Racing Review

RACING REVIEW

OHIO INTER-AM

Englishman Dave Bickers (CZ) won the fifth event in the AMA-sanctioned 250cc Summer motocross series held on a grueling, rain-soaked course at Honda Hills near Linnville, Ohio. During his 22 years of racing, Bickers has gained a reputation as a goodwill ambassador for British motorcycling. In addition, he has chalked up a total of nine British National Championships.

Second overall finisher was Sweden’s Keith Eranzen (Husqvarna). Third overall and first American was Huskymounted Mark Blackwell from Hawthorne, Calif., followed by another Husky rider, Gunnar Lindstrom of S. Plainfield, N.J. Current point leader Valastimil Valek (C’Z) finished 6th overall after experiencing mechanical difficulties in the early motos.

LINNVILLE MX RE SUL TS

1. Dave Bickers, England ............CZ

2. Keith Franzen, Sweden .......... Hus

3. Mark Blackwell, Hawthorne, Calif. . Hus

4. Gunnar Lindstrom, S. Plainfield, N.J. Hus

5. James Wemert, Middletown, N.V. . . Mai

6. Valastimil Valek, Czechoslovakia . . . CZ

7. Chnster Lindblom, Sweden ....... Hus

8. Chris Horsfield, England ..........CZ

9. Wyman Priddy, Ft. Worth, Texas . . Hus

10. Peter Lamppu, Winchester, Mass. . . Mon

TRASK MOUNTAIN TRIAL

The International Six Days Trial is the world’s most prestigious off-road motorcycle event. Every phase of motorcycling is put to grueling test, including reliability, speed, ability to climb hills, to run in water and in dust, over rocks and tree roots and whatever else can be found or devised. It is primarily a team event, which makes it different

from most events in this country, and at the same time makes it most unlikely that the U.S. will do well, if history is any indicator.

The AMA, in its new role as affiliate of the ELM, is attempting to change the course of history by fielding a winning U.S. team at the Isle of Man, the site of this year's Six Days. To select the best team, the AMA intended to have six qualifying rounds with best overall performance being the determining factor, but by the time they got into action, it was too late to have that many. Instead, there were two rounds, the Berkshire Trial and the Trask Mountain Trial, held in McMinnville, Ore.

The Trask Mountain Trial, sponsored by the totally inexperienced Motorcycle Activities Club of McMinnville, Ore., drew relatively few entries (about 75), but those that entered were the best in the country. They arrived in Oregon to find a low pressure replica of the Six Days Trial with tech inspection, impounding, noise measurement, and all the rest of the impedimenta of the big event. The course was ideal, a mixture of sloppy mud baths, slick trails, nearimpossible hills, and all of it in tight, overgrown forest. There was even a light drizzle on Saturday to match probable Isle of Man conditions.

John Penton, who distributes Husky, Penton and Puch in the East, showed up with a huge team mounted on all three makes of bikes. They swept up everything in sight except the Trade Team trophy, and only the narrowest of margins kept them from winning that. Among their victories were the first four overall positions, 1st and 2nd in the

Open class, and the top three spots in the 175, 125, and 100 classes. They also won the Club Team award for the Amhearst Meadowlarks. Yankee’s Ossa team took the Trade Team trophy with consistent but unspectacular performances by Charlie Vincent, Don Cutler, and Bill Uhl. They also took the top spots in the 250 class.

In the Berkshire Trial virtually the same riders did well, but Husqvarna fared somewhat better than they did at Trask, so it seems a fair bet that our ISDT Trophy and Vase teams will come from the East (about Ohio) and they will be mounted on Pentons and Huskys. The Yankee Ossa team doesn’t have sufficient depth for the ISDT Trophy team effort but will probably be the AMA’s choice for Vase “B” team or possibly for a Club team.

Southern California has a number of top ISDT-type riders who did not compete at the Trask Mountain Trial. Among them are Malcolm Smith, Preston Petty and Dave Ekins. What their position is with respect to this year’s Six Days Trial is anybody’s guess. Two “Southern California” champions were on hand and did rather well as individuals; they were Lars Larsson and Carl Berggren, both riding Husqvarnas.

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TRASK MT. RESULTS

Overall

Jef f Pent on ( Pen ton ) Gold

Dick Burleson (Penton) ............ Gold

Jack Penton (Penton) ............. Gold

Open Class

Jack Lehto (Husqvarna) ........... Gold

John Penton (Husqvarna) .......... Gold

Raymond Biesk (Yamaha).......... Gold

350 Class

Catl Berggren (Husqvarna) .......... Gold

Jay Tullís (Honda) ................Silver

Billy Toman (Kawasaki) ..........Bronze

250 Class

Charlie Vincent (Ossa) ............. Gold

Don Cutler (Ossa) ................ Gold

Bill Uhl (Suzuki) ................. Gold

175 Class

Gerald Pacholke (Puch) ............ Gold

Mike Lewis (Puch) ................ Gold

Dave Mungenast (Puch) ............ Gold

125 Class

Jeff Penton (Penton) .............. Gold

Dick Burleson (Penton) ............ Gold

Jack Penton (Penton) ............. Gold

100 Class

Dane Penton Leimbach (Penton) ..... Gold

Craig Young (Penton) ............Bronze

Tom Erickson (Honda) ...........Bronze

SWEDISH ROAD RACING

With a crowd of just over 20,000 on Sunday and 14,000 on Saturday, the tust Swedish (IP for road racing in 10 years was a comeback for the sport in Sweden. For a very long time nobody considered it possible to stage a road racing GP. or even a serious international race, without financial loss for the organi/.ers. But the near-bankrupt Anderstorp Racing Club had a few men who thought otherwise. 1 hey gambled, and won.

All solo classes were run. but sidecars had to be changed to an international 750-cc sidecar heat to provide a chance for Swedes to compete. Consequently, the very popular sidecar event was more attractive to the public. No Swede owns a competitive 500-cc sidecar outfit, and no one seems to be willing to pay for the parts required to build a BMW RS engine, which is the only thing that is competitive, now that Path is no longer offering a substitute, liven the Germans who have a good RS are longing tor new regulations with 750ce as a limit. 1 hen. there would be plenty of engines to choose from.

The Anderstorp circuit is 2.5 miles long, with sweeping bends and a long main straight that is also used as a landing strip for small aircraft. There are no trees near the circuit, but safety-conscious riders do complain about the guard rails erected for automobile racing. Compared to many continental circuits, however, Anderstorp must be regarded as relatively safe.

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Conditions at Anderstorp were rather warm, humid, with occasional showers typical for the place and season.

50cc

The Derbi team made a good acquisition when they signed on Gilberto Parlotti. The little Italian, probably even

1 or 2 lb. lighter than Angel Nieto, made a practice lap one full second faster than Nieto’s best, and will apparently guarantee that nobody can threaten Nieto’s 1971 title.

Excitement lasted for about a lap, while Barry Sheene on a Van Veen Kreidler held the lead after a perfect start. Then Nieto took over the lead. Four laps later, Parlotti had joined Nieto, and the two put on a great show, riding with inches in between and exchanging positions to please the crowd. A “close-in finish” of course, with Nieto 1st, according to team orders.

The Dutch Kreidler team was outclassed, but, in turn, were superior to various Swedish production racers and specials. De Vries took 3rd, with Sheene 4th.

125cc

The 1 25cc class seemed more of an open affair, with Barry Sheene on his Suzuki RT 67 just 0.18 sec. faster than Borje Jansson on a Maico. Times under

2 min. also went to Dave Simmonds (Kawasaki) and to Nieto.

After a new lightning start, Barry Sheene was in the lead, while Jansson and Nieto were battling for 2nd place. Not only did Nieto pass Jansson, but he also started a hunt for Sheene, clocked a lap 3 sec. faster than his best practice time, and finally managed to pass Sheene.

Sheene tucked in behind him, and took the lead again. All seemed set for a long, great duel when, on Lap 13 of 25, Nieto dropped back and coasted into the pits. Sheene was now far ahead of everyone. Nieto went out again for a few laps, having spent several minutes in the pits, probably just to find out what was wrong with his bike.

Behind Sheene, Borje Jansson had a very lonely race, while Dieter Braun (Maico) and Kent Andersson (Yamaha) staged an exciting fight for 3rd place, which Andersson eventually won by a very narrow margin.

250cc

Rod Gould was definitely the favorite of the 250 class, being fastest in practice after a series of very consistent lap times and very impressive riding. Theo Bult on a Yamsel was close, though, and the crowd was eager to see what local hero Kent Andersson could do in spite of a rather recent shoulder injury. He had done 25 laps well; but would he last for 38? Another favorite with the crowd was the flying Finn Jarno Saarinen, whose breathtaking cornering style hanging out far more than Paul Smart causes severe damage to the knees of his leathers, frequently scraping the asphalt!

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Kent Andersson got away first from the start, with Gould close behind. Gould took the lead for good on Lap 2, while Theo Bult rapidly worked his way up through the field after a slow start. On Lap 6, Andersson’s Yamaha began turning sick, and he went into the pits with what the mechanics thought was ignition trouble. Kent, though, believed it was more serious than that. Charles Mortimer tried to catch up with Rod Gould, made the fastest lap in the process, but overtaxed his Yamaha and had to retire on Lap 26. This left 2nd to Paul Smart. After that, the race got rather processional, and with Grassetti on the works MZ out early with ignition trouble, interest was focused on Gould’s excellent riding and the good performance by the F inns Saarinen and Lansivouri, placing 3rd and 4th.

35()cc

The same old question again: which Yamaha is going to place 2nd? The superiority of Giacomo Agostini and his MV Agusta Three remains to be questioned. Even if some excitement is gone in the presence of “Ago,” he puts on a great show, and the MV does sound nicer than any two-stroke. Fastest Yamaha rider turned out to be Paul Smart, who, together with Jarno Saarinen, shared the honor of not being lapped. Rod Gould placed 4th, his works Yamaha seeming a little slower on the main straight than some of the privately owned bikes of the same model.

The sole American participant, Charles McGurk from N.Y., retired his Yamaha after lying rather far back in the field, as he also did in the 250 class. Even if he did a few races in Europe last year, he is still a beginner in these circles and tries to gain experience in a safe and sensible way. And with modern twostrokes, 50 percent is about an average retirement rate.

500cc

y\go again, of course, proved that he is also a Regenmeister. A brief shower beginning right at the start of the heat made the track wet enough to upset odds for the Kawasakis of Johnny Bengtsson and Dave Simmonds; handling became more important than the power that had given them 2nd and 3rd practice times.

Half a lap after the start, three Swedes were still in front of Agostini. After one lap, only Morgan Radberg on the Monark experimental (an MCB entry with a Crescent outboard engine in a frame built and earlier raced by veteran Billy Andersson) could keep in front of him, but not for long. On the last 47 out of 50 laps, Ago was in the lead, outclassing everybody else just as he had in the 350 event.

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Radberg rapidly dropped back to 4th, while a race-long battle for 2nd developed between rain specialist T ommy Robb and New Zealander Keith Turner. Turner, on a Coleman-framed Suzuki, was permitted to keep a narrow lead until Lap 36, when Robb took over, in spite of a new shower.

T he downpour did not last long, and a determined T urner managed to regain 2nd, pulling away from Robb during the last few laps. Again, just two riders had not been lapped. A Swedish outsider, Ulf Nilsson, took 4th, the Finn Kouviuniemi 5th, and Radberg, who had pitted for fuel, 6th.

The supporting race was for sports machines under 50cc. It was won by Peter Williams (Norton) before Kenneth Stigefeldt (Honda CB750). The sidecar class was won by Heinz Luthringhauser/Ada Neumann (BMW), with the Swedish von Post brothers 2nd on a Honda outfit. Miss Neumann is a veteran female “chairman.” Two more competitors had girls in the sidecar; one, Jane Behlin, was taken to the hospital after a high-speed crash from spinning on oil when her fiancee, Bo Rindar, was trying to catch the von Post outfit. Fortunately, she escaped with a concussion and bruises.

INTER-AMA MOTOCROSS FINAL

Professional motocross is sweeping the country, and for those who witnessed the final event in the lnter-AMA series at Hdmeston, N.Y., it is plain to see why. The Unadilla Sports Center track, perhaps the nation’s most challenging, has all the features to thrill a large-capacity erowd.

Riders from 26 states from Massachusetts to California matched handlebars with top contenders from Canada, England, Spain, Belgium. Sweden and Czechoslovakia. Some of the hometown boys did an admirable job, but in the final analysis, the European superiority came forth. This is a situation that is changing, and the future should see U.S. riders winning world titles also.

Motocross riders at Unadilla spent as much time in the air as on the ground: the leaps performed were the spectaculars of the day. Dave Bickers from England won the first race in the feature class on a CZ to pick up 300 points, placing him 2nd in the series with an l l 70 total.

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Under Penton Import colors, Gunnar Lindstrom (l-lusqvarna) won the second feature class race. During practice, Gun nar stopped at the deep land gully that cuts through the farm tract on which the track is constructed to observe the European riders and how they per formed on the two jumps into and out of the gully. This paid off admirably, as Gunnar leaped higher and farther than all the other riders. Several times, he flew past other riders who were on the ground. The South Plainfield, N.J. rider totaled 1 060 points to place 3rd in the series. f 1t4

teter amppu uviontesa; irom iviassa chusetts and Englishmen Chris Horsfield (CZ) and Dave Bickers (CZ) placed 2nd in each of the three races. Valik, Uors field and Gary Jones (Yamaha) each took 3rds.

Valik became the Inter-AMA Cham pion by winning the final, thus gaining 320 points for a 1430 series total. The jovial Czechoslovakian chatted with spectators through CZ official interpre ters, and due to the pit area being open to the public, joined in friendly horse play with fellow riders from around the w or I ci.

in the support class Lore Jonsson (Maico) of Lewiston, Pa. seemed to outride everyone on the track by winfling all three races. Eagle rider Gordon Bowden of Jacksonville, Fla. was sucked up by Jonsson but placed 2nd in the first and final race, Lars Larsson, the unofficial series leader in the support class, got mixed into the thundering herd at the start, but gained ground quickly to place 3rd overall for the day on a Husqvarna.

UNADILLA MX RESULTS

1. Valastiniil Valek, Czech CZ

2. Dave Bickers, England CZ

3. Peter Lamppu, Mass . Mon

4. Chris Horsefield, England CZ

5. Gunnar Lindstrom, N.J Hus

6. Keith Franzen, Sweden Hus

7. Jos DeWit, Belgium Hus

8. Gary Jones, Calif Yam

9. Jim West, Pasadena, Calif. . . . Hus

10. Gary Meyers, Denver, Cob. . . Hus

FINAL SERIES RESULTS

1. VALASTIMIL VALEK 1430

2.DAVEBICKERS 1170

3. GUNNAR LINDSTROM 1060

4. JAN•ERIK SALLQVIST 1052

5. KEITH FRANZEN 969

6. CHRIS HORSFIELD 596

7. GARY JONES 458

8. CHRISTER LINDBLOM 414

9.JIMWEINERT 380

10. JAMES WICKS 375

11.MARKF3LACKWELL 344

12. PETER LAMPPU 325

13.JOSDEWIT 290

14.JIM WEST 287

15. BILL SILVERTHORN 279

16. GARY MEYERS 265

17. TOM RAPP 224

18.WILLEDASSEN 178

19. BARRY HIGGINS .... 159

20. WYMAN PRIDDY .... 119