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/141014
:;; ::< ~ w Z W ..J U >- U LACKEY FI OS NEW By J ohn Beth ea Photo s by Bet hea and Bu zz Baty TRABUCO CAN YOill, CAL., March 12 , 1972 - Brad Lacke y got the cash, Peter Lamppu go t the glo ry and Jim Wilson did the work; all this and more at th e o pening ro un d of the Pacific-AMA 250cc Moto cross serie s h ere at Escap e ' Country . If Lackey, the North ern Ca lifo rn ian ace , w as ever beh ind in th e triple set o f mo to s, it co u ld o nly have been in th e firs t turn fo r Brad led every lap o f eac h 30-mi nute ro und. L amppu , th e New En gland Motocross ch amp w ho has been residi ng in SoCal fo r the past few mo n ths, p ut on a tremendous effo rt d espite multip le body injuries. In t he first ro un d , Lampp u was in a fierc e battle fo r second w he n h e endoed heavily o n the th ird lap . With handlebars b en t by his thig hs, Pet er co n tin ued to just mo tor ab out th e course to gain a finis h . In the pit s lat er, h e gingerly walked ar o und, grim ac in g wi th p ain. But he rode the next moto and got in to ano the r ro ugh battle fo r third with Dave Rodgers and Pet e's Montesa teammat e Mik e Runyard. Runyard got his o pe ning and zapped Rodgers, but accidentally bumped Larnpp u 's leg in the process. Lamppu still managed to hang o n to the bike to tak e fift h . Re ady to retire fo r th e day ? No way. The nearly-lame Lamppu charged into the final moto and ch alked up a fo urt h . In credible. Almost as incredible, but in ano th er fashio n, was Jim Wilson 's fight-back riding. In the initial round, Wilson got his best start, a fifth and moved 'up to PA CI FI C -AM A MOTOCROSS Escap e Co untry M arch 12 ,1 972 2 5 0 PRO Brad Lack ey M i k e Run y ard T om Rapp Jim Wi lson Morr is Malone Pet er L a mpp u Bru ce Baron Dave R od qers Wa lt A x t he lm Jim O 'N eal CZ Mon Bu l CZ AJS Mon H us Bu l Mal Ri c D IST. 3 7 EX PER TS 125cc J im Con nolly Bul Ja c k R iggi 2 50 Jeff Wecke r Ran dy Berkeley John Caldwell 500 Bob Hersh ey G reg Smith Sh er man Andrews S uz Larry Bird Yam CZ Ma i H us CZ Mal Hus Tom Rapp . desp ite taking third o verall, wasn 't really happy wit h his performance . Several tim es he got great jumps and held high positions, but someo ne always managed to pass him. seco nd to battle Lackey. Wilson really put o n the sh ow in th e next mota as he was next to last o n th e firs t lap and proceeded to p ound away at th e t alented field. By the midway point, he was bashing along in fourth an d by th e time the ch eckered flew , he took third. In th e final he aga in got a middle-of-the-pack ju mp but turned it into a fifth pla ce sh owing to gr ab third o veral l. Montesa h ead Kim Kimball may h ave three de Fres at the (CZ) ac times to One riders is o kay ed After a cal led Th e water j ump was in use during practice but wh en this Suzuk i got gobbled up, the promoters opted to remove it . While it was stil l in use, however , Gary Chaplin plopped out about 30 feet of fencing wh en he mis-maneuvered th~ ju mp . The nerve of Peter Lamppu l He gets hurt several times and then shows off by continuing to ride . . and do w ell. Some guys will never quit. Greg Sm ith has a sharp pit crew ; effect ive e nough fo r him to take second in the 500 po rtion of the District 37 events . tak en a drubbing as a promoter (a small turnout of rid ers and spectators ali ke) , but d id quite well as a sponsor, with Lamppu's gutsy sixth overall was R un y ard 's spirited second o verall placing. Mik e also overcame a poor sta rt in the first moto to pick off third. Then he jammed th e Montesa in to high gear in the next and pecked away at Lackey's lead. He closed in on the pacing Brad, but Lackey got the word and reb u ilt a still close lead to win. In th e finale, it was again Runyard in the closing minutes p u tting the p ress ure to Lackey, but Brad was just too m uch . Tom Rapp, th ird overall, still wasn't having a good day. In a see-saw affair all afternoon, Rap p sq ueeked o ut a fifth in the first moto, shot up to th ird in the next ' before being pas sed by L ampp u an d settling fo r fourth , and put th e chase to Lac key in the early stages of the final ro und. Wit h Runyard on his tail, Rapp final ly succu mbed and d ro p ped to t hird. With Wilso n stagi ng h is co me-from-behind show, Ra pp dipp ed back to fourth, but regain ed third when Wilson fell, and finis hed third in that one, Wilson, because of the spill, was forced to settle for fourth ov erall, acing o ut Morris Malone (A] S ). In an AMA first , District 37 's Expe rt class of motocr ossers supplied th e su pporti ng action and Scrambler Jim C onn oll y ( B ul) mad e h is first ap pearance after an accident had him laid up for some time. H e go t a first overall for th e 125 's in th e 125 /50 0 Combo , ma king his co meback a good o ne to st art with. In the o th er hal f, Bob He rshey (CZ) kn ocked o ff three suc cess ive wi ns to take the overall 500 with Gr eg Smith (Mai) chopping off