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/126401
Take a Closer Look••• •••At Bill Walters Pants for '79 . Steam rose as rain and riders fell. Or in Marty Tripes' case (above) the dirt came up to meet him. Jeff Ward bails (below). You 'll lik e wha t you see. Bill's allnew Nylon (, Leather M X pant s feature a new Spandex crotch panel fo r a better fit. vent il ati o n and a more comfy feel - I just love it. Hip pads and p lastic k nee a nd shi n g ua rd s protect me and th e ny lon t ricot lining feel s nic e next to my sk in . Bill uses on ly top -qual it y co whide and nylon to make hi s pan ts and all seams are doubl e -stiched for ·st rengt h. Th e he avy-d uty zipper s are all co vered to shiel d them fr orrr the ele me nts and a supe r ch o ic e of co lor combinations and speci al sizing are availab le so I look as good as I fee l. isn 't it t im e yo u took a closer lo ok ? Send $1.00 lor brochure and stickers. a.~" Bill Walters ' ~" Leathers 7359 Varna Avenue North Hollywood, CA 91605 (213) 982-3738 ~""''''''''W1J o Bay Area Bultaco KTM-Hodaka For your convenience Open until 9 week nights 5606 W. Manchester, Westchester, CA 90045 213-649-1700 50 (Continued/rom page 8) with his Keystone Motocross Center/ Luft Yamaha. And it kept on ra ining. Final . It was a dark and stormy night, the worst disaster in Su percross history with the possible excep tion of the Dallas Texas Stadium flood in 1977 where it took close to an hour to finish the 20·lap feature race. This time the AMA wasn 't taking any chances. From the dryness of the press room high above mud soup city. AMA racing czar Mike DiPret e and Carroll Chandler ordered a 12·lap final to drowned referee Ron Denny. The starting gate fell backwards, and half the riders behind it fell down . before they got halfway around the track on the o pe n ing lap . Hydroplaning their way in a spray of water ahead of the rest of the pack through tum one were Bob Hannah and Gary Semics, grips touching grips. The two stayed together for about four turns of the track until they became temporarily bogged down in a group of ruts on the downside of a jump, allowing Darrell Shultz to slither his Suzuki past and into the lead. Darrell's lead was a short one. "T hey must have changed the course. I went up to the berm in the outside of this com er with the lead, but when I turned round , close to 10 guys had gotten past me on what looked like to be a new line on t he inside of the corner. ' Hannah had his Yamaha back ou t into the lead on the second lap ahead of a mud -clad group of riders who appeared to resemble Rick Burgett, . Mickey Kessler . Shultz , Weinert, Englund, Croft, LaPorte, Ward, Reid , Tripes, Moroney, Swartz, Stacy, Howerton, Ayers and Eierstedt, Kent Howerton was trying to survive after being knocked down by a sideways rider off the starting line and having a half-inch deep gash cut into his arm. The Rhinestone Cowboy got ,' J 'I I ,' back up and go ing, onl y to get knocked down again by another rider. Marty T ripes re tired his Honda on th e fourt h lap with a burned clutch. Even H annah got his Yamaha stuck .for a moment . but it was soon obvious who the experienced mud riders were . By m id -race Hannah was still leading, but Shultz was back up to second place ha ving passed Burgett. Then came How erton and former Ohio mud slugger Gary Semics. Team Suzuki was im pressive as Howerton recovered quickly from his crashes and Shultz continued to close the remaining distance to Hannah and the lead. Unfortunately , the finish line came up before Darrell came within serious striking distance of Hannah. Official attendance figures from promoter Mike Goodwin had 32 .277 fans watching Bob Hannah win his second Supercross race of the year and pull out an even bigger points lead towards his third consecutive Supercross Series Championship, though realistic attendance figures were probably closer to half that number. Rain hardly dampened the enthusiasm of those who Were there as they welcomed Hannah and third place finisher Rick Burgett to the victory stand along with announcer Larry Huffman. Not going up to the victory stand to collect his second place trophy and congratulations was Darrell Shultz. "I wanted to win this race so bad and I knew I could win it. I just needed a litrlernore time." • Result s FINAL: 1. Bob Hannah !Yom 2. Darroll Shultz lSuzl; l; 3. Rick Burgett !Yoml 4. Kent Howerton (Suzl ; 5. Gary ; - Somics (Henl; 6. Tommy Crolt lKawl; 7. Arlo Englund !Yaml; B. John Ayers ISuzl; 9. Jim Weinert IKowl; 10. Danny laPorte ISuz); 11. Donny Swartz lMaiI 12. ; Richerd Eiorstom IC-Al; 13. Barry Higgins lMail; 14. ' Fronk Stacy IKTMI; 15. Mickey Boone lKawI 18. ; Geyloo Mosier IKawI; 17. Petrick Moroney IHenI 1B. ; Wenon Reid tHenI; 19. Stove Borton IVam). CONSOLATION: 1. Rick BurgOll (Vaml; 2. John SovitokiIVam) 3. Scon Gillmon ISuzl; 4. Robort Hendy IVaml; 5. Koji Mll8Uda ISuzl. AMAITOVOTA SUPERCROSS SERIES POINT STANDINGS; 1. Bob Hannah l!lIll; 2. Jim Woinort1701; 3. o.roll Shultz 1 831; 4. Danny LaPorte 1561; 5. S _ W ... lS41; 8. Kent _ 1501; 7. Mika Bell 1491; 8. Marty Smith 1481; 9. Tommy Croft l42J; 10. Marty Tnp. l3Bl; 11. Gary Semics 137l; 12. !Tool Geyton _IW..." Reidl3Bl; 14. Rex S.....,l34l; 15. JoIln Sa¥itaki l33l; 18. Rick Ilurgell C32l; 17. DoYid Teylor l22l; 18. !Toe) Arlo EngIund/MicQy _ (151: 20. DannyT..... 1141. l I ' I