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/126028
By Jack Mangus Astra 11 HOUSTON, T EX., J AN. 23 Hocking thumps 'em soundly! - , Hard charg ing Rick Hocking rode the wheels off his Yamaha TT500/Champion Frame TT bike to score a decisive win in the opening round of the i976 AMA Grand National Championship/ Camel Pro Series, the eighth annual ' Houston Astrodome/Yamaha Gold Cup IT race. (Whew!) The young Californian topped what was perhaps the most varied field of machinery in Grand National history, and he did it on a bike which Yamaha calls "Son of Thumper. " Taking second and third behind Hocking after a nearly race-long duel were Kenny Roberts (Yam 750), and John Hateley (Tri 750). Qualifying and heat s 155 riders were narrowed down to 48 and topping them all with a time of 26.376 seconds was Kenny Roberts, who was sporting Number Two for the first time. Rick Hocking took qualifying runnerup honors just a thousandth behind Roberts at 26.377 . Machinery ridden by the 48 qualifiers included Yamaha 750s, 500s and one 400 Mono; BSA 750s and a 500, Triumph 750s, Harley-Davidson 750s, a Maico and a Su zuki. Veteran IT ace Eddie Mulder got the holeshot on the first heat with Kenny Roberts in second going in to the infield. But exiting the infield it was Roberts and that was that. Mulder held second until the third lap when he got out of shape in the turn following the jump, letting Paul Bostrom, Bill Oliver and Bubba Rush by. That trio held down positions 2-3-4 for the remainder of the race thus moving Bostrom and Oliver along with winner Roberts into the National. Heat two saw Mike Kidd, John Gennai and Alex Jorgensen moved to the penalty line for jumping the Christmas tree lights (which will be used in lieu of a green flag at all Nationals this year) . Hocking was first into the infield and first across the fmish line after 10 laps, but the battle behind him for second and third saw Gary Scott, Randy Skiver and John Allison tum in some close racing. Allison and Grand National Champ Scott took the two National advancement positions. Little John Hateley turned in the fastest heat (t he third) to earn the .National pole. Riding a Triumph 750 with a two-iota-one exhaust system which he called the "Music Maker," Hateley covered the ten laps in 4:28.89. Taking second and third were Dave Han sen and Rob Morrison. With the sho wring of the green on the third star t, Steve Eklund wen t bye-bye from the rest of the fourth he at field. Behind Eklund a three man battle took place between Bruce Hanlon, Robert Conw ay and Ted Boody. Maico-mounted Hanlon took the runnerup ho no rs behind Eklund and Conway fin all y nailed down th ird in a ba ngi ng-bu mp ing d ice with Boody exiting the infield o n th e fin al lap . Se mis and Trophy Race 8 Faced with the fa ct th at only the winner ou t of th e two Semis ad van ced to the National, several riders put on their best race faces for some of the closest ra cin g o f the night. The firs t Sem i turned in to an all-o ut war be tween David Ald an a , his new leathers done up like Superman , and Oklahoman Randy Cleek. Ald ana" took the lead from Randy Skiver co ming out of the infield during the third lap . Cleek moved into second on th e eighth lap, then took Aldana in the infield on the tenth and final lap, As the pair ' ex ite d th e infield fo r the final ch arge , Cleek h ad a slight edg e; but Aldana entered the final t um on the inside, bange d into Cleek, and went off the track, crossing th e finish line "outside the perimeter of the track," according to the officials. The second Semi was another thriller with the ra ce-ending fireworks being provided by Chuck Joyner and roo kie Expert Ted Boody. Mike Caves led from the start to the middle o f the sixth lap when Joyner and Boody put a combination move on him coming off the jump. Once by Caves , the pair began