Hang Ten U.S. Grand Prix At Carlsbad
HANG TEN U.S. GRAND PRIX AT CARLSBAD
JONSSON MAKES IT FIVE TRANS-AMAS IN A ROW ... STRICTER CROWD CONTROL COULD PUT CARLSBAD ON THE INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR NEXT YEAR.
FIVE STRAIGHT overall wins is almost unheard of in Trans-AMA motocross, but Ake Jonsson (Maico) did just that by outlasting the competition in the Hang Ten U.S. Grand Prix at Carlsbad.
Outlast is undoubtedly the proper word as each of the 45-min. motos had almost everyone (including the seemingly indestructible Europeans) thoroughly wasted.
One notable exception was Heikki Mikkola (Husqvama). He got by Brad Lackey (Kawasaki) and Jonsson early in the first moto and never slowed down. Jonsson held onto 2nd ahead of Roger DeCoster (Suzuki), but was unable to muster a serious challenge.
Moto No. 2 didn’t seem to tire him too much, either, but a mediocre start and traffic held him to 4th behind Jonsson, DeCoster, and Hans Maisch (Maico).
Jonsson’s 2-1 finishes gave him an uncontested win. DeCoster and Mikkola, however, were tied with 2nd overall going to the Suzuki camp due to a better finish in the 2nd moto.
Top American honors went to Brad Lackey, 6th overall. In the early stages of both motos, Brad was a jet. Both Mikkola and Jonsson had difficulty getting by him in the first go-round, which he led for several laps. With a little more experience and conditioning. .
In the 250 Support Class, overall winner Bob Grossi (Husqvarna) spent a good deal of his time chasing a couple of 16-year-olds—namely Greg Robertson (CZ) and Marty Tripes (Yamaha).
Engine failure took Tripes out of Moto 1 while he was leading. Robertson came close, but couldn’t quite hold Grossi back. Grossi won the 2nd moto as well, but by the smallest of margins. Tripes got a wheel under the winner in the last turn but couldn’t make the challenge stick.
Jonsson and Grossi took home the honors, but this time 1st place was not the only issue being settled. You see, the U.S. Grand Prix at Carlsbad was a trial run to determine whether or not U.S. promotors are capable of putting on a Grand Prix. As far as the program went, we succeeded, but a promise of stricter crowd control will be needed to put Carlsbad on the International calendar in '73.
