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/126047
u 111 t e rn a t i011 a I d ate I i11 e - Gaston Rahier loves rough tracks. He was ecstatic in Great Brita in. i Rahier 1-1 in Britain and 3 for 3 in season By John Huetter Rahier disappears over the horizon with ease while Marty Smith (24 1, Roger Harvey (27) , Daria Nani (12) and Tom Olsson (18) str uggle. Viktor Semko (2 1) pits his 1976 wor ks CZ against Russian teammate ~abvel on last years Czech tr ickery . Not like what they sell in Amer ica. SHREWSBURY, SHROPSHI RE, BRITAIN,MAY2 For the first time this year and the second time in the British 125"GP, Suzuki's smallest star Gaston Rahier put together overwhelming dual mota wins to take his third 125cc Gran d Prix in a row that 's all of them so far this season. 12 Gaston liked the demanding Hawkstone Park circuit from the first time he walked it. "Many bumps," he no te d. "Much be tter for me . " The ser ies of tight turns, murderous hills and sandy whoop-de-does was so good for Gaston that he won the second moto by a margin of 43 seconds. Three dozen in temational riders had gathered in the lush, green farmlands of Shropshire in the far nort hwest of England. The Hawkstone circuit. in use for nearly 20 years, was considered difficult even for 500cc bikes. Veteran riders shook their heads when thinking about it for a 125cc GP. The threat to the World Champ 's co nti nuing reign comes from th ree differen t directions: Czechs J iriChuravy and Zdenek Velky on the ultra-trick works CZs; Russian Pavel Rulev on the same and American Marty Smith on the "Type I" Honda ... soon, he hopes, to be a "Type 2." But when the gate dropped, letting the supertuned I 25s lo ose o nto a near-perfect mo to c ro ss track. it was Gaston Rahier in the lead before the pack disappeared into the tree-canopied tunnel at the end of the start st raight. Churavy (CZ) was second; Velky, third; and Marty Smith in fourth. Marty shot into third after as many turns, then Velky repassed him. Coming over the finish straight jump, Marty hit the gro und before the wild Czech, got traction and pulled ahead. Close behind Velky were Ivano Bessone, an Italian on the works Beta, Finnish privateer Osmo Peralma looking fast and furious on his standard Yamaha, and Englishman Roger Harvey, riding for the British Husky importer. They were all one speed leve l above the rest of the pack in that first 20 minutes. You had to no t ice that ha lf the privateers were on RMI25 Suzukis - some of which were, quite literally, box stock. Europeans are continually amazed at all the trick stuff available to American racers. After 30 minu tes, it seemed all but " the first three had been on the ground at least once - most of them at the top of the long uphill which terminated in a rock slab trials section. Only Gaston had the magic line through the top-of-the-hill section - all the way on the o u tside, on top of t he rocks. Even Velky cra shed , as had Rulev before him, but remounted without losing a position.