Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

._.•._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.-._._._._._._._._._._._._. Western hotline the course where he should have and then started all kinds of controversy which kept everyone around for a long time after the races. Dorsch requested the tech committee to t ake a good look inside Ho cking's engine. This was done and the official word to us from Walt Fulton is that both th e first and second place machines are legal. We point out that the AMA has these bikes listed as 500's so 40-over is the limit! As the results were posted Dorsch was again in the middle of it. There is definitely a dis crepancy between positions third through probably fifth . He feels that Haney probably got the third but no way could he have been fifth. Chub Kellam kept things well under ,con tro l, the first re-count of t he laps didn 't solve anything so the . principles holed up in a motorhome by the payoff booth while we all cooled o ur heels o utside. Finally, Hocking (still elated and justifiably so) and Hansen were paid as were riders from 10 t h on back. The rest will have to wait for another official lap charting, And so the reign of the twins is over by a simple 500cc thumper, a design some folks were calling antiques before :amaha presented theirs. Yeeha ! • Results 100 LAP TT CLASSIC (resu lts pending on AMA decision) , 1. Rick Hocking (Vam). 2. Da ve Hansen (Yam). 3. Mike Haney (Trl) . 4. Terry Dorsch (H-O) . 5 . Mike Myers (Nor). 6. Steve Eklund (Yam) .. 7. John Allison (varnI. 8. Mark Sm ith (Yam) . 9 . Mert Lawwill (H-D • 10. Dan McWhorter ('Yam). Time , 1 ,21,55.08. Thumper lifts! Hockiilg bested s1ick-surfac:e field, d;espite worn rear tire. Son of Thumper wins again! 13th Fuel overflow sparkles in the sun light • fm qualifier Hansen pause s o n way t o second place finish. Right in the thi ck of it, du ring the race and afte r, Terry Dorsch (22 1 holds , Dusty Coppage (32) at bay in a quali fie r heat. One of the smal lest CMC turnouts so far this year kept the action limited, but a reversed Grand Prix track p rovided some thrill s for the By Maureen Lee GARDENA, CAL., MAR. 21 Rick Hocking set about proving that his Houston win was just the beginning as he put , his TI500 Yamaha out front of 30 other Experts and kept it there for 100 laps. Wide World of Sports was there, anchored by Frank Gifford and Evel Kneivel (so watch for announcement of the showing date). 14 By Mike Yada CARLS BAD, CAL., MAR. 14 Ascot 100 lap TT The Ascot color was back as Evel Kneivel and Frank Gifford made a round of the track on a Kawasaki; there were trackside interviews including one with Skip Van Leeuwen who has won the 100 lapper more times than anyone else (rwe) and who donated the silver cup for the fastest time of the day. Roxy Rockwood considers the Ascot fans the most: knowledgeable in the country and gave them a chance to show what marque they thought would win. The new single (pretty good applause) or the twins (much more noise). The Triumph twins have won 11 out of 12 100 lappers, Gary Scott and his Harley did i~ the last time and could the singles do it? We asked around and most sages said, "No, they can't get the drive down the straight. The twins C3Il and when they get bogged in traffic they can't get loose quick enough." The machines lined up and Hocking vanished into the pits for a bit .. "To change to a 10 gallon tank" Rockwood ,humorously informed his competition, an d fmally they were _ off in that spine-tingling roar. ~, E ve r tried to keep tabs on 31 bikes for 100 lap s and try to remain sane about it all? You can't, n ot past the first few laps. First lap at the jump it was Hocking, Hansen, Steve Eklund (Yam) and Bostrum, so now we'll switch to jottings from the notebook. Lawwill moving up then fa lls right in the pack as they exit the esses to head for the jump W..ket takes one, Tami takes two but gets it going again. Eddie Wirth is moving up like an express from his fourth row start . . . Hansen in nibbling away on Hocking's rear wheel but by lap seven Rick is pulling away on what sounds like a slow motorcycle. Lawwill is flat getting with it, passing Cox and Tom Clark (Yam) and Hocking still moving ahead. Lap 10 it 's Hocking, Hansen, Bostrum, Oliver, Eklund, Mike Haney (Tri) , and Wi!th. Laps 20 -30. Mike Kidd and Devon Sowell are out ... Dorsch is heading up a group of , Coppage, Morrison, Sanders and Ron Powell (Tri) who will eventually be out just before the halfwa y point . .. Dorsch ' b lows by Frank Adamo on the straight ' and has Eddie Wirth in his sights while Tom White (Tri) is moving up to challenge Terry. Eklund takes a fall in turn nine but doesn't lose much , and Tom Berry. unloads o n the back section ... Eddie Wirth comes into the pits. By t he halfway point, Rick Hocking and Son of Thumper has lap ped e very bod y ! This is not official but we have at lap 50, Hocking, lIansen Eklund, Morrison, Dorsch, Haney and Whi te . . . Haney is turning in a great ride after being off for three years from a back injury ••• lap 54 Dennis Briggs comes over the jump the bike lets go and he's forced to retire ... Tom White and jim Wright are having a dice but Tom R"ts by smoothly, while Wright is fighting .the battle of an almost brakeless Yamaha. He's using only the compression release and the front wheel br ake. Two pit stops ' don't do much good. From now on Ho cking is droppirig off the pace a little and causing some anxious moments as he keeps checking his rear wheel on less busy portions of the track. Diane Cox is still runn ing although being lapped and will finish 94 laps. john Allison is having problems including partial seizure by the jump, but keeps in there. Tom White falls and is out, losing a .to p position - as did Bostrum wlien his magneto quit. Finally the checkered flag comes out for the 20 rem ain ing riders and once again it's festivities. on the start-finish , Evelv Rockwood, j.C. line , with Agajanian and Hocking whose grin is endangering his ears. In terviewed, he said his rear tire was bald and just hoped ' it would hold together the full route as he knew fro m the score board and peeks behind him Hansen was right back there. As to the bike, he knew it could do it, it had a good cam and valve springs. , It was announced that Eklund would be 'pe n alized a lap for not re-entering > . spectators. Tony Wanket (FM F) to pped Dave Carlson and Ted Weeks in the 125 Pro class and Track and Travel's Val Ta';'ietti cleaned h o use in both the 250 and 500 Pros. Tamie t t i grabbed fo ur holeshots, which he turned into four mota wins that added up to two first p lace finishes. Tamietti and his potent TNT Maico didn't have any pro ble ms in the 500 Pros as second place finisher Dave Gerig (CRT). was regulated towards the back of the pack in t he early moto hustle. Tim Marsh (Bul) gave Tamietti a tough time early in the 250 Pro lead-off mota, but Tamietti held off the newly-turned Pro, finishing with a clean straightaway lead. The second mota looked much the same. Tamie tti and Marsh were holding the top spots, although Marsh stayed within reach, he couldn't quite catch up. Dave Carlson and his superb handling, powerful Frank's Honda emerged leading the mad dash to the first comer of the opening 125 Pro mota. Right on his tail were Tony Wanket (Hon), and another Flying Machine Factory flyer Ted Weeks (Hon). Carlson rode fast and hard, but his lead only lasted a few laps as his engine soon died from the Honda rod blues. Wanket took up the"new spot trying to escape the constant shadow of Weeks. Riding a fresh 'box stock' '76 Honda, Weeks couldn't keep up wi th Wanket's pumped up '75 on the uphill straight. Carlson re-e ntered the race o n a '76 Miller Mano Night Racer Spe cial equipped with a ' 74 engine. ' Ted Wee ks w on the drag race to t he first comer in the final, but was passed on the lo ng u p hill on the first lap by both Carlson and Wanket. Carlson pulled ahead and grabbed the moto win , . but a second p lace finish insured Wanket of first overall. Weeks ended up third for the day and Carlson racked ,:,p • a 3-1 score for second. Resu lt s in Results Section. .

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