Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126928
• Gianluigi Gandolfi pilots his 80cc KTM through the city streets of San Giovanm Bianco. Gandolfi finished fourth in class. Laurent Pidoux (Husqvarna). RoeseIer was eighth; Ogilvie was 22nd. Day Five (Friday) The loop on day five was the same a day four, but reversed and had a tighter schedule. Bruckbauer, who was second American in the 500cc class going into day four, was officially disqualified from the race on Friday when hemi edacheckThursday. "I was going up the road and passing traffic and stuff," said Bruckbauer. "As I was passing cars and trucks, on my right was the check. Il was a classic case, like a cartoon or something. I had no idea I passed the check. " Bertram almost lost route points Friday when he got a flat tire in one of the tightest sections of the day. "I had to ride on the fIat in one tight section," said Bertram. "I came in on my grace, rode through the check and had to fix the flat." Bertram had a rear flat and didn't have an IS-inch inner tube, so he had to stick a front, 21-inch tube in his rear tire. "Then I had to berserk it to the next check," said Bertram, "and I.barely made it." By day five, Yamaha IT200 pilot Greg Surdyke (Columbia Dirt Rid'ers) was riding on silver in the 250cc class, despite suffering two minor engine seizures. "Other than that," said Surdyke, "I haven't had much problems." Ogilvie, another rider on silver at the start of day five, said near the end of the day, his Honda engine began making a "horrible metal-to-metal knock. Il's either the main bearing going bad, or the crank halves are trying to separate," said Ogilvie. "It's making a serious knock; sometimes it's louder than the exhaust. I ran it that way for the last five miles, and it still starts and has compression. Tomorrow, I'm going to try and baby-it out LO the motocross special test. Maybe it'll run 10 miles and the noise will SLOp; maybe it'll run 10 feet and quit - I don't know." The plan LO allow Ogilvie to finish day six was to have George Waller, who was nine minutes ahead of Ogilive and on bronze, fall back and wait for Ogilvie at the first check. If Ogilvie's Honda quit, Waller would be there to help tow. Day Six (Saturday) As it turned out, Ogilive's XR started right up at the start of day six and worked like a charm throughout the day. Waller dropped back but didn't need LO assist Ogilvie. After a hort 45-mile ride, the riders reached the final event of the IS DE -the motocross special test- which was located at nearly 9000 feet altitude, in the Alp mountains, on a ski resort. With Italy holding on to a commanding lead, there wasn't much chance for any team to catch the Italians. The motocross specialte t, however, did determine class winners and the overall individual champion. The most important moLO of the day was the first 250cc moLO, which ended up determining the overall individual champion. Grasso went inLO the MX special test less than 10 seconds ahead of Pellegrinelli for the overall. All that Grasso had to do to clinch the overall was either beat Pellegrinelli or finish within 11 seconds behind. At the start of the six-lap moLO, 40 riders rounded the first turn, and it was Puch-mounted Luigino leading the way with Pellegrinelli in third place. Grasso was involved in a first-tum pileup. Grasso quickly remounted, but was almost last, nearly 30 seconds behind Pellegrinelli. Grasso had to gain at least 21 seconds on Pellegrinelli for the overall, and the KTM pilot began picking off riders one by one. He passed Lalay, Czech rider Libor Podmol, and a handful of other riders as he closed in. When it was all over, Grasso finished exactly 10.5 seconds behind Pellegrinilli (who finished third in the moto behind Luigino and Ilalian PadIo Fellegara). That meant, after six straight days of competition, Grasso finished a half second ahead of Pellegrinilli for the overall. Three Husqvarna-mounted American riders topped off the ISDE with moto wins in their MX special tests (one more than last year in Spain). Portland, Connecticut's Alan Wickstrand, who finished the Six-Days on silver, used his motocross experience LO easily win the third division 250cc moLO. Bob Bean worked his way up LO win the third 500cc moto, while Roeseler smoked everybody from start to finish in the first Four-Stroke moto. Jeff Russell, who had crashed on day five, injuring his knee, entered his final MX moLO on gold (36th in the 500cc class), but on the final lap, the chain on his Husky snapped, and he couldn't finish the moLO. This dropped him back LO silver, and 54th in class. • Results 80: 1. stefeno Passeri (KTM, IllIly). 125: 1. Franco Gualdo (Cog, Italy). USA GOLD: Charles Halcomb (Cog) 4398.33/9th; Tim Shephard finished top 250cc American after taking 22nd place. He was also third American in overall points on his Yamaha YZ250. West German Trophy Team rider. 1halmann Jens. pushes his Simson up a concrete stair step leading out of a check on day five. Duane Summers (Cag) 4437.17116th USA SILVER: Peter Postel (Hon) 4651.87127.h. 250: 1. Gidrgo Grasso (KTM. IllIly). USA GOLD: 1. Tim Shephard (Yam) 4325.64/22nd; Dennis Larratt (Hon) 4363.86/28th; Jeff Fr_tte (Kaw) 4367.56129th; Fred Hoess (Hus) 4379.32/ 30th; Jim Stanfield (Hus) 4408.24/31at; Chuck Miller (Hon) 442s.15/35th; Randy Hawkins (Hus) 4448.44/37th. USA SILVER: Stephen Vanasse (KTM) 4828.85/ 63rd; Reed Bright (Hus) 4843.09/64th; Greg Surdyke (Yam) 4894.42/66th; Brian Mull (Hus) 4951.30/69th; Alan Wickstrand (Hus) 4972.22/ 70th. 500: 1. Svenerik Jonsson (HU5. Sweden). USA GOLD: 1. Fritz Kadlec (Hus) 4201.3317.h; Dave Bertram (Hus) 4407.06/25th; Geoff Ballard (C-A)4412.09127th; Duke Lambert (Hus)4457.42/ 33rd; USA SILVER: Jeff Russell (Hus) 4834.36/54th. USA BRONZE: Bob Been (Hus) 5994.36/67th; David Crain (Hus)6761.26176'h; George Waller Jr. (KTM) 7940.47/B3. FOUR-STROKE: 1. GuglielmoAndreini (Hus, Italy). USA GOLD: Larry Roeseler (Hus) 4257.46/6'h USA SILVER: Bruce Ogilvie (Hon) 5618.B4121&t. WORLD TROPHY ,. Italy (0553.05); 2. Sweden (1065.60); 3. Czechoslovakia (1130.48); 4. Wes. Germany (1382.09); 5. East Germany (1481.31); 6. United Sta.es (1569.82); 7. France (2363.221; 8. PolandI2571.79); 9. Spain (2758.B9); 10. Grea. Britain (3084.00). JUNIOR WORLD 1. kaly (234.74); 2. West Germany (1134.90); 3. Czechoslovakia (1390.84); 4. Great Britain (1866.35); 5. France (2008.03); 6. East Germany (2012.57); 7. Finland (2204.47); 8. Spain (3724.22); 9. Sweden (3847.66); 10. Holland (8129.10).