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Comer in one of the most brilliant rides of the day managed a clean ride to within six feet of the end of section one before his rear wheel caught one of the moss-covered rocks at the wrong angle and stopped him dead in his tracks. - In spite of the difficulty of the sections. Comer managed to guide his Cosmopolitan Motors sponsored Montesa to a 51 point total for the day. Comer demonstrated his mastery of trials by winning five of the eight rounds in this year's series to clinch the championship handily. Dewaine Walters continued to nip at Comer's heels with 53 points for his third consecutive second place finish. 00 0') GI... 1kqBt Is the new World Trials Chemp. Curt Comer rode his wey to wins In the flnel two rounds to cop his first Netionlll title. In all. Comer won five of the eight rounds. AMAINATC National Cha R Observed T Round 7 SerIes: Comer's Illinois win clinches title By J.D. Shults MT. OLIVE, IL, OCT. 5 "It feels great, really great," ex- claimed a jubilant Cun Comer, Jr. on winning the seventh round of the National Championship 12 Observed Trials Series and clinching the series tide as well. The Cosmo· politan Motors sponsored Montesa rider was ear-to-ear smiles after turning in an impressive 22 point per· formance. The Mid·State M.C. hosted over 100 riders, and. according to many. it was the best organized event of the year. Fifteen tough sections were laid out around a seven-mile loop. One example of the work the club put into the event was evident in section 15. There were several five ton concrete slabs that were originally about SO feet from the section. Club members used house jacks to flip the slabs over and over until they became part of a very good section. Section four was one of the toughest. It featured an off·camber downhill turning to a log crossing, followed immediately by a sharp left· hand tum down into a gully. Some riders bought a five just trying to get over the log. a couple of others endoed at the bottom of the gully. If you got to the bottom there wu a sharp right tum up the sreur pIIy to a mudhole in the middle of an S-tum that led to a three·foot high step, capped with a case-busting boulder. Coming out of the mud there was vinually no traction with which to build up speed. Only a few riders got over the rock step. and fewer than a handful of riders were able to clean this section. Comer and Team Fantic rider Jack Stites both ended the flI'St of three laps with incredible nine point scores. Mike Komer. a Team SWM rider from New York. checked in with a 12 point total for the first loop. Scott Head. riding for the Italjet factory. also turned in a 12 point effon. Since Head holds both international and Italian national licenses. he is not eligible for points in the AMA/NATC series. but was riding as an exhibition rider. Dewaine Walters. a young Californian. in his first season of contesting the Championship class, registered a 15 point effort. with Morgan Kavanaugh and Keith Adams only one point behind. Disaster struck Stites on the second loop. He turned in a disappointi~ IS point ride, while Comer got things wired and stroked his Montesa to .a beautiful five point performance. Walters pulled the rabbit out of the hat in section after section to come in with an incredible 4 point ride that ended up as the best lap score of the day. On the third loop. the veteran Stites reached into his trick bag and floated his Fantic to a superb six point effort. which gave him a 50 point total for the day. Walters continued his inspired riding with a seven point performance. Comer notched an eight point effort to give him 22 points for the day. good enough for first place and the season championship. • Results W-. S_ CHAMPIONSHIP: 1. Curt Conw. Jr.• IMonl 22; 2. oew.;no ltllIl 24; 3. .Ja:l< (Fin) 31; 4. Mike Karner ISWMl32; 5. Mcwgon ~ (Bull 37; 8. Koi1h Adorno I5WMI 39; 7. SIIIn 811<~ IMon) 47.4; 8. S_ _llFon) 54.4; 9. Rev Fou..... (Bull 58; 10. Gory W I _ IF"", 59. SPORTSMAN: 1. 0... _ IMonl 28; 2. Jon HaIInogIe (Mon)41; 3. Joe ~ (SWM) 46.4; 4. _ ~ (SWM) 51; 5. More _ (MonI53. tIlull24; 2. WIIrz ~ (Man) SR: 1. DIIe _ 41; 3. Glen _ (1IuIl54; 4. Ron Slum (SWM) 54.4; 5.CurtConw. St. (BuQ85.4. . SlftRSR: 1, Don _lSWMl81; 2. _ _ aIuD 74; 3. M _lSWMl83; 4 . ..., ~ . . . 91; 5. GnId _lY.... ,45.8. HIGH SCHOOl: ,. T"'I' ~ CFenI 58; 2. _ ..-..tMonI58; 1 Rane-. .It......;4. _ _ ..... 14; 5. o...n.oo..lY..... Comer caps championship in Indiana By J.D. Shults COLUMBUS. IN. OCT. 4 Cun Comer, Jr. added icing to the cake by capping a superb weekend of observed trials with another win in the eighth and final round. The Stoney Lonesome M.C. hosted the event. and series. Although rain threatened several times during the trials. Mother Nature cooperated and held back the wet stuff for an almost perfect day for trials. The event featured 2S sections for the Championship class to be ridden in two loops. Seven of those sections were set aside for Championship class riders only. Those seven sections were set up by Crash Cooper to test the mettle of the riders and the metal of their motorcycles. They did. Championship section one was a climb in a rock filled ravine. That might seem to be rather standard fare at a National. but this one was distinguished by sharp edged. mosscovered. slab rocks that made traction seem precious, if not downright non· existent. One compe:titor suggested that pouring 50-welKht oil over the rocks would probably improve traction. He may have been right. Only two riders ever got as far as the exit gates before stopping for a five point penalty. Morgan Kavanaugh, on his Budget Bogwheeler/Ron's Cycle Shop Bultaco bettered his Saturday performance by moving from fifth to third, while his dad was busy taking a founh in the Super Senior class. Idaho's Keith Adams guided his SWM to a fourth place spot ahead of Team Tryals Shop sponsored Jack Stites on a Fantic. Scott Head tied Stites for fourth on points. but the Italjet factory rider was riding for exhibition purposes only. Bryan Benjamin demonstrated the subtlety of a Sherman tank as he attacked sections with his own banzai style of riding. It was good enough to pick up sixth place gold ahead of Team Fantic's Steve McNeal. The Sportsman class contestants tend to be top rated local riders who are not competing for National points, and want to get a taste of National trials competition. Connecticut rider Jon Hoffnagle pushed his Montesa to an 18 point effon around the eighteen section. ten mile loop to edge SWM mounted Joe Aliswonh of ~ona. bv 'two points. Results CHAMPIONSHIP: 1. Curt Conw. Jr. (Mont 31; 2. DewoinoW...... Itg) 33; 3. M _ ~ (Bull 38; 4. Koi1h Adorno (SWM)4O; 5. JD ~ IFonJ 43; 6. Bryon ~ 1BulI46; 7. _ _ (FenI4&; 8. Rev FowtMr (Bull 50; 9. S- ~ lMonl51; 10. w.,na GoNin lIIuII56. SPORTSMAN: 1. Jon HoIlnogIo tMonl 18; 2. Joe A1_lSWMl2ll; 3. Brion ~ (SWM129; 4._ ~ lBuQ 33; 5. DNd _lMonl37. SR: 1. DIIe _ 0IuII29; 2. WIIIz W.-lMonl 38; 3. Glen _ 1BuI~ 4. Ron Slum lSWMl 52; 5. _ c.pIoIr.c lIIuII52. SUPER SR: 1. _ _ 1BulI 53; 2. Don_ (SWM) 56; 3. M W _ (SWM) 102; 4. ..., ~ (BuQ 115; 5. GerIIId 80ItlYMII 148. HIGH SCHooL: 1. T " ' I ' S _ IF"", 29; 2. Mike W. . IF"", 40; 3. Mike PollIno (Monl 48; 4. Ron e-. Jr. (Font 47; 5. 0... n.oo..lYMII58. r.c::-~: JIiiiI roulld Soleraoars to win In Weat Germany By Mike Repley GEFREES. W. GERMANY. SEPT. 27 Even though Frenchman Gilles Burgat had clinched the World Championship the previous week in Czechoslovakia.. there was still plenty to be decided at the 12th and final round in West Germany. Burgat had noth.ing to prove. and could spend the day just enjoying him· self. and even watch the battle behind him between Yrjo Vesterinen, Ulf Karlson and Eddy Lejeune. who had second place to decide . At the stan of the event at Gefrecs. Karlson and Lqeune had the. samr