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/126048
Lampkin's Scottish • a s IX By Heath Rob inson FORT WILLIAM, SCOTLAND. MAY 3-7 England doesn't observe Halloween, but several thousand watched an orange and black suited "Great Pumpkin" Martin Lampkin give his sponsor, Hammonds Sauce, something to celebrate. It was the first Six Day win . for the world champion. Lampkin's victory ended the five out of the last six win skein of another two time world champ, Mick Andrews. This year's event was the 59th of the series, which dates back to 1911. Best foreign fmish so far is Thore Evertson's third in 1974. Lampkin's winning score was 3 7, accumulated by riding 165 sections located along the 672 mile course. Runner-up was Dave Thorpe, also on a Bultaco , with 54. It was Thorpe's second straight second. British champion Malcolm Rathmell finished third, leaving Montesa still looking for their first Scottish victory. Rastus was a pre-event favorite be cause of his win at the tough Spanish Santigosa Three Day and Mick Andrews ' broken foot. Andrews, tied with Sammy Miller for life time SSDT wins (5), put forth a gri tty effort riding with pain pills, several times on the verge of retiring, ye t finishing up with Saturday's lowest score to claim seventh. Lampkin 's older brothe r, Alan, who won the Scottish in 1966 on a BSA, placed fourth ahead of Swede Thore Evertson, The sole American rider , Martin Belair , who earlier in the year too k a cond in a Spanish National, finished 41st. Lane Leavitt, who has ridden the Scottish three times, did not enter this year. Two other Americans spectated: National champion Marland Whaley and So uthern Califo rnia champion Bern ie Schreiber, both age 17. According to the AMA neither rider will be eligible for an FIM license until they t urn 18. Strange, since about a half dozen 17-year-olds rode this year's Scottish with FIM licenses. Whaley was just two months short of turning 18. Schreiber did get to ride at Ben Nevis when Charles Coutard encouraged him to try his bike. The Fre nch champion, who posted the lowest score on T uesda y , was forced to retire at Ben Nevis on Thursday because of a wri st broken the previo us day at th e swampy Blackwater. Schreiber impressed Coutard by dropp in g just two marks on the eight su b-section s he ro de. Other retirements of n otables included Yrjo Ves terinen (world title ru nner-up) .with seizure pro blems attrib utable to the big end be aring, Ulf Karl son an d Rob Shepard, wh o bro ke his fram e on Saturday. The tri al began with a 90 mile :l:pavem en t jaunt that led the riders ( to war d th e im pound area fo r the wee k ~ at Fort Wialliam, a vacation sp o t some 0 160 m iles n orthw est of Edi nburgh. :tl Day One saw a " per fe ct ride " p osted by Suzuki fact o ry m an J o hn Metcalfe on his 325 prototype . Chris Milne r also . join ed Metcalfe in cleaning the four - sub-sections of Ed ra muc ky. Their efforts were only the fifth and sixth cleans Edramucky has seen d uring it s nine year usc in competition. Lampkin dropp ed a single dab for the day . . Dave Thorpe took the lead on Tuesday. Lampkin lay one point behind with a score of nine, while Rathrnell dipped to sixth with 14 . The scoring went up Wednesday. World champion Lampkin posted the best score , an eight, to take over first place with a 17 total. Rathmell dropped 19 markers to slip to eighth. On Thursday Martin Lampkin increased his lead to 13 marks as Dave Thorpe (wi th a score of 37) moved up to second and Rathmell rebounded to third with 42 overall. Friday Lampkin upped his lead to 19 points over Rathmell who passed Thorpe. The anti-climactic Saturday loop leading back to the cat tle market impound in Edinburgh saw Thorpe regain second. Bultaco easily took th e Manufacturer's Trophy with the first, second and fourth placing riders: the Lampkin brothers and Thorpe. And the Club Trophy went to the Yorkshire located Bradford and District A club, comprised of . the Lampkins and Rathmell. The '76 works thumpers showed up in time for the Miller Honda team entry. Nick Jeffries finished ninth on the all red bike. The most significant change was a lowering of the cylinder height by about three inches by shortening the st roke. The new engine is a two-valver with 306cc displacement. Weigh t has been reduced to about 190 pounds and the first three gears are now closer. Suzuki works riders Nigel Birkett and John Metcalfe were aboard 165 pounds, 325cc, 5-speed prototypes. Birkett fmished eighth. The Bultaco and Montesa teams competed on near-stock bikes. Martin Lampkin was riding his 348. Andrews rode his 175 pounds, 370cc, 5ospeed , laid down gas shocker, 205 pounds Yamaha. He may be aboard a 500cc thumper prototype before the ye ar ends. Two old (1960 or so) 500 Ariels finished and development rider Walter Luft showed up with a KTM. Former Scottish winner Bill Wilkinson got hit in the helmet with a golf ball an d Martin Belair was attacked by a bird on the pavement and rear ended the auto he was foll owing. Weather for the eve nt was rated good by the locals, ran gin g fro m partly sunny with showers to overcast with showers to overcast with no showers. Lampkin's winni ng average o f 6.2 . points per day indicates the lack of severity fo r the w orld class r iders . That's because the event, the mos t prestigi ous in ob served trialing, is open to all classes of Bri tish club riders. The score of t he least efficient fini she r wa s 773. Two hu ndred forty ride rs start ed, in cluding 49 foreigners; 19 4 fini shed, • Results 1. M. L.a mpkln 37 IBull' 2. Thorpe 54 IBul). 3 . Rathmell 59 (Mon . 4. A . L.amPkln 64 (Bull. 5. nd re ws n 68( Vam). 68. Metealle 71 E\I8rtso 73 (Oss). . B i rk e tt 8 0 1. A Suz . 9. Jellrles 86 (Hon). 1 0. Nilsson 9 5 °l:ksT SCORES DA ILY : Monday Metcalfe 0; T ueSday - Coutar d 3; Wed n esday - Lam pkin 4., Sat ur d ay - - Andrew s 3.7 ; Friday L.a mpkln 8 Thursday L.ampkln - S UZI. I "tnts Is the first time ever that someo ne has come out with a new Idee In master lin ks and damn It alf , It's a good one. " - MODERN CYCLE TOM TURNER'S 2~Stroke Engineering I've bu ilt engines National racers in A Kenny Roberts, on Castro, Gary Seo. etc. Also rna Duayn e Perkins, - e m n I will bu ild one for you (mi;Jf.U!!~!ll ~lAme or pr ice ca, incl uding Hank Scott, ike Tidwell, MoIloco , et c. qu otes! 8052 E. Rosecrans Paramount. Calif.90723213-531-1619 13