Houston National
Houston National
BRUCE COX
HOUSTON’S FABULOUS Astrodome is a Texas giant, the greatest covered stadium in the world, scene of rodeos, bigtime baseball, bullfighting, profoot-ball-and now, national motorcycle racing. If one thing were needed to prove that bike racing is about to GO, it now has been proved-in spades!
Motorcycle racing has entered a new dimension-that of the large-scale promotion, the BIG sell. Some 32,000 people relaxed in the plush Astrodome seats to watch America’s finest riders battling for National Championship points. This was the largest crowd ever to attend a motorcycle race in the U.S.-indoor or outdoor!
The entire event was spectator-oriented. Despite the $6000 purse, the riders and mechanics felt just a little out of it.
Riders were disgruntled with quite a few things at Houston, and with several good reasons-track conditions, a pernickety starter, and the fact that the mechanics were herded around by officious officials and were not allowed out on to the track to help start their machines or otherwise assist their riders.
These things all were comparatively easy to overcome. For massive crowds, and equally hefty purses, riders don’t mind occasional difficulties-as long as they are only occasional.
The track was a pear-shaped, rough surfaced lap with maximum traction in some parts and no traction at all in others. It was spooky, but spectacular, and the crowds loved it!
A great many of the 32,000 had never before seen a bike race. They were there just because the Astrodome is the place to be, but they were thrilled. This is the way bike racing must go if it is to attract large crowds and big money for participants. It must attract the non-enthusiast, the thrill-seeker. Purists and true aficionados are not thick enough on the ground to bring big money into the game.
Thrills, and the prospect of spills, will drag in the crowds-and the money with them.
By the time the people started to fill the purple, golden and crimson seats of the Astrodome, the mass of Expert Amateur riders already had gone through the long, nail-biting hassle of practice and qualifying sessions.
Harley-Davidson Sprint jockey Mert Lawwill emerged atop the qualifying pile with a one-lap time of 15.37 sec. Indoor short track races are restricted to 250s. Triumph and BSA Singles, though less exotic than much of the opposition, really showed their teeth. Two of them were up in the 2nd and 3rd spots. Butch Corder qualified his Triumph Trophy at 15.71 sec. Sammy Tanner recorded exactly the same time with his BSA.
Next came one of the surprises of the meet. A privately-entered Honda CB72, prepared in the workshops of California dealer, Norm Reeves, held the fourth spot, ahead of National No. 1, Gary Nixon.
Builders of the Honda, Ray Jandra and Dwayne Perkins, had prepared the CB72 engine to such good effect that Chuck Jones was able to run at 15.72 sec., as compared with the 15.79 sec. of Nixon’s Triumph.
H-D rider Freddie Nix came along next with the same time as Nixon, followed by Ronnie Twigg at 15.82 sec., and Montesa-mounted wheelie demon Eddie Mulder, with 15.85.
Making up the top 10 were Jimmy Odom at 15.88, and, finally, Elliott Schultz, who posted 15.89 sec. in giving a Yamaha 250-cc Single its national competition debut.
Came the heat races, and the fun started. The first heat was a tangle between Ronnie Rail, Ron Kruseman and Freddie Nix. Rail got off his Benelli, Kruseman threw away the Long Beach Honda right behind him, then Nix joined the melee. He just couldn’t avoid the tangle of fallen bikes and riders, and the unfortunate Kruseman was taken to a hospital with back injuries.
H-D ace Cal Rayborn took the re-run. First-year Expert Mike Yarn did well to put his Bultaco ahead of such riders as Butch Corder and Skip van Leeuwen in the second heat.
Eddie Mulder and Sammy Tanner were close all the way in the third heat, but Mulder just squashed the “Flying Flea,” and did a victory wheelie over the line. Dan Haaby was close to the pair of them, and the pace was so hectic that Mulder set fastest heat time of the evening.
Jim McMurren, H-D mounted, took the fourth heat, but was pressed all the way by Chuck Jones on the Honda. Gary Nixon was given a surprise in the final heat when Elliot Schultz slithered his Yamaha past to take the win.
Fastest time in the preliminaries was taken by Jones, so he had the Honda in pole position for the main event.
Jones had the Honda up around 3rd spot when a fuel tank mount broke. The tank slipped down and stuffed part of the air cleaner material into one of the carburetor bodies. This choked up one cylinder and dropped Jones to a final 8th spot.
Dan Haaby, on the potent H-D Sprint, appeared to have the measure of everyone. By Lap 12 he had fought past Cal Rayborn and Roger Reimann to take the lead. He then pulled away steadily and appeared to be a no-trouble winner—until he got crossed-up on the south turn and went down in a heap. Dan had to he with his leg through the spokes of his rear wheel and watch the field go by.
By this time, Nixon had bested the H-D boys to take the race from Rayborn and Lawwill.
The battle for the No. 1 plate will be tougher than ever this year!
HOUSTON NA TIO NAL RESUL TS
