da (Su z ) . 8 . Ri c h Thorwaldson (Mai). 9 . Gary Ch ap lin (CZ). 10. K ent Howerton (Hus) . 11. Bob Harris (C Z ). 12 . Ch ar le s Su n ( H u s). 13. Masaru I ke d a (Su z) . 14 . Brad L ac k ey (Hu s) . 15 . Jim West (Mai ) . 16 ." t.:arry MacKe nzie (Ya m } ,' 1 7. Henn i ng H an sen (Suz). 18 . Marty Sm ith (Han) . 1 9. Mike Gillman (Yam ). 20. Stewart Anderson (Bul) . 25 0 S UPPORT C LASS : 1. Mike Kessler (H us) . 2. Jim E lli s (C-A). 3. B uck Murph y (C-A) . 4. T ommy Croft (H a n) . 5 . Mike Ru n ya rd (C-A) . 6 . Terry Cl ar k (H u s). 7. Ri c k B urgett (Y am) . 8 . B r ian Jo dr y (M an). 9 . Gunner Li n d st ro m (Suz). 1 0. Crai g Preu ss (Yam) . 11. J o h n D all ai re ( Hu s); ' 1 2. Randy Sargen t (Hus) . 13 . Mark St ap l et o n (Suz ) . 14. Mike St earns (Ma n) . 1 5. Mike Middleton (Suz ). 16 . Ra ndy Sc n nelzer (C- A) . 1 7. R i c k Bonek (H u s) . i s . John A y er s (Ma i ) . 19. Rocky Poc l c k (O ss) • . SERI ES PO I N TS T O D ATE : 1. De Cos ter 1 060 . 2 . Wo l slnk 7 50. 3. D IStef an o 551. 4. Po meroy 4 5 3. 5. Sm ith 4 4 8. 6. H owert on 39 5. 7 - ,L ac k ey 3 53. Something's missing from Buck Murphy's bike . Helter-skelter Support class mob blurs by

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