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/126420
l~vel Gene Romero 131. Kenny Roberts l2Iand Skip Aksland played freight train for nearly half of the 5«Hni!e National. IAbovel right! Early leader Romero finished third for the second National road race in a row_ AMA Grand National Champion Series - Round 14 King Kenn at Sears P ./ By Dale Brown Photos by Patri~ Behar, Karl Okamoto and Brown SONOMA, CA,.JULY 15 , Kenny Roberts made his first U.S. racing appearance of '79 a successful ()ne as he and his 500cc factory Yamaha YZR500 took on the 750cc TZ750 Yamahas and led them home in, IAboveI Roberts had reason to smile - he rode the Yamaha 500cc road race bike to Its first U.S. win. CBe!owI Akslancl finished second. the 750cc Expen feature race at Sears Point International Raceway. Skip Aksland, winner of the Loudon road races a month ago, finished second, and Gene Romero, wbo led over half ohhis race, finished third. "He doesn't realize this is my cation - he was hard on me," quipped Roberts to Romero during the winner's circle ceremony. - "He didn't understand," chided Burrino right back, "I'm flat broke. This is my livingl" Said AksIand: "I think I want a rematch at Laguna Sea," to which Roberts replied, "Yeah, I think I'm goingtobet~." . . Sean Point International Raceway hosted a one-day event instead of the traditional two-day road race program. Delays in the heat races led to the sbonening of most of the final . events. The 750cc Experts went their intended 50 miles, but no other final event was longer than 25 miles. Still, things ran late, with the fint final of the day, the 750cc Experts, barely getting underway before 4 p.m. When they did get underway, it was Romero anI! his Imperial Sp"&/Don Vesco Yamaha reacting beautifully to the wave of staner Bob Malley's flag and jumping into the lead. Wes Cooley (Kat·Gard Yam) was second into the fint tum, followed by Roberts and AbIand. AbIand nudged his PJI Lubricants Yamaha briefly ahead of Roberts in the second tum, but Kenny was soon back by and quickly abead of Cooley as well. At the completion of the first lap around the H-turn, 2.5-mile course. Romero led with Roberts and Abland on his tail. The lead trio had already staned to pull away from Cooley and the rat of tbe pack, and they would , continue to do 10 for the remaiDder of the race. Behind Cooley, the fint two riders to bold ft(th past the finish liDe were also the fUst two out with difficulties: Harry lUinzmann and Bruce Hammer. By the founh lap, the first three riders were a six-wheeled unit leading Cooley, Rich Schlachter, Gil Manin, John Bettencourt, Dave Garoutte, Dave Emde and Miles Baldwin. Schlachter had been involved in a second tum scufI1e after Mark Jones 'went down. Schlachter was forced off the track; Jones retired. , While the lead trio was busy testing each other's defenses"Schlacler, riding a Self/Sky Cycles·sponsored TZ, and Martin, aboard a self-sponsored - machine, passed Cooley on the sixth lap and began a ferocious battle over founh. Roberu had J?URd Romero on sneraI occasioas m the 6nt 10 \api,