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/126421
World Champlonsh'p 500cc MX 5 ......: Round 9 Mikkola rules again in Switzerland; Lackey DNF~4 By Chris Myers ~ ~ PAYERNE, SWITZERLAND,JULY 8 Reigning World Champion Finn Heikki 6b MikkQla scored a morale boosting double vic- .~ tory in the Swiss 500cc MX GP that boosts him up from sixth to fourth in the title stakes, It was his second successive victory at Payerne. But the works Yamaha rider admitted afterwards that with just three Now riding for Yamaha. Gaston Rehler Is currently third In the 126cc point 8tlIndings. He pieced third at Mid-Ohio. round two to finish a distant third (actual fourth) behind Barnett, non-person Hannah, and Glover. Finishing an official fourth in the first moto ahead of Watanabe, Myerscougil and .Ward was top nonfactory rider Donnie Cantaloupi on the Moto-X Fox Yamaha YZ-125F. Cantaloupi would charge back in the second moto as well to collect sixth place as top privateer again and register himself as possibly Team Yamaha's hottest new prospect for the 1980 season. Team Kawasaki riders Jeff Ward and Chappy Blose suffered bike problems aU day on their 125cc UniTraits. Blose was put out for the day when he broke the front down tube on his frame. Ward was running well in the first moto when he suffered an unexplained DNF, then came back and seemed to have rear suspension problems in the last moto which dropped him back to 10,h. Not present at Mid-Ohio for the first time ever was Team Honda. Their top 125cc star, Warren Reid, suffered a broken hand in a practice accident at home and will be out of action until the Trans-USA Series. How exciting this year's United States 125cc Grand Prix proved to be depended upon your point of view. For the second year in a row we beat the Europeans - which has to mean something to the Americans who were trying to win this year and Mark .Barnett who eventually did. Mallk Barnett fans will also take note that it was the Bomber's third straight win on top of the Superbowl of Motocross and his Carlsbad Support class victory. It also shows he's ready to take on Glover for the National Championship in the last half of the series. . Bob Hannah fans certainly took joy in watching their hero blast his way up through the pack both motos, but then he stalled out in second place and could come nowhere- near catching Glover the first moto and Barnett the second. Along with the Superbowl of Motocross, the Mid-Ohio GP remains one race Hannah seems destined never to win. And for Harry Everts,' he'd much rather have been sitting the whole thing out back home in Belgium. He had already won the World Championship and not much else mattered. • Results 125cc USGP: 1. Mark Barnett ISuz) 2-1; 2. Broc Glover (yomll-2; 3. Guton RoIlier (Yarn) 3-5; 4. Brion «; Myencough lSuzl~; 5. Donnie CantaIoupi (Yoml 6. Tad Pwrlcino (Yom) 8-7; 7. Steve Martin (Yarn) !H; B. Rabon Hondy ISuz) ,0-1,; 9. Todd Elm.. IYarnll3-12; 10. Herry Everto ISuzl '·3; I 1. PouI Mihalik ISuzI12·14· 12. Akiro W8l8n8be ISuz) 5-'; 13. Tammv Benolki~ (Han)P; 14. CnovCi..oIYomll6-15; 15. Rondv Hess lSuzI '·9; 16. Jeff Word lKowI '·10; 17. Ron Tu",er (Yarnl 11·'; 18. Chuck Zullo (Suzl '-13; 19. Jimmv Martin ISuzll ...·; 20. Gtogg ToyomolYarn) 15-'. 250cc SUPPORT: ,. Mark Gtegoon (Yarnl 1·2' 2. KiPPV Pierce IC·A) 2·3; 3. Mork Gorrison IHanI 7-4; 4. Troy Br~ IYoml 5-6; 5. Kn Bigelow (Kow) 3-10; 6. Fred Vertucci ISuzI ...9; 7. Gory Pustolok IMoil8-5' 8. Mickey K_lYarnl '·1; 9. Rick _ (Yarnl6-i,; 10. Al8n Pizzino IYomI15-7; I 1. Brion Thompson IKow) 11-13; 12. JeH Hick.15uzl17-8; 13. Scott Lester IHonl 13-12; 14. Pierce Low 15uzl 12·14; 15. Mike Twigg IYarnl 9-NS; 16. Terrence Mertz IMail 16-15; 17. M.chael Jones (C·A) 10-'; 18. F\eymond Ritchie IHusI 1...·; 19. Rabon Shoup IKow) 18-'; 20. Gory Shipley IC· A) 19-'. ·Dertotes DNF. • rounds remaining he had no real chance of retaining his title for the third successive year - the best he can reasonably hope for in 1979 is runnerup. Magnificent Briton Graham Noyce took his works Honda to second and fifth places over the hilly course set in lush green fields some 30 miles west of Bern. Now he leads Dutchman Gerrit Wolsink (Suzuki) and the rest of the world by 40 points (180 to 140). His performance gave him third place overall behind his Honda team mate Belgian Andre Malnerbe. Wolsink had a disastrous Swiss Grand Prix; he failed to finish the first race after a crash he could only manage sixth next time out. The works Suzuki rider's morale is at a very low ebb now making the chances of retaining runnerup spot very slim. His DNF in race one means that Noyce is now the only man in this year's world championship who has consistently scored points in every grand prix race to date. Briton Bob Wright (CCM) made the trip to Payerne but he retired in race one with a fluffed plug and just managed to avoid being lapped in race two, finishing twelfth. Young Irishman Cotton-EMX runner Laurence Spence scored a very well-deserved ninth in race one, but mechanical troubles sidelined him next time out. But the day belonged to Mikkola. In superb form he took the pole position on the eighth lap in race one after early leader multi world champion Roger DeCoster (Suzuki) retired when his rear wheel bearing broke up. At the flag he beat runner-up Noyce by 17 seconds. He took the lead from Malherbe on the second lap of the second race and stayed out in front to head the Belgian home by. 14 seconds. At the end of the day Malherbe's third and second placings earned him runner-up position overall boosting him up to fifth in the world championship points standing with 104 points. American worlts Kawasaki rider Brad Lackey dropped out of race one while holding eighth place after a crash which he blamed on a malfunctioning rear mono· shock. He scored in fourth place next time out. though never looking happy with his Uni-Trak machine and retains his third place in the points table with 137 points. DeCoster made pole position at the start of race one with Belgian Ivan Van den Broeck (Maico) hot on his tail. At the end of the first lap it was still DeCoster from Van den Broeck. with Wolsink third, Mikkola fourth, Malherbe fifth and Noyce sixth. Bob - - Wright was down in tenth spot but retired two laps later when his plug fouled up, Mikkola took Van den Broeck for third on the second lap and when Wolsink pulled out after a crash that chopped on his rear brake pedal the flying Finn was up to second. DeCoster dropped out on lap eight and that made Mikkola number one - a position he held for the remaining ten laps. Van den Broeck succumbed to both Malherbe and Noyce on lap seven but kept going to take fourth at the flag. Noyce, still in pain with the right ankle he twisted in practice, kept right on Malherbe's tail for the next three laps and finally passed his Honda team·mate for second place with seven laps togo. Fifth at the flag despite obtaining a rear puncture on the last lap, was Dutch works Suzuki man Gerard Rond riding despite pain from the leg he injured at Farleigh Castle the previous weekend well strapped up. Belgian Andre Vromans (Suzuki) got into all sorts of trouble early on in the race and West German worlts Maico man Herbert Schmitz, following on his tail, was unable to take avoiding action and slammed into the side of the Suzuki. Both men went down and neither re·started. Malherbe led Mikkola from the start of race two and after one lap it was Malherbe from Mikkola, DeCoster, Noyce, Bruno - who'd come in fifth in race one - and Lackey. Taking his time Mikkola took over the number one spot easily on lap three as Bruno went out when he banged the left ankle he injured 'earlier this year. Noyce fell twice halfway through the race, the first time giving away his secure fourth spot to Lackey. His next spill let Wolsink through to fifth. but the Dutchman stalled in a rut on the same lap as Noyce came past to secure fifth place. At the flag DeCoster took third behind Malherbe despite a spill three laps from the end just as he was closing in on the Honda man for the kill. DeCoster finished in third 20 seconds behind Mikkola. Lackey in fourth was 35 seconds down on the victor. Noyce was 56 down, Vromans pulled out early with rear shock problems. • Results Overoll: 1. H. MikkollllRnIond, Yarnl; 2. A. Malherbe Illelgium, Han); 3. G. Novce (GB, Han); 4. I. Von den Ilfoed< (Belgium, *"il; S. R, DeC. . . IBelgium, Suzl; 6. G. Rand lHoMond, Suzl/B. l8ckev (USA, Kowl; 8. J..J Bruno IFronce. KTM); 9. G. Woloink lHoItond, Suz)IF. Kobele rH. Germonv, Moi)/A. Lodel IDenmerk. Huol; 12. A. UndI"", 1 5 _ . Yoml; 13. L. Spence U,olond, Cottonl/H. Schmitz rH. Gormonv, Moil. First molO: 1. Miltkolll; 2. Nov<»; 3. _ ; 4. Von den Broed<; 5. Bruno; 6. Kobele; 7. Rond; 8. Lod8I; 9. UndlorI; 10. Spence. Second mota: 1. Mikkolll; 2. Ma_; 3. DeCost..; 4. Lockev; 5. Noyce; 6. Woloink; 7. Rand; 8. Von den Broed<; 9. Lod8I; 10. Schmitz. World Chomp;onohlp Poim 5 _ - = 1. Nov<» 1110 P'S; 2. Woloink. 140; 3.l8ckev. 137; 4. Mikkolo. 118; 5. _ . 1 1 4 ; 6 . DeCocow. 104;7. Ilfuno. 77;8. Von den Broed<.60; 9. A. Brorrww. 56; 10. Rond, 47. . . . .. 11