VOLUME ISSUE JULY , P129
Grand Prix contenders and the
Americans who made the trek.
That these finicky, hand-built
race bikes were likely to self-
destruct was no secret to anyone
in the industry, and the FIM even
stooped to accommodate their
frailty, allowing competitors to
count their 12 best moto fin
-
ishes to their season total and
throw out the rest. There were 24
motos that season; hence, a rider
could (and possibly would) break
down in half of the races. The
eventual champion and his steed
just needed to keep it together
for 12 good rides.
In 1975, Roger DeCoster and
his works Suzuki would take
full advantage of the points-
paying system. DeCoster's North
American adventure began with
a moto win at Carlsbad, followed
by a shock failure in moto two. In
Canada, DeCoster would again
win the first heat and was well on
his way to victory in the second.
The great Belgian, who had lost
his 500cc crown to Husqvarna's
Heikki Mikkola in 1974, may have
been at his very best in '75.
"Roger DeCoster," wrote Cycle
News in their coverage of the
event, "when riding at or near
100 percent of his ability, is noth
-
ing short of incredible. He had
it wrapped up. Totally. Undispu-
tably [sic]. Until the 40th minute,
when the machine stopped
running.
"It was later discovered that
one of the electrical components
had failed, cutting off the fire to
the spark plug. What, one min-
ute ago, had been a sure victory
and 20-point lead over Mikkola
suddenly was stolen from him
after making him work for 40
long minutes." Talk about a real
heartbreaker!
There were other machines
littering the side of the track that
day, including the Husqvarnas
of Americans Mike Hartwig and
Brad Lackey. The riders had each
scored an impressive top five
finish in a moto, but their Swed
-
ish machines failed to finish both
heats. Former World Champion
Bengt Aberg, on a Bultaco,
would also have one good ride
and one DNF.
To finish first, one must first
finish, and the winner this day
was Pierre Karsmakers, who
scored a consistent 2-2 for the
overall victory. Carlsbad victor
Gerrit Wolsink was second, with
Suzuki teammate DiStefano in
third. The first Canadian finisher
was Kawasaki rider Jan-Eric Sal
-
lqvist in seventh.
It was Karsmakers' and Honda's
first-ever win in Grand Prix moto
-
cross, which coincidentally marked
the final race ever for the old
Copetown Motocross track. City
Hall is undefeated, and soon after
the checkered flag fell, the Steel
City Riders began the process of
dismantling the track. Big jumps
and groovy berms would soon
be bulldozed over, and within 48
hours, the roosted dirt of the mo
-
tocross gods would be entombed
under the asphalt of a new road.
Roger DeCoster would go on
to score a perfect "12" for the
season, recapturing his World
Championship. Race teams and
engineers eventually hammered
out the formula for making better
motocross bikes, and the best
12 moto system was scrapped a
few years later. Racers were now
blessed with reliable machines
with which to be runnin' down a
dream.
CN
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On the same day of Karsmakers'
win, Marty Smith won the U.S.
National 125cc in Michigan
and Marland Whaley won the
California State Trials.
