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/126315
8rad Lackey puts 450cc of Honda motor to the ground and holeshots the first moto. Behind him are Rex Staten 11 81 Rick Buryett 1201 moto winner Herbert . . Schmitz 191, Hakan Andersson 181, Mike Bell 1281. Gerrit Wolsink 141, Marty Smith 1121 Tommy Croft 1151 and Danny laPorte 1211. Overall w inner Heikki , M ikkola isn't even visible. 500cc World Championship MX Series - Round seven Mikkola, Schmitz take it to the limit By Charles Morey and Brian George Photos by Dale Brown, Brian George and Charles Morey CARLSBAD . CA ,JUNE4 'R eigning 500cc MX Worl d Champ ion Heikki Mikkola bounced _his H eikki Pen ttila- tuned works Yamaha to overall victory on th e h ard, rutted 1.3-mile Carlsbad Racewa y motocross course, edging Tea m Maico's Herbert Schmitz in a 3 -1 to 1 -3 . . ' tiebreaker by a 1.00.84 mmute margin in the Bel -R ay USGP of 6 Motocross. Mikkola's total tim e for the two 40 ·minute-plus-two-lap motes was 95 :52 .80 minutes ; Schmitz . rid ing the Steve Sta siefski -tuned Mai co , registered a 94 :55.64 . Mikkola 's 5-1 score added 25 GP series points 10 his previou s 147 -poi nt tota l. T eam Honda's Am eri can hope ) n 500 cc World Champion ship co m - pet iti o? Brad La ckey, sa~ his second pl ~ ce m. t he pomt sta n~mgs fall off Mikkola s pace by 15 pomts when he turned in a DNF.2 good for onl 12 GP points. Mikkol; now holds /54 , point lea d ; 172 to Lackey's 158 . Brad Lackey recorded th e fastest qualifying tim e of th e meet with a 2: 18.4 average lap time for the three fastest ,of five tim ed laps in pract ice . Mikkol a followed . one second back. with a 2 : 19.08. An dre Malherbe of th e KTM team qualified th ird with a 2:20 .50 ahead of Suzuki 's four -time USGP winner Gerrit Wolsink who was timed at 2:20 .56 . Team Yamaha 's Mike Bell was the fifth -fastest qualifier with a 2 :21.06 , and it was Bell wh o went home with "Top American" hon ors th ird overall when Lackey ran into problems in th e first mot o . Rounding out the top 10 fastest qualifiers were Roger DeCoster. Hakan Andersson . Danny La Porte , Graham Noyce and Jaak Van Velthoven. The spectators estim a ted at 55 ,600 by Trippe, Cox Associates who promoted th e event - were Lackey- . backers, each and everyone . When " Bad Br ad " led th e 500cc Internationa l class through turn one at th e start of th e first rnoro , th e Carlsbad turf sho ok more from th eir roa r of a p prova l th an t he roar of th e 25 Open cla ss motocros s machines , But La ckey's moment of glory was short- lived . H is Hon d a spit its ch ain on th e ope ni ng lap . a nd whil e he rethreaded it . th e pa ck shot past. "T h is super -duper heav y-duty cha in guide we're using has a lightweight mounting bracket ," mechanic Bill Buchka . ex p lai ned lat er. " He apparently hit it prelly hard - broke th e bracket. " The guide didn't come off; it flopped around in place a nd eventually knocked the chain off again five laps later, forcing Brad out for th e moto. Rex Staten. riding his Many Smithtuned Bassett Racing Products Yamaha . took over th e lead when Lackey dropped back. Hot on his tail was T eam Suzuki's former World Champ Roger DeCoster. Yama ha 's Rick " Lum berj ack" Burgett. Herbert Schmitz ; Husqvarna 's Hakan Andersson a rid Mike Bell. T eam Hond a' s Many Smith . KTM 's Jaak Van Veltboven . Can -Am 's Gary Sem ics a nd Gerri t Wolsink rounded out the top 10 at th e' co m p letion of lap one . Mikk ol a was 15th . Staten and DeCo ster quickl y pull ed away fro m th e rest . in volved in a hard -