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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126429
flag up to fifth place. ahead of Noyce.
Britain's Rob Hooper pulled off the
day after his bike ran out of fud and
he pushed it the final 200 yards. The
6,000 crowd applal,lded him wildly.
The second leg looked more
promising for Britain with Semmens'
bike fitted with a new and undented
tank. and with all four riders
competing. With the best six scores
counting out of a possible eight races.
Britain still ahd a bit of leeway.
Noyce was hemmed in at the stan
but within three laps had shot into
second palce and looked like' over,
hauling the leader, Gerard Rond. Lap
four, aDd the British team in the pits
panicked when there was no sign of
Noyce. He trickled around a few
minutes later, indicating that he had
hun his leg. He pul1ed into the pits,
obviously in pain, and was taken to the
hospital. Luclr.ily it was not though the
leg was broken.
It soon became the Rond and
Wolsink show, with the two grca~ sand
masters being followed by Neil
Hudson, Malherhe, DeCoster, West
German Fritz Kobele and Swede
Torleif Hal1Rll.
By lap seven, despite Noyce's bad
luck, Britain's riden were boosted to
third overall, with Neil Hudson riding
like a demon. By lap 18, Britain was in
second place with Wolsink pulling out
a bigger gap between himself and
RoDd, and Everts trailing a long way
behind them. Hudson was signalled to
try to take Everts and responded by
closing the gap considerably.
By the penultimate lap. Wolsinlr.
had Rond trailing by 13 seconds with
DeCoster pushing Hudson hard. But
only a few hundred yards from the
checkered flag Rand stopped at the
peak of a jump, out of fuel. So at the
end of a thrilling 1979 Motocross des
Nations, it was a win into the paddock
complaining that the heavy landings
from the huge jumps were beginning
to break his front wheel up, and Dane
Frank Svendson stopped with similar
trouble.
To the disappointment of his fans,
Holland's top sandman. dentist Gerrit
Wolsink was at the back of the pack,
while his teammate Rond was enjoying
a great scrap with the diminutive
Everts.
By a third of the way through the
fint leg, Noyce was up into ftfth place
behind Carlqvist, Malherbe. Everts
and Rond, and tailed, albeit from a
distance, by DeCoster, Hudson,
Moiscev, Lodal and Russian Valeri
Komcev.
On lap 15, Rondjust seemed to get
faster and pulled out an even bigger
advantage over Everts.
Lap 18 saw Noyce rocket through to
take Everts by surprise when the
Belgian was stripping off another layer
of his rip,off goggles. This seemed to
deflate Everts momentarily and he
slipped back slightly. Rond was
gettmg a little ragged by this time and
the superfit Noyce, narrowed the gap.
The fint leg fmished with Rond,
Noyce. Everts, Malherbe, DeCoster
and Hudson streaking over the line,
but Britain's Vaughan Semmens was
the hero for Belgium. followed by
Britain, West Germany. Russia,
Holland and Sweden.
•
Results
0IIERALl: 1. Ilolgium 132); 2. Gt. _
1511; 3. w.
Gaomony I83l; 4. USSR (72); 5. HoItond (73); 6. _
l78l; 7. Denmorl< fll8l.
RRST UG: 1. G. Rand lSuz. HoIondl; 2. G. Noyce
(Hon. Gt. 1IrillIinl; 3. H. e-a lSuz. lIelgium~ 4. A
_
(Hon. Belgium); 5. R.
(Suz.
1IolgIum1; 6. N. _
lMo;. Gt. IIrillIinl 7. A locIoI
lHuo, o.nn.t<); 8. H. Schmitz (Mo;. Gaomony); 9. V.
I(or.-(ICTM. USSRl.
SECOND LEG: 1. Woloink; 2. H. CarlqWt (Huo,
DeC__
S~;
3.
e-a; 4. Hudoon; 5. o.c-; 6.
DutLI men Ger.d Rond l8bcMt1 end Gerrit WoIIInk won the rnotDs. (fie photoJ
1IrillIinl; 8. V. ~
_lMIi.~; 10.~.
Sc:hmilz; 7. R. Hoopor