Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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. • 11II ~ ., . '-..z ~ ~ t 00 t"'O) ~ C(") ~ l-o Q) ..0 8 Q) ... 0.. Q) en Welk scores in B.F.G. Off Road World Championships By Rex Reese Photos by Anthony DePalmer and Rex Reese RIVERSIDE, CA, AUG. 27 . Charles Welk (Yam) became the unexpected winner of the Class 22-0pen bike battle in the motorcycle portion of SCORE's B.F. Goodrich Off Road World Championships at Riverside crashed into the wall . We examined Raceway • Welk had hung in tight behind Honda's invincible Marty Tripes . h fi h I" h 10 t e ITSt eat ear ier 10 t e day for second, then took advan- (Above) Scot Harden (1)and Bill Tarling dice in Class 22. Tarling was third. Harden fourth. (Above right! Charles Welk won the overall and Class 22 amidst controversy. (Below) Kevin Davis gets acrobatic. (Bottom) The controversial crash. Welk stays upright while Tom Brooks goes down. 10 rage of Tripes' bad luck , shattered fork clamps, in the second heat to lead and win . All of this came about in spite of the heavy odds placed on Tripes. A protest posted by Tom Brooks (Yam) as a result of a spectacular last lap collision with Welk produced flared tempers that landed Welk a punch in the face and a big doubt if he would snag the overall win because of ' Brooks ' charge of rough riding. The close finish . in which secondplace Tom Brooks crashed 20 feet shy of the checkered flag while racing wheel to wheel with Welk, was reviewed on NBC's television film coverage by Dick Miller, SCORE's director of motorcycle competition. and witnesses were questioned before the ~ecision.was made. MIller said the film showed both riders almost even. with Welk slightly ahead in the final turn before the finish line . "Welk hit a berm and momentarily lost control," Miller said. " Because he had slid underneath Brooks . Brooks had nowhere to go and the film closely, and Welk didn't touch Brooks . It. was a.risky move-if Brooks had not glVen him r~m, ~elk wo~ld have crashed - but It was Just racmg luck ." Welk became the overall winner of motorcycle competition with a second and a first place in two heat races , while Brooks was second overall with a third and second in the same races. The first heat started off behind schedule, after . noon, and everybody nodded sagely to each other that Marty Tripes. a last minute entry, had it made in the shade. Brooks (Yam) was able to blast his mono first off the asphalr starting grid as he led everybody off the line. About 40 assorted motocrossers and desert aces played road racer with knobbies as they all funneled down into a hairy left hander that quickly strung the pack out as they proceeded another %-mile of asphalt and into the din. Behind Brooks was Welk and Tom Kelly (KTM) with Tripes fourth. . At the start of the third -lap . Marty moved up to second. And with announcer Larry Huffman leading them on, the crowd went nuts as Tripes started to put it on Welk, who had overtaken Brooks earlier. In the 250ccs . Mark Boren and Bobby Jones. both on Honda CR 250Rs. were doing