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/126311
Wild Willy Simtlns came t o M ex ico and t oo k the bi ggest w i n of his career in front of ove r 20.000 Mexican fans. TIm Worth rockets into the first turn ahead of Americans Mike Preston and Sandy Tuman. Wild Willy, Worth .Iead American romp in Mexico By Brian George GUADALAJARA, MEX , MAY 7 . American Motocross En terprises sen t a team of California m otocross ri ders to contest an in ter national even t b etween Mexico and the U. S. billed as the Prem io In ternacion al Motocross Turismo Primanera or First International Motocross for Spring I h . A d h' T ounsts. n t at s exact y w. at . It was: a motocross for spnng 16 tourists, specifically the California AME team . Wild Willy Simons and Tim Worth led ~he charge as Ame;ican rid.ers dominated the. top placings, taking four out.of five in each 125 an? 250cc Internall~:mal !'10to and holding the best Mexican TIde to a f~urth place. Immense .heat took ItS toll on the d young AmeTlca~ team .not accustome to the dry Mexican climate, but that was the least of the team's worries as the weekend progressed. On Friday, the truck and trailer hauling the 13 machines, tools, parts and gas blew a head gasket. A bent valve rendered the transport useless. and the motorcycles were stuck somewhere in the middle of New Mexico. Frantic action in both Guadalajara and the States rounded up a Mexican freight truck, empty and ready to head back to Mexico for a shipment of bananas. The bikes and accessories were transferred into the freight and then set out for Guadalajara . On the way to the Mexico destination, the truck now hauling the bikes blew out two tires, overheated and was failing ยท fast. Riders were panic-stricken Saturday when the bikes had still not arrived by nightfall , At 2:00 in the morning, someone called a room of the American riders and started a rumor that the bikes were stolen and were now heading east. Phone calls filled th e rooms of the Posada G ua d a IaJara as rest Iess . competitors sat in dispair awaiting the arrival of the m hin ac I es . Panic waves soon calmed, and the Americans went to sleep , praying that the Sandman would awaken them to the sight of 13 motorcycles . At 5:30 a.rn, Sunday, the American Motocross Enterprises team had their rides . . A Saturday evening riders' meeting unraveled some interesting developments, the main one being the Mexican team already feeling defeat. Confidence was scarce as they knew the speed of the Americans and the amount they ride each month . Mexico holds a motocross once every five or six months. In the end, their feelings were justified. As the first 125cc International moto rolled up , everyone looked evenly matched. Flag starts were used. and when the green banner was waved , th e dash down th narrow start chute was underway . Tim Worth made it through the tight right-hander ahead of Carlos Serrano. the Mexican/ American loner who found his ride a few minutes before the race. Worth immediately began to pull Serrano, and as the pair of Suzukis rounded the course. Serrano began a string of falls. The bars on his mount were loose , making turning in the powder track very difficult . Action behind the two front -runners saw Pat "H otdog" Hubbs, Mike Preston and jerry Shore battling for position to overtake javier Hernandez, currently third . By the ninth lap . Hubbs was in the show spot. Hernandez was fighting desperately to hold off the charges of Preston , and Serrano had dropped way back with three falls by the halfway mark . Worth flew until he hit the 25 minute mark in the race. Tim is known for tiring .righ t around this point , and with all the effort being put out early in the race, the Suzuki pilot started feeling fatigued . Contrarily, Hubbs rode hard and consistently the entire race, after putting in a mile run at the hotel that morning. The Hotdog started to close the gap that Worth had built, and in four laps there was a serious threat for the lead . Worth looked beat as the final laps began, but Hubbs was still on the charge. On the 17th lap, Hubbs pulled up to Worth's tail and put a clean pass on to take the lead. . The rnoto ended with Hubbs crossing the line so stoked that he stood up on his bike and threw both arms into the air with a cry of victory. The maneuver almost cost him the race when the Mexican officials stated a rule which prohibits "playing" on the track . But the rules were not earlier stated . so a warning was first given . Worth stayed in second , with heavy action behind going down to the wire. Gary " Poindexter" Sheidler had also held a consistent charge that brought him up to third by the' end of the moto. Hernandez successfully held off Shore for fourth, scoring the highest moto finish of a Mexican rider. . ~ Second moto action began as . a repeat of the first when Worth took . the lead early and began to stretch a lead. Serrano was back in the race. but again suffered numerous problems. ~ Hubbs and Preston were there to pick up the extra positions when Serrano dropped out, . and by the fourth lap the leading trio ' began to lap riders. Worth was .pumped to win the moto and prove he could ho ld on for the entire race , and Hubbs was after a win in what he called "rhe biggest race I've ever been in." Slower riders ended any hopes for the Hotdog catching Worth, as he tangled with lapped riders twice while trying to get around. Positions held ./