VOLUME ISSUE FEBRUARY , P123
disappointed this year, as there
were fires, crashes, wheelies,
exploding hay bales and lots of
130-decibel noise."
For 1972, the number one
plate belonged to BSA rider Dick
Mann. Mann, who would turn 38
a few months later, had set one
of the fastest times for the TT
race. In his heat race, however,
Mann would finish second to
Roberts, who was competing
in his very first weekend as an
Expert-ranked rider.
The torch was being passed,
BSA to Yamaha, Mann to Rob
-
erts, only to be intercepted by
another young rider, John Hat-
eley. The Triumph rider had been
the AMA's highest-placing rookie
in 1971, and according to Cycle
News' photographer Don Woods,
was a winner before the green
flag even fell. He (Woods) looked
straight at Hateley and Hateley
looked straight back.
Woods said, "He knew he was
going to win. He had his mind
made up."
Hateley took his first AMA
Grand National win with appar-
ent ease, so the crowd turned
their focus to a hard-charging
Roberts, who had slipped past
legends like Mann and Mark
Brelsford, putting on a heroic
chase that fell just short of pass-
ing second-place Eddie Mulder.
Brelsford is fourth, and another
rookie, Gary Scott, takes a Ka-
wasaki 350 two-stroke to fifth. It
is a field of mostly 750cc four-
stroke twins, making Scott's ride
even more noteworthy.
The racers returned the next
night for a short-track event.
Lady Luck was often a one-
night stand at the Astrodome,
and rarely did riders fare well at
both events. For example, TT
fast qualifier Dick Mann would
be clocked 47th of 48 timed
entrants in the short-track race.
1972 proved to be something of
an exception, however, as Gary
Scott and his Kawasaki grabbed
another fourth-place finish, and
TT runner-up Eddie Mulder was
right behind in fifth, this night on
a Yamaha.
A good weekend for some,
but an amazing two-day run for
Yamaha's Kenny Roberts, who
scored a relatively easy win in
the short track, making him the
AMA's first rider to score a Grand
National win in his weekend
debut as an Expert. Yet one more
rookie, 18-year-old Yamaha rider
Mike Kidd, would finish second
to Roberts.
The 1972 opener was not, as it
turned out, a harbinger of things
to come. Roberts and Hateley
won these opening battles, but
the war would be won by Harley-
Davidson's Mark Brelsford, who
would go on to become the
1972 Grand National Champion.
Harleys, Yamahas and BSAs.
A grizzled 38-year-old veteran
dicing with kids fresh out of
short pants. The 1972 Houston
Astrodome opener was a wonder
indeed.
CN
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Eddie Mulder (12) leads
Roberts (80) during the
Houston TT in 1972.
Roberts won the next day's
short track in his second
GNC race as an Expert.
