Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

-- --- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (Above) Bultaco-mounted Harry Everts led Team Belgium to victory with a 1-6 day. (Below) Rex Staten replaced an inj ured Rick Burgett on Team USA; Bill West tuned the works Yamaha. (A bov e) Bob Hannah led the start of round two but crashed on the first lap . r (Belo w) Roger DeCoster turned in a 2-8 afternoon before 20,000 MX-Ioving Belgian spectators. Trophee des Nations Belgium claims 10th consecutive Trophee; U.S. fifth ? By Charles Morey KEST ER . BELG IUM . SEPT. 10 Much to the delight of an estimated 20 ,000 Belgian spectators, Team Belgium's four-man T rophee des Nations motocross team scored an im p ressive 30 -point victory margin over the 20 secon d -best Swedish sq u a d on the Kest erheid e h illside c ircui t I 'd . Bu tac o rt ~r J:iarry E verts .le d the c harge. winning th e o pe n ing 40 ·m inu te · p lu s-two .l ap m ot o , the n fin ish in g sixt h in ro u nd two for a se ve n - point tot al. R oge r De-Coster m a neuve red his wor ks Suzu ki to a 2-8. lO-point da y. and Gaston Ra h ie r, a lso riding a wor ks Suzu ki..totalled an 8-4 . 12 -p oin t score _ Th e ir co rn hi ned scores , the six best pla cings from among t he eig h t mot a fin ish es registered by the team . added up to 29 point s. T he Swedes finished a full 30 poi nts d own the line with 59. The U. S. T eam suffere d a n overall "d own" day. Bo b Ha n na h . whil e never slow, didn't fee l tha t he was rid ing at pea k ca p a hi lity something tha t h ap pe ns 10 a ll r id e rs on ce rt a in Su ndays . Chu ck Sun had picked u p a co ld fro m th e pr eviou s wee kend in Germa ny a nd wa s trying t o ride desp ite an all -over weak Iee ling . Tomm y Croft . ridin/( o ne o f the European T eam Ho ndas, was wish ing for h is famil iar 500cc National ma ch in e ' the Eu ropean hike j ust d idn't " fit. " . Re placing Rick Bu rgeu . who broke- his co lla rbo ne in Germa ny on th e prev io u s we e kend . was Yamah a 's newest sponsored rider . Rex Stat en . " I th in k th at to do well in Europ e ." Rex sa id . " vou have to m ove over here a nd get u~d to it. It 's all d ifferent the starts - every t h ing ." Staten's qualifying tim e of 2 : 11.8 . t he fa stest on the U .S . Team . indicated that he'd adapted quickl y. but h is m oro finishes proven cntu-rw ise . Then' was som e speculation among other team rider s that the qualifying tim e "may have been in ..rror . Th e Keste r heid e circu it narrows quickly after th e firs t tu rn . So. to avoid a 60 'rid er p il e · u p . t he organi zing cl u b, Auto Mot a Club " De Toeko rnst " Dwor p , el ec ted to use qua lifying tim es to sp lit the cla ss. The three fastest times from eac h team were tot alled . and a team q ua lifying o rder was estab lished . (T he Swedes were fas test wirh a 6 :34 .3 to ta l: t he U _S _ was second with a co m bined tim e of 6:3 7_ 7 _) T he top ('i/(h t te a m ~ a 32 ·man starting lin e- up qua lified for the two -mote Trophee des Nations program. The rema ining seven teams ran a sing le moto to establish pla ces nine through 15 in the final T ro p hee des N ation s results co lumn . Swed en . Am erica . England . Belgium . Czech oslo vak ia . Holla nd , Ru ssia and Denm a rk made the ma in event . in tha t order of qualifying. " Pe t it G aston " R a h ie r p ut his natural po wer -to -weight ra tio to good adva ntage , and led the sta rt of ro u nd one . The Belgians went wild , for nOJ o nly was Rahi er Ieadi ng . but H arry Everts was in th ird (behind Chu ck Sun ). Roger Oe:-Coste r was fourth . an d ] a ak Van Ve lt ho ven ro u nded OIIt . T ea m Belgiu m in I I th place. The fans waved . hooted a nd ran o ut o nt o th e ~ou rse as the ir riders flas hed past on ly In ch es a wa v. Bo b H a n na h . Neil H u d so n . R o b H o o p e r , Graham Nov ce . Vladimir Kavinov and Gerard Ro~ d completed t he top 10 a t t he end of the opening la p . I , • • , - , I:' I \ ~ J

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