In his first Shasta Dam Grand Prix, Team Green's Larry Roeseler (13)jumped out to an early lead and captured the win with four minutes to spare.
Last year's winner Eric McKenna gave Roeseler a run for his money
in the early stages of the race, then'dropped back and settled for second.
Suzuki-mounted Ed Marchini rode hard, finishing fifth overall and first
in the 125cc class over Kawaseki rider Donnie Simone.
AMA National Championship Hare Scrambles
Series: Round 5
won last year's event. Duke Dowell,
Paul Funaro and Ed Marchini
rounded out the top five.
Noticeably absent from today's
competition were the championship
series contenders from the east side
of the Rocky Mountains. The major
contenders had attended the opening
round in California, but didn't
return to California following last
week's race in Kentucky.
Before the race, racers and spectators anticipated a great West Coast
battle for first place. As Roeseler later
said, "We knew it was going to be
Eric, Ron (Naylor) 'and myself."
Roeseler had never ridden the Shasta
Dam Grand Prix, but Naylor, who
lives just a few miles from the race
site, had earned two seconds and a
fourth in the series before today and
has previous wins at the Shasta Dam
GP. In fact Naylor and McKenna are
two of the three riders who have won
all Shasta Darn Grand Prix events
in the previous seven years.
Roeseler shines at
.
Shasta Dam National
-
By Jim Bowman
REDDING, CA, APR. 16
Team Green's Larry ,Roeseler topped a
crowd of AMA District 36 hare scrambles
riders today to win the Shas ta Dam
National Grand Prix Hare Scrambles near
10
Redding, California. Roeseler
claimed the checkers more
I
than four minutes ahead of
runner-up Eric McKenna, who
About one-half hour before the
race, Bob "Moto Mouth" Cavakis
paused the pre-race music and commentary so that promoter Terry Rust
could host the riders meeting. After
the routine course and insurance
warnings, the meeting became fun
as Optimal oil, S ott Goggles, and
handlebar grips were given to earliest
entrant Milo Ford, youngest entrant
Gerrit West (II years old), and the
oldest entrant Dan Welch (58). Prizes
also went to the first time racers,
women racers, the tallest entrant, the
heaviest entrant, and to other fun
categories, including the bes~ hardluck story.
Moments later, the first wave of
riders followed KX250-mounted
Roeseler off the start line and onto
the pavement. Half-a-dozen turns
later, McKenna surprised Roeseler
with a banzai pass.
"His bike is darn fast," said
McKenna. "My 500 with taller
~ng had no top speed on him.
