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/126415
In the duel of the day, Heikki Mikkola leads Brad lackey in a Number One ys. Number Two skirmish. Number two won this time. By Charles Morey Photos by Jim Gianatsis and Morey CARLSBAD, CA,JUNE 10 "It proves that grand prix IS the highest form of racing - higher than national class racing," Team Suzuki's Gerrit Wolsink answered a question from atop the winner's podium at the Bel-Ray USGP of Motocross. "It's a very special form of racing," he emphasized. Armouncer Larry Huffman had mentioned that Team Yamaha's Mike Bell, at one point a I4-second leader over Wolsink in the first moto and a southern California-born r~cer, should have been better adapted to the hot climate, How. Huffman inquired, could Wolsink have outlasted the younger Bell? "I'm 32 yean old, He's.21," Wolsink answered, Experienc~ in the varying demands of grand pnx raclI~g around the World had warned Wolsmk that a fl~t-~ut charge was not the answer for wmnmg at Carlsbad. "You can't go fast. You'll rire too quickly," he told those who remained from the crowd of 33,000, "You have to pace yourself." The win marked a return to form at a track that's been labelled "property of Gerrit Wolsink." He first won the Carlsbad event in 1974, then repeated in 1975, 1976 and 1977, Present Wocld Champion Heikki Mikkola interrupted Wolsink's utter domination of the race last year, but in '79. the Flying' Dutchman has returned. "I had a lot of trouble last year," Wolsink explai,;,ed. "This year Suzuki ;~\~k~~?d bIke. You can wm on a Sharing the three-level stage with the overall winner were England's pride Graham Noyce, present series leader. and Team Husqvarna's American grand prix contender Chuck Sun, "I just kept plunkin' away, picking 'em off," the top American responded to the inevitable how'd-you-do-it question, Sun, like the others, considered the overwhelming 100'degree heat a major factor in the event's outcome. "It started hitting me in the second moto - worse than the first," the Husqvarna rider said, "Then the rear tire went flat." Nonetheless, Sun, still recovering from a broken wrist suffered in a February practice session, made his 4·9 afternoon payoff with thi:d o~erall, top, American, placing, Enc Cnppa, Sun s mechamc. got a thank-you for prepping the Husky, Noyce picked up a slight advantage in series points. "I wish we could have won it," Graham said, "Bill really wanted to win this one, and I wish I could have done it for him," Bill Buchka, Noyce's American mechanic, had prepared a fast, ~eliable bike, and like Crippa. received a thank-you from lhe winner's circle, . Number one and number IWO in the world, Team Yamaha's Heikki Mikkola and Team Kawasaki's Brad Lackey. both suffered complicalions in the first moto; neither finished lhat race. Mikkola landed in deep mud off one of lhe Carlsbad jumps, stuck lhe Yamaha's front wheel into the ground and sailed over the bars, landing on his head, "Everything's OK. but I have a little headache," the smiling Finn said between motos, showing off a scarred helmet, He was able to restart. but with his head spinning and a top 10 placing (GP points are only awarded to" the first 10 positions) out of the question, he returned to the pits and prepared for a strong second moto rather lhan wear himself down in vain, Lackey had gotten a good start when the gate dropped, partially, at least, and he wasin the lead tl,> receive a red flag as he completed what he lhought was lhe opening lap. Disgusted, Lackey voiced his opinion as he passed lhe announcer's tower, and Huffman read his lips. "h's a seven-letter word beginning with 'a' ending with 'e'," the observant anno,uncer report('d, Lackey's second start didn'l compare with the first - he was barely in the top 20 at the end of lap one and ,when he stepped off in the same mud hole that claimed Mikkola, he also called it quits, "They wouldn't have done that in Europe," Lackey said of the restart. "A couple riders jumped the gate no problem with .that. They would have penalized them a lap and run the moto," SOOcc International On the restart, Team Suzuki's Andre Vromans shot into the lead hounded by the FIM's newest addition to the 500cc World Championship class, Kawasaki's Jimmy Weinert. Mikkola was sighting down Weinert's long Uni-Trak swingarm in third with Mike Bell and Graham Noyce close behind. By the end of the opening lap. Mikkola had taken his nosedive, and thaI made it Vromans, Weinert, Bell, Noyce, Danny LaPorte, Gerrit Wolsink, Parry Klassen, Greg Theiss and Andre Malherbe with Roger DeCoster and Chuck Sun duelling for 10th place. , Suzuki's Gerard Rond. eighth at the start, had crashed on a st.eep downhill when a tear-off stuck to his glove and hindered his use of the front brake at the bottom. Rond's crash dislocated hjs collarbone - the ligaments and muscles were stretched from a crash three weeks ago - and he returned to the pits where it was repositioned and treated with an ice pack, Mike Bell was pumped, He caught and passed Weinert on lap three, then zeroed in on Vromans, passing him near the end of lap four. He opened up a lead and appeared to be a longgone winner. Had it been a 30-minule race instead of a 40-minute one. his plan probably would have worked. Wolsink. too. was on the move. By the end of lap five, he'd overtaken Weinert for third place, The Jammer then stalled ·his motor in a tight tum, and Noyce closed the gap on the green machine, A lap later, Noyce's Honda 11