Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

over here, but realistically we didn't expect to win both races." Qualifying (Topl Denny LePorte 1561. Johnny O'M. . lpertlelly hidden behind LePortel, Donnie He...n l&eland Chuck Sun 1&31 clamber Into the flm tum with the peck. IAbovel The Americana atop the victory atand. RrstMoto Motocross des NatIons Americans roll on in Germany By Henny Ray Abrams BIELSTEIN, WEST GERMANY, SEPT. 15 They came to Europe hoping to "do well" and salvage a bit of respectability for the tarnished reputation of American motocross. They left as World Champions. The American Honda/BelRay team did what no one thought possible by completing the Motocross des Nations on 18 the tortuous, hilly track at Bielstein, West Germany. The team of Danny LaPorte, Donnie Hansen, Johnny O'Mara and Chuck Sun took the team points lead with just four minutes left in the second 4O-minute plus two-lap moto and held the lead to win by one scant point over Great Britain, 42 to 45. Team Belgium was third with 65 points. Unlike last week when the Americans packed the top 10 and were virtually assured the top spot after the first moto, this week they had to ride hard the entire day. Sweden's Hakan Carlqvist completely dominated both motos winning both by large margins. In the first moto he was follo~ed by Hansen; and LaPorte took second in the second race. Third in the first race went to Britain's Dave Thorpe and fellow Britons, Graham Noyce, Dave Watson, and Geoffrey Mayes fmished seven, eight, nine. They only needed two top Of the IS teams present only eight would make the main event with last year's' winner, Belgium, getting a bye into the final. Donnie Hansen, who was fastest in unofficial timed practice, blasted his Pro-Link Honda into the lead of the first 20·minute plus two I.ap qualifier and smoothed his way from the field. LaPorte was 20th off the line then fell breaking his clutch. His troubles didn't end there. "The front brake cable pinched and I went down breaking off the clutch lever. Then I was almost ready to pick up the bike when this guy hit me taking off the brake lever. I spent about four laps trying to figure how to ride without a clutch or front brake." Hansen, who competes in the 250cc class on the National circuit,' was riding effortlessly and stretched his lead on second place Dutchman Gerrit Wolsink to 55 seconds. French Suzuki rider Jean Jacques Bruno \Vas third ahead of the Soviet Union's Vladmir Kavinov. LaPorte finished 10th. "I felt like I was going so slo,,", but that's the way it feels when you ride the Open bikes right," Hansen said. Chuck SlIn and "Johnny 0" sandwiched the host country's Rolf Dieffenbach at the start of the second qualifier with England's Dave Thorpe filling out the lead quartet. For O'Mara it was his first time ever on a 500. America's fortunes took a tum for the worse on the fourth lap when Dieffenbach passed Sun for the lead. A few turns later O'Mara ran into Sun at the top of a steep concrete hill. O'Mara didn't haVe the momentum to crest ttje hill and lost several places by going down the hill before reascending it. He r..ejoined the race in 19th. Dieffenbach started to pull a small lead on Sun who was in tum passed by Thorpe. The top three were set as Sun appeared to be slowing. "I was concerned with the throttle sticking. It wasn't sticking wide open, but would come on and off. I had to take it easy," Sun explained. "It's hard to pass out there," O'Mara said after his 11th place finish. "You just follow somebody until he messes up." Hansen's qualifying win was 22 seconds faster than Dieffenbach's and when the scores were tallied America had won, qualifying with 15 points to Germany's and Holland's 18. finishes in the second moto while America needed three. Besides Hansen's second, the Team U.S.A. had a sixth from LaPorte, an 11th from O'Mara, and a 20th from Sun whose chain came off twice. Sun suffered further misfortune in the second moto when early in the race he fell, aggravating an ankle injury which had only recently healed. His exit made it imperative that the other three continue to charge. And that's what they did. O'Mara fmished eighth and Hansen 15th which coupled with LaPorte's second, a flat tire by Noyce, and a crash by Mayes gave the title to the youngest team in the history of the Motocrou des Nations. "One point is just enough, " American Honda's Roger DeCoster said. "It feels better to win by one point than by 17 like last week. " For Team Manager J.J. Handsfield of Bel-Ray it was "Absolutely the high point of my 12'year association with motorcycles. We expected to do well The start gate would only accommodate 24 of the 52 riders leaving one from each team on the back row. Danny LaPorte got the call for the Americans. . Sun was the best of the team off the start in sixth place. Hansen was a few back in ninth and LaPorte and O'Mara were having their troubles. O'Mara was involved in a first-tum pileup with ].]. Bruno 'and Sweden's Conny Carlsson and was off almost last. The distinction of ~~ last went from the to Dieffenbach who em bike impound area after the race had started. He went to the start line and joined the pack just as leader Hakan Carlqvist was coming down the start straightaway. France's Daniel Pean was second with the Dutch dentist Wolsink third. Hansen was charging and by the third lap had caught Sun. After passing him. he caught up to Thorpe, passed him and was up into second. Sun lost his chain on the fifth lap over a juml;' and dropped several places. Carlqvut had a %0 second lead on Hansen who was comfortably ahead of Thorpe. Last week's double-moto winDer, Belgian factory Yamaha rider Andre Vromam, wu fourth, with

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