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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126262
West German Road Race Grand Prix Hennen and Baker follow Sheene in SOOcc; Katayama wins with three-cylinder Yamaha'350 By Chris Carter HOCKENHEIM, W. GERMANY, MAYS Barry Sheene widened the gap in the 500cc world championship with a convincing victory in Sunday's West Gennan GP at Hockenheim. The British ace shattered the circuit's absolute lap record by . more than two seconds as he raced his way to 6 victory more than nine seconds ahead of his Suzuki teammate Pat Hennen. Thanks to that fine ride , Hennen, who rode from the third lap without a clutch, now goes into second place in the championship table alongside fellow American Steve Baker, who was third in Sunday's event. But Sheene is now eight points clear of them both. Fourth place went to Steve Parrish, making it a great day for Texaco Herron Suzuki squad. and Steve showed the son of form needed to beat top class men like Swiss ace Philippe Coulon. But Sheene, who took the lead from early pace maker Parrish on the third lap, must have been thankful that Giacomo Agostin i was an early retirement. The former world champion had moved through to second place on his 500cc Yamaha four cylin der, before it seized , and a bitterly disappointed Ago was close to tears as he pushed back to the pits . o World champion Angel Nieto. talked into racing in the 50cc class again by the Bultaco factory. slid off at the Sachs curve on the penultimate lap of the tiddler race. and threw away the chance of victory. Little Angel had just outbraked West Gennan Herbert Rittberger to grab th e lead once more. but the front wheel locked up, and down he went. While Rinberger , Italian Eugenio Lazzarini and Angel's new teammate Ricardo Tormo sped past Angel clim bed back on the bike . and re-started, Then, just a few hundred yards fur ther on Tormo. : who had set the fastest lap of the race while he battled to catch the leading trio, crashed at the comer just after the stan and finish area, and he was out! Rittbergcr galloped on to an easy win , with his Van Veen Kreidler teammate Lazzarini a good second, and Nieto third. The 5Gcc battle had been run in the rain, which had started during the niltht, but it had eased before the end of the race, and during the 17-lap 1l!5cc event the Hockenheim circuit was rapidly drying. It was still slippy at first , though, as a few found to their cost. One lucky man in the middle of the pack slid off at the stan and though many had to take to the grass they all missed him and his machine as they slid across the track. at the first bend. Next to go down was Hungarian Janos Drapal, who had been in second spot. Behind the works Morbidelli of Pirpaolo Bianchi. He was unhurt, but it left Eugenio Lazzarini on his Mor bidelli, who with Bianchi had been joint fastest in practice, to take up the challenge. Bianchi, though was in a class of his own . He steadily opened a gap over Lazzarini, and the race lacked real interest until the closing stages . when to the delight of the hom e crowd . Anton Mang nipped ahead on the last lap to take third spot. Nieto lost a place on the last lap, too , when another German. Gen Bender. after a sluggish start grabbed fifth spot . By mid -day the track was almost completely dry. and slick tyres were permitted. What a good thing it was, that the rain had stopped, for somehow it just didn't seem likely the race would have been anything like so good if it had been wet. What a great race it wasl It started with South Africans Alan North and Jon Ekerold battling together without any quaner asked, or given . But while this pair had the crowd on their toes Takazurni Katayama on the new, three cylinder 350cc Yamaha was gaining ground. But it took a near record lap to put zooming Taxi into the lead after six laps. with Ekerold sticking grimly to his tail, and North a good third. Tom Herron, who had made a grea stan off the second row of the grid was still fourth, as he had been fro the first comer, but behind him Fren chman Olivier Chevellier and S . youngster Philippe Bouzanne wer being overhauled by Giacom Agostini , with the second three cylin derYamaha. Ekerold's race was not to last fo much longer. By the end of lap scv he had lost a great deal of groun when his clutch suddenly failed an two laps later the unlucky Sout African had been forced to sto altogether with the same problem. Takazumi, meantime was leavin Alan North trailing behind, and . Giacomo Agostini piled on th pressure, with Chevellier, refusing t be overawed in his slipstream. i became obvious that even runneru spot might slip from North's grasp. And so it did. Ago. shatteri Cecotto's existing lap record on th 17th lap, rocketed through to secon place then, and Chevellier, never mo than a few lengths behind him couldn't quite find enough pace t beat him in the run -in to th checkered flag . North was fourth , happy to tak some more points in his quest for world title. but disappointed to ha slipped back in th e 20·lap battle. S too was Tom Herron, who couldn' (Cont in ued o n pag « J.5