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/126019
ELivermore ~ t I- e'Vorksby C'l "'" IIJ E IIJ ..0 U IIJ Cl Support class charges the hill . First mota winner Croft (56 ) at point. Hoiesho t m aster Semics , struggling to master wild Kaw for 401llus minutes, twice. By Jody Weisel DiStefano: Youngest Trans·AMA winner now has two. LIVERMORE , CAL., NOV. 23 Teenage sensations Tony DiStefano and Marty Smith provided the fireworks at the ninth round . of the 1975 Trans-AMA senes. Tony D. became the youngest rider to ever win two Trans-AlvlAs with explosive second and first place performances for the over all victory. The Suzuki celebration was marred by a 70-mph endo that snapped four time world champion Roger DeCoster's bike in half, bruising and lacerating his face when his viso r. goggles and mouthguard were gro und off. Carnegie Cycle Park was a dusty, sun parched valley with more than its shar e . of problems: eight dollar ticket prices, a rushed program, dust, and a jokester who rolled a bouncing and careening truck tire off a hill directly into the spectator-jammed valley floor. Tw o spectators were seriously injured and remain in the hospital. The 1-2-3-4 American sweep with DiStefano, Weinert, Smith and Semics could barely add cheer to the day. In the 250 Support class Can -Am returned to the spot th ey have called home d uring the wh ole series - first place. J immy Ellis' 2-1 score fought off a super pe rformance by Honda 's Tommy Croft. Cro ft won the first moto going away only to drop back to third in the second stanza as Captain Cobalt got his Can-Am on th e pipe. 6 First moto With the flags of seven nations flying behind them the International class vaulted over the starting gate with Gary Sernics' big bore Kawasaki continuing its domination of the starting line, Jim West (Mai), Pierre Karsmakers (Hon), Steve Stackable (Mai), Marty Smith (Ho n ) and Tony DiStefano (Suz) chase d the mean green machine. Tony D. quickly lo st 15 places b y trying to jam under Smith on the second lap. Steve Stackable, riding out his last few races for Maico , quickly passed Karsmakers, West and Semics with 18-year:-old Marty Smith fo llowing suit on the next lap. "Short Stack" held the lead for four laps, even though he had lost a footpeg in the early going. Smith and Stackable came over the mechanics' area jump side-by-side, with the fire engi ne red Honda grabbing the lead on the starting line hil l. Smith was righ t at home on the hard , dusty Northern Cali fornia track and open ed up a 20-second lead that he wo uld never relinquish . Stackable's o ne-peg ri de ended on th e steep U'-turn, Weinert, Lackey, West, Howerton, Mosier an d Marty Tripes were evenly-spaced beh in d "Super kid" un til T o ny D. swiftly picked them o ff o ne at a time, to finish an amazing second. Where were t he Europeans? DeCo ster's bike loaded up on the line an d refused to clean o ut. The crowd was treated to th e sigh t of the Wo rld Champi o n pushin g his b ike up the hills . . Roger retired. Gerrit Wolsink lingered back in th e dus t to finis h tenth . Japanese Su zu ki rider Kojii Masu da applied p ressure on Wolsink most of the mo to, Dave Bickers an d Stewart Nu nn crossed th e pond fr om Great Bri tain, but should have stayed at home, 'because Bickers' 1972 CZ was barely competitive. Second moto The second moto lin ed u p 30 minutes after th e first as fear of the se tti ng sun set the AMA into action. Marty Smith an d Tony DiStefan o, t he t wo 18-year -ol d stars, were the cro wd favo ri tes as t he two-minu te sign flipped. DeCoster had a new carbureto r but was