Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

I 11II • ~ t i, J:"oo J:"oo ' ~ ..... c<') ~ en Sc ::s < (Above) Steve Baker (2)rode his Yamaha to second place. (Right! Barry Sheene went around the track at an average speed of 137 miles per hour. (Below) A flock of 250s heads down the scenic Spa-Francorchamps track. Note the huge crowd. World Championship Road Race GrandPrix Sheene wins iastest-ever GP; Baker and Hennen second, third. By Chris Carter SP A·FRA NCORCHAMPS, BEL GIU M. JULY 3 Barry Sh een e tightened his stranglehold on the 500cc World Championship with a scintillating victory in the Belgian GP at SpaFr ancorchamps on Sunday. Bu t this was no start -to -fin ish rom p for the Suzuki rider. He found 48 Frenchman Michel Rougerie on his Suzuki four a hard nut to crack and both b~oke the lap record in a scrap which lasted until midway round the ninth lap when R ou ge rie's engine suddenly cried enough, Rougerie 's re ti r em e nt left Steve Bak er in second place . The Yamaha factory rider had ch arged through the field after a poor start, bu t the gap between Sheene, the championship leader, and . the plucky American i~ now 29 points witl) only four more rounds to go . Behind Sheene and Baker came a superb battle between American Pat Hennen and Bri ton Steve Parrish on the Suzuki GB machines, and Finn Teuvo Lansivuori on the Life Racing Team Suzuki . Less than three seconds separated the trio after the lOla ps of the high speed Francorchamps circuit . but hard as they tried, and .Baker , too, they couldn't get near Sheene, who lif ted the absolute lap record to a staggering 137.06 mph. . Swiss star Philippe Coulon, who had caused a major surprise in practice by unofficially b reaking the . lap record and topping the leaderboard had a disappointing time . His Marlboro Total Team Suzuki kept cutting onto just th ree Cylinders at the most inap· propriate moments, and he trailed home sixth, ahead of Dutch farmer Wil Hartog . who had his co untrymen cheering in the early stages, when he led the pack. . But Giacomo Agostini was far from pleased. His Yamaha was 1,000 revs below par, and he could manage no better than eighth. Sheene looks set for his second world title. Kawasaki's Mick Grant fai led to recapture the form of the Dutch TT eight days earlier. He hurtled into the lead from the start of the 250cc race, but dropped back to finish 14th . His Japanese teammate Wada was going much better, grabbing fourth place after 10 exciting laps . The man who won the race was , surprisingly, Walter Villa. The reigning 250cc world champion came bouncing back to form with a performance that rocked his younger rivals on their heels . He proved his pole position on the grid was no fluke by moving his Harley-Davidson swiftly through the pack to take the lead at the halfway stage , and simply pull away from his rivals. including Takazumi Katayama , and Italian Mario Lega. Mario's third spot keeps him in the championship lead , but Katayama is now only nine points behind him. It was perhaps a good thing that Morbidelli had something to show in this race. The team manager and mechanics were involved in a fierce discussion on the start line when officia ls wa nted to exclude Paolo Pileri for failing to complete the warm up lap. , He was' allowed to start on the front row but was immediately b lack flagged . Bu t Paolo ignored the signa ls to the halfway stage , and then he pulled out . when lying fifth . Uncini was with the leading group for a while, too, but Franco dropped back to finish seventh, just behind the hard riding VicSoussan and Kork Ballington, who show ed little respect for the factory Harley-Davidson . The difference in pace between Villa and Uncini's Harley , though , was confirmation of the; paddock rumour that the Italian factory still has only one quick bike which was shared in practice by the teamsters. The sunshine attracted the usual 130: 000 . strong crowd for this world championship round. and continentals certainly appreciate the smaller solo classes . _ Most of them were sympathetic for Angel Nieto's sad day. The Spaniard could have perhaps ended the day with a double victory, instead all he had to show for some stylish , and forceful riding was a third in the 50cc class, and a runner u p spot in the 125cc even t. . Nieto might have clinched the first worl d title of the year if things had gone better for him in the 50cc race. Though quick off the mark a first lap . disaster put him down the field, and left him with too much to do to catch the Van Veen Kreidler pair of Italian Eugenio Lazzarini and Herbert Rit tberger. Angel managed to fight his wa back to third sp ot, but with one ro und still to go his lead over Lazzarini is still only 12 points , and in theory he could . still be beaten. Ricardo ' Tormo, the Spaniard . making his GP debut on the second Bultaco looked good again , and finished fourth. But Nieto's hard luck story wasn 't over yet. In the best 125cc race of the . year he lost a superb chance of victory when he and Morbidelli factory rider Pier-Paolo Bianchi crashed at the final hairpin. within sight of the chequered flag. Bianchi was to his feet first, though, an d went on to win from Nieto and Wes t German Anton Mang. Bu t all of these might have had something else to worry about if Austrian Harald Bartol's Morbidelli. second quickest in practice. had not broken on the secon d la p, Bu t Bianchi seems set for the 125cc crown again, even th ou gh his nea rest challenger Eugenio Lazzarini scored eight more points for fourth spot. • . Results SOcc 18,-, 52.6 ..-I: 1• E. l..8zDrinIIKro); 2. H. rit· tborger IKro); 3. A. Niolo IBul; 4. R. Torma lBult 5. J . v. ) Z_cock IKr 6. R. Kunz IK 7. P. _ o); ,o); lABFl:6. R. GoIi (Cor); 9. C. Dumont IKrol; 10. H. Kloin(Krol. Recor.d lop: E.luzarini IKro, 5m 7.40, 102.88 mph. 125cc 11 0 lope. 8'7.88 milool: 1. P. Bionchi IMorI; 2. A. Nioto IBull; 3. A. Meng IMar); 4. E. l..8zDrini IMar); 5. P.L Confoni IMarl; 6. E. Guiliano IMarl; 7. S. Dorfting« IMarl; B. G. Bender (Bon); 9. C. v Dongon (Mor): 10. J .L. Gulgnobodo< (Mar). . . Record lop: A. Nioto IBuIl. 4m 22.21. 120.39 mph. 250cc 110~. 8'7.88 miIool: 1. W . Villo (H-DI: 2. T. Kotayo .... lYom~ 3. M. Logo IMar); 4. M. WodIJ IKawI; 5. V. ~ lYoml;6. K. Bellington lYoml 7. F. Un; an; IH-D); 8. P. Fornondoz (Yoml 9. T. Herron (Yom): ; 10. J . Ekorold(Yam). Record lop: W . Villo IH-O), 4m 5.40. 128.63 mph. 500cc110~, 8'7.88 miloo 1. B. S'-'oISuzl;2. S. l: Bokor(Yom); 3. P. Hennon ISuzl; 4. T. Lonoivuori ISuzl; 5. S. Porrioll ISuz); 6. P. Coulon lSuzl: 7. W . Hortog ISuz); 8. G. Agostini (Yoml 9. J . findley ISuzl; 10. J .G. ; Williomo fSuzl. . Record lop: B. S'-'o lSuz), 3m 50.3s. 137.06 mph. S _ 110 ~, 8'7.88 miloo): 1. W. SchworzoUA. Huber 1Aro); 2. R. Sloi"""'-"C. HoUond (Yom); 3. G. O'DoIUC. HoI'-'d (Yom); 4. G. Brodin/B . (Vaml; 5. D. G,_loy/M . Skoola IVam); 6. H. SCtUIlingIR Gr..- (Vam): 7. H. Schmid/J.P. MonioI . (Vom): 8. M. Hoboon lS . Collins ISud; 9. W. OhrmonnlB. Grube IVoml; 10. T. . . - e. SCIwnilz _g (Yam). World Chornpionship pOintstondingo: SOcc: 1. A. Niolo ISpoin. Buttocol, 75 pOints; 2. E. l..8zDrini UtoIy, Kreidler), 62; 3. R. Torma lSpoin. • BullllCOl54; 4. H. Rittborgor 'MI. Gormony. Kreidler 53; } 5. P. Plisoon (F,onco. ABFl. 26; 6. S. Dorflingor (Swit· zorlend, j(roidlorl. 16. 125cc: 1. P. Bionchi ntoly. Morbidolli), 104 points; 2. E. Lozzorini Iitoly. Morbido"", 71: 3. A. Niota ISpoin. BullllCOl, 65; 4. A. Menge 'MI. Germany, Morbidolli). 52; 5. J .L. Guig..- (Fronce. Morbidolli). 34; 6. H. Ber tol (AUI1ria. Morbidolll), 32. Z5Occ: 1. M. Logo ntoly. Morbidolli), 59 points : 2. T. KOlOyomo IJapen , Vamoho), 50; 3. F. Uncini Iitaly . Harley-Oavidson!. 41 ; 4 . W . Villa (Italy. Haley- DlMdlor1I 38: 5. T. Herron 1GB. Va....hol. 37; 6. A. Nor· th IS. Africa. Yameho). 32. . 500cc: 1. B. 1G Suzukll, 87 points; 2. S. B. Bakor IUSA Va....hol. 58; 3. P. Hennen IUSA, Suzukil. 43; 4. P. Coulon ISwitterlond. Suzuki} 36; 5. W. Hertog , (Holland ,· Suzuki), 24 ; 6. v. Ferrari lltaly. Suzuki). G. Agostini !Italy. Yamaha . and S. Parrish 1 GB, Suzuki) all 21. Sidecars: 1. R. Biiand/K. Willjams (Switzerland. Va....'ol, 45 points; 2. G. O'DoII1C. Holland 1GB, Vomohol. 44; 3. A. Michel/G. LocorrolFrance, Ya....ho), 41; 4. W. SchwarzellA. Huber 'MI. Germany, Arol, 31; 5. G. Brodin/B. _ g ISweden . Yamohol. 30; 6. H. Schilling/R. Gundel 'MI. Germany. Vomohol lJ. ,

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