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
Italian Giorgio Grasso was the overall individual winner at the ISDE. He nipped teammate Tullio Pellegrinelli by half a second. '1st International Six-Days Enduro Italy dominates on home turf By Kit Palmer SAN PELLIGRINO, ITALY, SEPT. 6-11 Having the home court advantage, the Italian Trophy and Junior World teams completely dominated this year's running of the 61st International Six-Days Enduro, held in the rugged mountains of northerJ1t Italy. The Italian Trophy .. Team easllr ~lalmed the nu~ber-one poslllOn over last year s Spanish Six-Days winner Sweden. Czechoslova)<.ia, West Germany and East Germany filled out the top five, while the United States Trophy Team finished sixth. Tullio Pellegrinelli, riding an Italian-made 250cc Kram-It, led the Italian. Trophy team to victory, but was edged out for the individual overall by an Italian Junior World rider, KTM-moullledGiorgioGrasso, who won by haifa second. Last year's top individual rider, Frenchman Gilles Lalay, placed fifth in the 250cc class on his Honda CR. Italian riders topped all but ·one class this year: Stefano Passeri piloted his KTM to the 80cc win, while Grasso and Guglielmo Andreini topped the 250cc and Four-S,!o~e cl.asses. The only c1.a~s Italy dldn t WI{! was ~he 500cc divISIon, where Swedish nder SvenerikJonsson and his.Huskyclaimed_ the victory for the second year in a row. Italy has now won six ISDEs since the first competition was held in 1913, and three of thos-e wins came when Italy hosted the event. Members of the United States Trophy Team included Charles Halcomb (125cc Cagiva), Chuck Miller (250cc Honda), Geoff Ballard (500cc Can-Am), Dave Bertram (500cc Husqvarna Auto), Fritz Kadlec (500cc Husqvarna) and Larry Roeseler (Four-Stroke Husqvarna), all of whom claimed gold medals. OUI of a total 28 Americans thaI started the Six-Days in Italy, 14 earned gold medals, eighltook silver medaJs and three claimed bronze medals. Two Americans dropped out with mechanical problems and one was disquali- Riding in his eighth Six-Days. Kawasaki KDX200-mounted Jeff Fredette claimed his seventh gold medal in Italy. (jed for missing a check. Kadlec dropped the least amount of points on the U.S. team to take top American honors. He placed seventh in the 500cc class. Roeseler was second American (sixth Four-Stroke), followed by Tim Shephard (22nd 25Occ) and Dennis Larratt (28th 25Occ). The American Junior World Team (Fred Hoess, Russell, Randy Hawkins and Kurt Hough) finished in last place after Hough dropped out following day two when his Honda seized. In the club team divisions, top American teams were the Columbia Enduro Riders, consisting of Duane Summers, Jim Stanfield and Greg Surdyke, with an eighthplace finish, while the Bent WheeIs M.C. club, with Jeff Fredette, Alan Wickstrand and Shephard, finished nimh. A record 25 nations competed 4n Italy and a total of 378 riders (77 of them from Italy) started the event. The trails throughout the Six-Days consisted mostly of pavement, which basically led from one usually short dirl section to another. Two grass track special tests were used twice a day; the same test for the first three days and a different test,on days four and five. Every day the riders rode a terrain and an acceleration test, plus a motocross special test on day six. Before the event even started, it looked as though the Italian IS DE was going to be a bleak one for the U.S. William Perkins, who qualified on hi I25cc Husky fonhe Ea t Coast EnduTo club team, suffered two broken fingers during an observed trials event back home in Oregon a week prior to the Six-Days. Perkins did not ride in ItaJy but he did spec- ref( tate and helped out at checks. A member of the U.S. Junior World team, Fred Hoess, broke a bone in his foot while practicing in New Jersey shortly before the Six-Days, but he vowed to continue 'with the event, despite the painful injury. And, a day 'after arriving in Italy, 125cc class. rider Jeff Miller was involved in a serious auto accidem, which left him hospitalized for a few days. He was released a day before the event and new home in good condition shortly after. Honda riders Chuck Miller, Bruce Ogilvie and Peter Postel had major hassles getting their bikes out of customs. Their Hondas finally arrived in crates Friday afternoon - impound day for Postel and Ogilvie, and a day before impound (or Miller. Postel and Ogilvie were given extensions and allowed to ir:npound their bikes the same day as Miller. The only U.S. rider who had problems getting through tech inspection Saturday was Ballard. On his first try through the sound test, BaJlard had wrapped an inner tube completely around the cylinder to help reduce .engine noise, but the sound test official who saw it said 'no way,' making Ballard remove the inner tube. The first two tries through the sound test after that, Ballard failled to pass. On the third and final try, Ballard installed a washer in the silencer and £inally passed the test. Day One (Monday) . After opening ceremonies Sunday, the first group or riders left the starting line at seven o'clock Monday morning. All the Americans managed to start their bikes on time, but Ballard's Can-Am - with the washer