Hang Ten United States Grand Prix

Willy Bauer Wins In Front Of 34,725 Fans, But John Banks Was The Mind Blower... He Finished 3rd On A Genuine, Made In England, Four-Stroke Thumper!

America has finally arrived! No, an American is not in the hunt for a world motocross title, but we just hosted an immensely successful 500cc event at Carlsbad, Calif.; the first ever World Championship Grand Prix to be held on American soil.

And, what an event it was!

Sure, many of the same Europeans we’ve seen before were there, but attitudes and styles were different. There were no antics. No showing off. Instead, seriousness prevailed—seriousness which led to some mighty quick lap times—times which re-emphasized European superiority concerning the sport.

The First Moto

Roger DeCoster (Suzuki No. 1), the current points leader from Belgium, had been practicing starts all morning. When the flag dropped, the reason became immediately apparent. He simply rocketed into the lead (Photo 1) ahead of Jaak Van Velthoven (Yamaha) and Willy Bauer (Maico No. 2).

The pressure was on. Points were at stake. Perhap’s that’s why Van Velthoven made a mistake on the very first lap. He went wide in a turn, allowing Bauer and several others to slide by. Bauer took full advantage.

He kept charging until DeCoster, too, had to let him by (Photo 2).

Just behind the leaders, Pierre Karsmakers (Yamaha No. 40) and John Banks (Cheney BSA No. 29) were having an incredible dice (Photo 3). Karsmakers, riding under an American license, benefited from a superb start but couldn’t hold Banks at bay. Banks got by, pulled away to secure 3rd, and gave four-stroke lovers their first major thrill in years.

In theory, the top American spot was being held down by Karsmakers, but as far as the fans were concerned, that honor would belong to either C-Z mounted John DeSoto (Photo 4), Brad Lackey (Kawasaki), or Jim Pomeroy (Bultaco). In the early stages, Pomeroy enjoyed the advantage, but he collided with Bengt Aberg (Husqvarna) and became a spectator. His retirement left DeSoto firmly in command. Incidentally, it was John’s first ride on the new works C-Z.

Meanwhile, Banks continued to hold Karsmakers off for 3rd, but Karsmakers (Photo 5) was being pressured by Werner Schutz (Maico No. 8). Perhaps this dice would have continued had Van Velthoven not passed them both for 4th. As Van Velthoven slipped by, Schutz accompanied him and that’s how it finished.

Moto 1 Results

1. Willi Bauer (Maico) 2. Roger DeCoster (Suzuki) 3. John Banks (Cheney BSA) 4. Jaak Van Velthoven (Yamaha) 5. Werner Schutz (Maico) 6. Gerrit Wolsink (Maico) 7. Pierre Karsmakers (Yamaha) 8. Christer Hammergren (Yamaha) 9. John DeSoto (C-Z) 10. Brad Lackey (Kawasaki)

HANG TEN UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX

The Second Moto

The start of the second 40-min. moto was full of surprises. The heat had gotten to both Roger DeCoster and to his bike. They put new shock absorbers on the Suzuki, but Roger remained slightly off song.

Consequently, he wasn’t first into the turn the second try; in fact, none of the leaders were. That honor belonged to none other than Gary Jones (Prototype 450 Honda) and he flat pulled away for two laps. At that point, he slid off and was out of contention.

With Jones out of the picture,

Bauer (Photo 6) was left out front and he wasted little time putting a good deal of distance between himself and the rest of the pack.

John Banks (Photo 7) couldn’t catch Bauer, but he motored around in 2nd place for the majority of the race!

Brad Lackey was top American this time out (Photo 8). There’s no doubt about that. He got a fantastic start, held onto 3rd for a couple of laps, then was passed by Gerrit Wolsink (Maico). Wolsink then set his sights on Banks, passed him, and ended up 2nd in the moto.

Lackey was then faced with Christer Hammergren (Yamaha No.

6). Hammergren (Photo 9) pulled away, though, leaving Lackey to ward off Van Velthoven. Van Velthoven (Photo 10) had gotten a poor start and didn’t really start cooking until the halfway mark.

Van Velthoven is a huge man. He literally dwarfs his works Yamaha, and when he moves he does it in a decisive manner that matches his size. By the end, he passed Lackey,

Hammergren and Banks for 3rd.

Van Velthoven, by the way, rides a very interesting Yamaha (Photo 11). Instead of using conventionally mounted shock absorbers, his machine uses a cantilever setup with a single spring damper assembly located under the fuel tank.

The top American slot was filled by Pierre Karsmakers, even though he only managed 9th in the final moto. Karsmakers was not born in this country, but he does ride under an American license and does call Buena Park his home. As for American born riders, Lackey edged out DeSoto by placing 6th to DeSoto’s 8th in the final moto. Ake Jonsson (Maico) separated the two and prevented a tie!

Moto 2 Results

1. Willy Bauer (Maico) 2. Gerrit Wolsink (Maico) 3. Jaak Van Velthoven (Yamaha) 4. John Banks (Cheney BSA) 5. Christer Hammergren (Yamaha) 6. Brad Lackey (Kawasaki) 7. Ake Jonsson (Yamaha) 8. John DeSoto (C-Z) 9. Pierre Karsmakers (Yamaha) 10. Jim Weinert (Kawasaki)

Overall Results

1. Willy Bauer, West Germany 2. Jaak Van Velthoven, Belgium 3. John Banks, England 4. Gerrit Wolsink, Holland 5. Roger DeCoster, Belgium 6. Christer Hammergren, Sweden 7. Pierre Karsmakers, USA 8. Brad Lackey, USA 9. Werner Shutz, West Germany 10. John DeSoto, USA