Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

co u ld n 't eat a thing all d ay before the race. When Baker's petrol ca p sp ru ng open , liberall y sp ri n k ling the Am erican. a nd Sheene close behind , it d idn't help Barry 's d igestive worries. Baker eased up to wipe his oily visor, Sheene swept through , a nd from th en on the little American nev er had a cha nce of rega in ing his lead . But Ago was still on his wa y, up to fourth spot , with eight laps still to go , and he rapidly closed on the leaders , until Sheene was given th e news that his lead was down to eig ht seconds. When it was down to fou r, Barry quickened his pace , too , and th e final two laps were som eth ing of an anticlimax, for the gap stayed at around four seconds. Ago . tired but happy. was well satisfied with second best. while Baker in third spot was justifiably angry that someone had broken the wire seal on his petrol cap to check if he had enough fuel. This misfortune almost certainly cost him the race , or at least robbed the cro wd of a grandstand finish . It wasn't just the leaders who pro vided all the action though . Fr anco Bonera, on the Gallina Suzuki. moved through the pack to snatch fourth place in the closing stages in fine style with Philippe Coulon not sofar behind I and Steve Parrish looking smooth and relaxed in sixth place. New Zealand newcom er J oh n Woodley, fo u n d the European op. position can't be dismissed lightly, but a debut G P placing- of 14th j ust beh ind W arren Willing- ca n't be sneered a t. sneered at. Pat Hennen was l Ot h , suffering somewhat with a knee that suddenly swelled up to three times its normal size a week after his Imola tumble, and that solitary po int helped him- keep third place in the championship table. For once the 125cc race was not 'th e tedious event it has been in recent Grands Prix. Ma ybe Pier Paolo Bianchi decided that we was winning few friends with his annihilation of the opposition on his superfast factory Mo r bidelli , so this time he diced with fellow Italian Eugenio Lazzarini on the privately-entered Morbidelli until the 10th lap , when the pair began to ca tch the tail enders. ,.. Lazzarini in fact had been ahead of . his rival for th ree la ps just before this but once Bianchi decided to go there - was nothing his rival could do about it , ~ and at the flag he was 18 seconds -clea r . . " Austrian Harald Bartol had a fight '.on his hands with French hero Jean , Louis Guignabodet but then the local bo y's machine slowed after the clutch ,) began to fa il, Bartol pulled away and '> in the closing stages slow-sta rt ing West German Gert Bender came through to " sn a tch fou rt h spot. . o Former world champion An gel N ieto d id not even start. Mechanical i troubles in pract ice dropped h im to '49 th place on the p ra ctice le ade r board and on ly 36 made th e grid . e Resu lts 125cc: 1. Pier Poolo Bianchi IM o<) 2. Eugenio Laz; za< (M er); 3 . Harald Bartol (Mer l; 4. Gert Bender ini (Ben); 5. J ean-L ouis Guignabodet (M Ol'); 6. Giovanni Zigiono (Mor); 7. Z. PazzagJia (Mo,,!; B. J ulien Vanzeebtoeck (Morl; 9. Mau rizio Massimiani (Mor!: 10. P.l. Conforti (Morl. • BOWL OF NSOR, suPER '/ 9. ASSOClAff SfO COLISEUM JUL .. A MOTOCRO~~~, • SfftOUIII Jim Weinwt - 1976 Nati onal Super Cro. Champion ere UR I. E ."t"G. LONG TRAVEL FORK KITS FOR ALL MAOEOF60 60 1T6 ALlOY FORKS AVAllA8I.E IN 9 -10 - II - 12 " Call 513-372- 760 7 mRRZO

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