Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Ed Lojak broke his collarbone on FridaV. still finished on Silver. when his ignition failed him on the second loop. Up to that point, he'd been on Gold. _ Rookie Hans Raidel was also having a good ride, on Gold, but on Thursday he crashed hard, injuring his hip. Though he finished the day, he did not start on Friday. Roeseler was still the fastest American after the fourth day, but a spill on the first special test dropped him from eighth in his class to 12th. Behind him in 15th, was Larry's Fontana, CA, neighbor, Jim Fishback, whose Yamaha was the fastest of the Japanese machines in the class. 10 In the work period late in the afternoon before impound, Darryl Kuenzer finished the work he was doing and charged toward the impound area with only a few seconds of his grace period left. It was very close as to whether or not he made it, but his card was marked with the minute out of his grace. That dropped him from 13th in the 1751'1' class to 14th, but Ron Ribolzi passed him into 12th. Ted Leimbach had a l1at, but it didn't cost him any time and he still led the Americans in the 2501'1' class, running 121h with Drew Smith snapping at his heels from 13th. Two riders used Thursday to move up a notch in medal status. Rookie Ed Lojak (Hus), who'd lost a minute the day before and dropped 10 Silver, got his Gold back wilh a strong special test performance. And Bob Popiel had a trouble·free day, moving up to Silver. Day five Friday morning was marked by a valiant struggle on the pan of John Fero. Late Thursday afternoon. his prolotype IT250 Yamaha spit its chain. The chain balled up around the countershaft sprocket and broke the shift shaft out through the bottom of the engine case, leaving a gaping hole. In the work area in Ihe morning, Fero had the bike upside down, working hard to scrape away the mud and debris around the hole. Once he did that, he replaced the shift shafl, and with the help of Yamaha team manager Kevin Hagerty and others, prepared to patch the hole. Using sheet metal and lots of epoxy, John got the hole covered. Dr. Meyer had even donated some fiberglass cast material to be placed over the patch, but it wasn't used. John was well past his stan time and approaching the end of his hour, but continued working, swiftly but not frantically. Finally, with just a few minutes left before he'd hour out, the bike was flipped over rightside up and the gearbox was filled with oil. Fifty-six minutes after he was supposed to start. Fero roared away from the line. All the work, was for naught though, shortly after the first check. the transmission locked up for good. World Trophy team member Kevin Lavoie also had to work fast before the stan. With five minutes to ~o. he discovered tnat the rear tube apparenlly had been pinched and would nave to be replaced. He replaced it with time to spare. Bill Berroth (KTM), running high in the Silver medal ranks of the 1751'1' class, had an incident on the trail. A deer shot out in front of him on a fast section, too late for him to take any evasive action. He hit the animal, and was thrown over the bars. Luckily, neither he or his bike were hun, bu.! the deer was killed. During the day, Ed Lojak crashed and broke his collarbone. but Ihe gritty youngster kept on going. The U.S. ranks lost another rider, when Gary Edmond went out with Iransmission problems on his PE 400 Suzuki. Larry Roeseler turned in his strongest performance yet in the trial, placing founh and third in class in the day's two special tests. It gave him a big boost in the standings, from 12th to seventh. Both the U.S. World Trophy and Silver Vase teams were solidly entrenched in sixth place. In the Trophy standings, Italy had pulled a little breathing room over the West Germans, with the Czechs well off the pace in third. In the Silver Vase slandings. East Germa ny had taken over the lead Ihe day before, when two West German Vase tea m riders pi led up over 900 poims between them. The Czect! team was in second behind the East. Germans. about 60 points in arrears. In th.. class standings. Darryl Kuenzer regained his lead among the Americans in the 175cc class, moving up to 11th. Ron Ribolzi, who'd been 12th the day before, slipped to 18th. "If I fell once, I fell 15 times'" said Ribolzi later, a.dding that he fell in both special tests. Ted Leimbach poured the coal on in the special tests and cracked the top lOin the 2501'1' ranks, moving up to eighth. Day six Day six found riders tackling about 80% of the previous day's course before heading for the final special test, a motocross on a course laid out on a grassy field a few miles from the parI' fermI'. For bikes over 751'1', the race was a seven-lap affair, with riders starting about 30 at a time. The races were timed for final ranking, because some classes were spread out over two or three races. Rain, which had threatened a few times earlier in the week. but never materialized. came down on and. off during the final day, and for a few minutes, it hailed. Fortunately for cold and wet spectators, the sun came out as the day neared an end. The two American survivors in the 1251'1' class, Greg Davis and Dan Dillon, were the first U.S. riders out, competing in the third heat, along with 1751'1' classer Bill Berroth. Davis took 12th overall in the special test, to wind up 14th in class and on Gold. It was Greg's first finish after twO DNFs. Dillon, an ISDT rookie, finished with a bronze medal and Berroth took a . Silver in his first attempt. In the next race, Suzuki's Mike

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