Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

IAbovel King-Kenny and Richard Schlachter finished '-2 overall.IBelowl Michel Frutschi and Patrick Pons 13031. The order on lap \6 - the halfway point - .read Roberts, Aksland, Schlachter, Pons, Aldana, Mamola. Michel Frutschi, Dale Singleton. Raymond Roche, Kevin Stafford, Harry Klinzmann, Ron Pierce, John Bettencourt, Rich Chambers, Marc Fontan and Werner Nenning. Pons began slipping back from the Roberts, Aksland and Schlachter dice and Mamola closed on Aldana, only to be blocked by backmarkers the fast guys were lapping on lap 17. While the race between Roberts. Aksland and Schlachter was close, it soon became apparent that KR was playing around. He pulled wheelies all the way down to the pit straight on nearly every lap and whee lied at different points of the course including the famous'Laguna Seca Corkscrew tum. Roberts put his foot down - make that front wheel down - on the 28th lap and proceeded to puli away from Schlachter. who had led laps 24 through 27. Aksland had been blocked in turn nine by baclUnarkers and had fallen back from Roberts and Schlachter on the 26th go-around. As Roberts opened up the gap on Schlachter, eyes were turned to the multitude of dices going on downfield. Aldana moved by Pons into fourth on the 24th lap and Mamola dropped ~he Frenchman down another spot on the 33rd and final lap of the leg. ~hat final lap turned into a heartbreake·r for Aksland when his Yamaha "slowed down and then seized." Aksland coasted around turn nine and then pushed his bile down the pit straight and across the finish line in 14 place. When asked if he had just played around in the race, winner Roberts said, with a ·grin. "No, not really. We put a new engine in the bike this morning and 1 wanted to break it in nice and easy. Plus 1 forgot how quick the brakes fade on a 750 compared to a 500. ~nd then it started missing and back-firing and 1 pulled the wire out of the kill button. That fixed that." Kel Carruthers and the Yamaha crew attended to Roberts' OW31 during the break between legs. giving attention to the Clutch and front brakes - not to mention the errant kill button wire. Second leg It was privateer Rich Schlachter pulling the holeshot at -the start of the second leg and he kept his Yamaha in front of the field at the start/finish line for the first six laps. But as heated as was the pressure on the leader in the first leg, it was doubled in leg two. Roberts was scored in seventh at the end of the first lap behind Schlachter, Mamola. Aldana. Stafford. Pons and Klinzmann. By the fourth lap Roberts had moved into second and he led the seventh lap only to drop back to seventh on the following lap. "It started missing again." Roberts said after the race. "Yes, it was the same thing - the kill-button wire. So, 1 just pulled it out again and went back to work." "Back to work" for' Roberts meant catching up with riders who were giving it their all. And no one was putting more into it than Gene Romero. Romero, who started on the back row,of the grid at the start of the final lap, had moved his .way up to ninth in two laps and then methodically picked off riders until he IAbovelleftl Dave Aldana 1101 finished third. (Above rightl Skip Aksland gets comfort and repairs. IBelowl Gene Romero looked great. took the lead from Team Mexican p.artner David Aldana on the 12th lap. Roberts took the lead away from Romero on the 15th lap and the pair began to open up a gap on a Schlachter-Mamola' dice and an Aldana-Frutschi battle. Gone by that time was Patrick Pons. who crashed. in the Corkscrew, and on the following lap - the 16th - he was joined on the DNF list by Randy Mamola, who pitted and then retired from the race. Aldana overshot turn nine and dropped back from Frutschi on the 17th lap and the top five finishing positions were se.t - but not in the order that wouJd finally be recorded as Swiss ace Frutschi dropped Schlachter back to fourth on the 24th lap. Roberts opened up a six-second gap on Romero and settled down into a lap· after-lap wheelie show that climaxed with a nearly vertical wheelie coming down the pit straight for the checkered flag. Behind Roberts, Romero, Frutschi, Schlachter, and Aldana. came foreign riders Roche and Fontan, followed by Singleton. Ron Pierce - whose Bob Work/Yamaha Motor Canada OW31 didn't arrive until after practice had been completed on Saturday due to a transporter breakdown - and John Bettencourt. While winner Roberts and overall place and show riders Schlachter and Aldana headed for Laguna Seca's winner's circle. veteran Gene Romero pulled into the pits and pulled off his helmet to display an ear-to-ear grin. "That was for the old guys. Bring back Nixon! Tell 'em BUTTlttO said thad" Just as happy as Romero was Rich Schlachter. "That was a super race. A super, super racel I'm still learning a lot. 1 rode real hard, but 1 don't want .to throw it down the road. The track was slippery. But it was a great race. A really. great race." said the New England privateer who expressed special thanks to Massachusetts' Sky Cycles and Perron Leathers. The winner's circle microphone was turned over to David Aldana and Number 10 said, "I had a hard time focusing on that yellow and black bike (Roberts' Yamaha). Those guys go too fast for us dirt trackersl" Aldana thanked sponsor Paul Da.hmen and "everybody who helps me. It would take a long time to list them all. They know who they are and they know 1 appreciate what they do for me." From King Kenny came, "The second leg was a bit easier. 1 had the same ignition problems, but ripping the wire out fixed that again. 1 could see Kel and the guys laughing in the pits when 1 went by." Roberts, after saying he would jet to England the following day for the upcoming August 12 British GP, said. "Now if 1 could just get Yamaha to make planes like their bikes I'd be on time." • Results FIRST LEG 133 LAPS. 62.7 MILESI: 1. Kenny Robens IYam} 9].384 mph; 2. Rich Schlachter IVam); 3. David Aldana IVam); 4. Randv Mamola IVam); 5. Patrick Pons (Yam); 6. Michel Frutsehi (Yam); 7. 081e Singleton IVaml; 8. Raymond Roche IVaml; 9. Kavin Stafford (Vam); 10. Ron Pierce (Yam); 11. Harry Klinzmann IVam}; 12. John 8ettencourt (Yaml; 13. Werner Nenning (Yam); 14. Skip Aksland IVam); 15. Mere FonlOn IVern). . SECOND LEG 133 LAPS. 82.7 MILES): 1. Kenny Roberts IVam) 97.716 mph; 2. Gene Romero IVam); 3. Michel Frutschi (Yam); 4. Rteh Schlachter (Yam); 5. David Aldana.IVam); 6. Raymond Roche (Yam); 7. Marc FonlOn IVam); 8. Dele Singleton IVern); 9. Ron Pierce (Yam); 10. John Bettencourt (Yem); 11. Harry Klinzmann IVam); 12. Kavin S _ d (Yernl; 13. Werner Nanning IVam); 14. SIOIIO Ger,lais IVernl; 15. Paul Mclachlan (Varni. 7

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