VOLUME ISSUE OCTOBER , P133
led at the 30-minute point (40
minutes, plus two laps in the
good old days) but Pomeroy was
threatening, and "on the long
front section of the track right be-
fore the largest crowd of specta-
tors, he squeezed past Lackey."
Husqvarna versus Bultaco—
and the battle wasn't over. "Brad
gave no ground, holding tight to
Pomeroy's rear fender, but on
the next lap, while he was trying
an inside line to get under the
Bultaco, Lackey crashed. By this
time, the pair had pushed so far
ahead of the others that Lackey
was able to remount and main
-
tain his second place."
The "others" included Marty
Smith in third place and De
-
Coster in fourth, with Maico rider
Gaylon Mosier in fifth. That is
how they finished, and after a
break for a 250cc support class
moto (won by Can-Am rider
Jimmy Ellis), the international
stars returned to the gate for the
decisive second moto.
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The start of the 500cc
International Trans-AMA MX
at Road Atlanta in 1975.
Pomeroy was later picked up
by the Honda factory team with
plans of returning to Europe, but
Honda later changed its mind.
Roger DeCoster would win
five World Championships and
four Trans-AMA titles during his
long career, so expecting these
young Americans to deny him a
victory of some sort was a tall
order. Lackey would again lead
early but would soon be passed
by DeCoster's Suzuki teammate,
Wolsink, who would hold the top
position for about 30 minutes
before DeCoster swooped by.
The Belgian rider raced to a com
-
manding win, but his 4-1 combo
was only good enough for second
overall. Jim Pomeroy, with a 1-3
on the day, was the overall winner.
Mechanical difficulties would
plague Pomeroy for much of the
'75 series, and problems with
his Bultaco continued into 1976.
In 1977, he was successfully
wooed to Team Honda. "I can win
a World championship on this
bike," he said, sitting astride a
works Honda RC250.
With the promise of eventually
being allowed to return to Europe,
Pomeroy raced the AMA's Moto
-
cross and Supercross series in
1977 and '78. When Honda powers
changed their minds, however,
Pomeroy returned to the Grand
Prix circuit with a KTM ride—brief-
ly. Bultaco execs intercepted their
prodigal son at the airport and re-
signed him to the Spanish marque.
Jim Pomeroy continued to race
vintage motocross into his 50s
before losing his life in an auto
accident in 2006. Fellow Trans-
AMA stars Gaylon Mosier and
Marty Smith are also gone from
this world. If there is a Norse god
of motocross, he has found three
mighty fallen warriors to help
fight the horde and to drive ships
into new lands. Valhalla!
CN
