Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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ao ~ Englend's Nell Hudson, shown here leading American Steve Memn. went 2·2 for the overell win. World Championship 2Soec MX Series: Round IO Budson handles Unadilla USGP By Tom Mueller Photos by Merc Lachapelle end Mueller NEW BERUN, NEW YORK, JULY 26 Britain's Neil Hudson piloted his works Yamaha to a pair of second place finishes and became the first European to claim the overall in the 250cc Bel-Ray U ,5, Grand Prix at Unadilla Valley Sports Center, this year in its fourth running, Hudson was never £ar f r,om the f ront f t.he . pack, and his finishes netted him ° 6 24 valuable points which moved hi.m to within 29 points of reigning 250cc World Champion and points leader Georges Jobe - who didn't make the race ;._ d S -_._, K uz..,.. teammate ent J 0"", an Howerton didn't ride at Unadilla this year due to injuries. Jobe was practicing in Belgium on Tuesday, July 21 and went into a heavy lWapper down a tift-lined straightaway due to a flat rear tire. Georges ended up smacking a tree head on, suffering a concussion and a wrenched knee. )obe is on the path to recovery and 15 planning to ride the remaining rounda in Russia and Holland. Georges had thoughts of riding in America because he could have clinched his second consecutive title at Unadilla, but was advised the eight hour flight over could have been detrimental. Howerton, the winner at Unadilla the past two yean, sat the race out due to a wrist injury which is still on the mend. With the two odda-on favorites out for the day, speculation was heavy as to who the top rider(s) would be. In the end it was a factory Honda lWeqJ with Donnie Hansen taking moto one and Steve Wise topping moto two. In mota one Yamaha's Bob Hannah looked to have the race in the bag, but three lap8 £rom the end Bob CTashed hard and DNF. Wise was second but faded, leaving Hansen a surprised victor. In moto two Wise and Hannah went at it again giving each other riding lesIODI instead of other students (the pair has started a motocrou school. Hannah went out with a hand injury suatained in moto one and Wise never let off to win. Behind Jobe and Hudson in the standings is Kees van der Ven, the works KTM rider from Holland. Van der Ven's 5-5 proved he was up to the task of riding the rough stuff with the American contingmt. Rolf 00fenbach and Heinz Kinigadner retained their fourth and fifth spots, respectimy, in the standin8B. Diffenbach, the German Honda rider, took a fifth in moto one but was out of the points in moto two. Kinigadner is a Pucn rider £rom Auatria. He and his machine mustered an 8-7 day. • Jean Claude Laquaye's ninth in moto two was enough to edge him into sixth in the points race over American Mike Guerra. Laquaye, of Belgium, and his SWM had been seventh, but Guerra's disappointing pointless day made way for Laquaye to move ahead. AI at Mid-Ollio last weekend, a European flavor was in the air and machinery was what one could only hope finda its way to production lines. Puch's water-cooled single shocker was White Power suapended with remote reservoir and also utilized an dectric water pump which draws power off the ignition system and doesn't stress the engine. Van der Ven was riding a siDJt1e shock KTM and Maico's Benny wiIlr.en was also on a sing1e shoclr.. Both were White Power suapended. The Maico looked to have a double pivot point at the bottom shock mount. Japanese works bikes were for the. ma.t part the same items that have been in the U.S. thisseuon. LOP's Steve Martin had to run his "stock" Suzuki through inspection three times before he met the FlM'. minimum weight of 216 pounds. Hansen's Honda tipped the sca1es at a precise 216~ pounds, and ma.t of the Team Huslty bikes, which are basically stock, averaged 225 pounds. Hudson was the fast timer in his mandatory five lap8 of practice. Neil turned a quia two IDlnute, 25.594 IIeCOIId lap followed by Wile at 2:25.861 and Kinigadner at 2:26.165. Van der Ven, Hannah, Guerra, Hansen and Martin were nest,aIl in the 2:27 bracket_ What Unadilla really is wulUlDJDCd up by Hudaon: "I've never seen people liIr.e this anywhere in the worldJ" said Hudaon. A paid attendance of 16,000' camped and covered every open spot available, settling in to watch premier IIlOlOC:I'a. riders taclr.le America's