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/126262
(Above) Uncini leads Fernandez. Cecotto, and Braun in the 350cc race,
moments before all four crahsed. (Right. above) Eugenio Lazzaranini
(Morbidelli) won the 125cc race after Angel Nieto's Bultaco pitted. (Righ t)
Philippe Coulon and Steve Baker discussed track safety, then decided not
to start the 500cc race. (Far right) Johnny Cecotto (2) won't be seen on a
racetrack again for four months.
Riders strike at Austrian GP:
Massive pileup leaves Cecotto
with demolished arm
By Chris Carter
SALZBURG. AUSTRIA . MAY I
A rider's strike brough t the
Austrian Grand Prix to a sad ,
bitter and delayed conclusion at
the Salzburgring. The initial
cause of the boycott was a five
man pile up in the opening
350cc race, bu t the confusion
during the crash, the delay in
16
treating injured riders. and the attitude of the organizers didn't improve
tempers, and on ly 14 riders lined u p
for the 500cc race.
The crash came in the eight h lap of
t he 350cc event. when Franco Uncini"s
Harley Davidson appeared to lockup, and he fell at the fla t-ou t-in -to p gear right -hander at the top of the hill
at the back of the pits .
Debris and fuel fetched off Johnny
Cecotto, Patrick Ferna ndez and Diet er
Bra un , who were close behind th e
Italian. and while panic st ricken marshals attempted to sort out th e car-
nage, Swiss rider Hans Stadelmann
crashed , too .
It took eight minutes to get the first
ambulance to the scene . and another
six minutes before all the injured had
been loaded into the rest of th e ambulances.
But Stadelmann died on the way to
the hospital, and the treatment of the
others was delayed when an accident
on the nearby a utostrade filled the
casualt y department's capa city beyond
its limits.
South Afri ca n Kork Ballington. fet ched off when hi t by Christian Sarron
ea rlier in the race, saw Patrick Fer nandez crying out in pa in for mor e
than half an hour befor e do ctors cu t
away his leathers to treat a dee p
wound in his ba ck .
Johnny Cecotto b roke his a rm in five
places, Dieter Braun suffered con cussion , a n d Franco Un cini was
released after ob servation , but Fernandez was reported to be in a serio us
condition on Sunday night.
Lucki est of all was perhaps South
Afri can Alan North. He had lead the
ra ce in the early stages till he had had
to stop to pull off a block ed petrol tank
br eather pipe. Tha t lost him five
places, and a lot of ground .
The leader , Jon Ekerold was well
clear of the crash , but North was still
chasing to get back on terms with the
others. and he too missed the accident.
Ekerold kept on racing, and stretched his lea d from six seconds to mo re
than 20 , while North sudden ly.fou nd
Giacomo Agostini on his heels, and as
they raced to the line on the 17th lap
Ago nipped ahead for second spot.
T he Italian was angry th e ra ce had
been stopped a t thi s sta ge , and