The Astrodome Nationals
the astrodome nationals
Rall Scores An Upset As Briggs Bogs; Van Leeuwen Wins The TT (Ho,Hum), But Watch Those Teeny-Boppers!
GAVIN TRIPPE
EVERYTHING about the Houston Astrodome short track national was as big as could be. The setting was big, the pre-race promotion was big, the entry list was big, so were the prize money and the attendance figures. And the riders unanimously agreed that the bumps and ruts in the pear-shaped track were by far the biggest they had ever encountered on any of the national dirt track circuits.
They were so big that little Ronnie Rail put it to everybody on what was virtually a Bultaco 250-cc motocrosser, less brakes. He claimed afterward that having rear suspension enabled him to do this in comparative ease. The little Ohio farmer was riding at the top of his tigerish form, but there is also no doubt that his Bultaco’s swinging arm rear end enabled him to ride the Houston bumps to the very best of his considerable ability.
With a big double-header to draw the crowds (a total of over 40,000 people attended the Short Track and TT races) the Pace Management Corp., which runs things inside the Astrodome, really did the job with pre-race publicity. Local and national newspapers were informed of the entries, the stars made pre-race TV appearances and so on. What a pity the AMA doesn’t employ its own professional public relations setup to get this kind of message across to the general public for all its other promotions. Perhaps if it did, motorcycling would get up out of the basement as far as spectator-attracting sports go. Using mass media to attract the non-enthusiast is the obvious way to spread the motorcycling message. The Houston organizers have proved this with crowd figures better than those recorded for most other AM A-sanctioned events.
Of course, everybody who is anybody was there. Wiry little Gary Nixon, who battled against seemingly overwhelming odds last season to become the No. 1 plate holder for 1969, turned up in Texas hoping to garner a few points toward retaining his title. He won the Astrodome race last year, but was not in contention this year.
Freddie Nix and Cal Rayborn again were riding for the Harley-Davidson factory team. They, plus Bart Markel, Mert Lawwill, Dan Haaby and Harley’s latest find, Californian Mark Brelsford, were all on 250-cc Harley Sprints. Eighteen-year-old Mark is sponsored by veteran racer Lawwill. On single-cylinder racers from the BSA/Triumph combine were Chuck Palmgren, Sammy Tanner, Gene Romero, Dusty Coppage and Skip Van Leeuwen.
And there was a foreign gentleman by the name of Barry Briggs-a fellow in black leathers (albeit with a couple of stripes down the sides) and a slipover vest bearing the New Zealand national colors (white stars on a deep blue background combined with the jolly old Union Jack). Barry is not altogether unknown to American race fans. He came out to the West Coast during the past winter and showed everyone the elements of Class “A” speedway racing. His spectacular broadsliding, “standing on the footpegs’’ style really made some think that a “limey’ just might claim an AMA national victory. But it was not to be. Barry-a New Zealander now domiciled in England-had gone too way-out in his choice of equipment for the bumpy Houston track. His factory 250-cc BSA engine was mounted in a full Class “A” chassis with big, narrow wheels, trials-
type tires and spindly front forks. On a smooth short track this might have done the job, but Houston was too rugged for the setup. Barry was sideways through the turns with his front wheel constantly a good six inches in the air. A fullblooded, broadsliding wheelie slows even a four-time World Speedway Champion. When the qualifying times were posted, he was 15th fastest. Only 1.1 sec. separated the qualifying field, but se'eing Barry down the list a little gave many of the American riders new heart.
Bart Markel topped the qualifying with 15.98 sec., and was the only rider to break out of the 16-sec. bracket. Eventual winner, Ronnie Rail, riding his Bultaco 250 for the first time, qualified at 16.78 sec., while Gary Nixon barely made the program by qualifying third from last with 1 7.02 see.
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The first heat gave a taste of the racing that was to come, with Freddie Nix and Bart Markel duking it out on their Sprints until Markel fell down on the sweeping pits turn. Nix took the win from Chuck Palmgren (Triumph) and Dick Mann (Ossa) while Markel remounted and got into the 4th transfer spot. Also to the semi went Paul Conserriere (Suzuki) and John Franklin (Honda).
The next heat was wild. Ralph White ran out of track space and leapt the bales coming out of the first turn, while Sam Satterley straddled the bales a few yards farther round the track. After the restart, rookie Jim Peterson (Kawasaki) tangled with veteran short-tracker Neil Keen and their contretemps ended with Keen smashing into the pit gate. The heat finally went to Triumph-mounted Skip Van Leeuwen, followed by Dusty Coppage, Ronnie Rail, Sonny Burres and Gary Nixon, with Sam Tanner in the final transfer spot.
Heat 3 saw Barry Briggs out to do battle with the home riders. With his spindly Class “A" rig bouncing sideways all over the track, the New Zealander chased home Mert Lawwill, Mike Yarn and Mark Brelsford with the remaining transfer positions going to Roger Reimann and Jim McMurren.
Cal Rayborn, hot after the No. 1 spot he came so close to last year, took the fourth heat from Jim Odom, who has forsaken his Triumph for a Bultaco, and Gene Romero. The next three places went to Dallas Baker, Walt Fulton and Jim Corpe.
C'al Rayborn led off the line in the first semi with Nix and Odom. After a couple of laps Gene Romero had forced his Triumph into 3rd place, as Jimmy Odom dropped back in the pack. Bart Markel, riding furiously, elbowed his way into 2nd place by riding around the outside of Romero and Cal Rayborn. This gave H-D a 1-2-3 finish, with Nix winning from Markel and Rayborn. Romero took 4th place from the Ossa of Dick Mann, and Dallas Baker got his Ossa into the main despite riding half of the race with an expansion chamber flapping loose on the track surface.
In the second semi, Dusty Coppage kept his Triumph ahead of Ronnie Rail and Skip Van Leeuwen. Two more Harley riders, Roger Reimann and Mert Lawwill, also made the main, as did Bultaco rider Mike Yarn. Three big names—Briggs, Nixon and Tanner—failed to transfer.
In the final, it looked like a fight between the big guns of the HarleyDavidson and Triumph teams—especially when Fred Nix shot into a sizable lead.
On Lap 7, Freddie crashed into the bales on the tight, lower turn and handed the lead to Cal Rayborn. Seconds later, Rayborn hit one of the huge bumps. As his Harley leapt around, Romero and Markel flashed by. It stayed that way for a couple of laps until Markel passed the Triumph rider and headed the field for another two laps.
While all this was going on, Ronnie Rail had been steadily climbing through the field from a slowish start. With 1 1 laps to go, he casually motored around the sliding Markel into the lead.
Ronnie led the rest of the way. His fully-sprung Bultaco ironed out the pits and mounds of the Houston dirt. All Bart could do was to keep his bucking Harley somewhere in sight of the flying Buckeye. Markel and Romero filled 2nd and 3rd spots, with Dallas Baker bringing his Suzuki in just ahead of TT ace Skip Van Leeuwen.
The Amateur final saw just as much action...though most of it was concentrated on the start line.
Young Keith Mashburn, a 19-year-old Californian destined to be one of the best American all-rounders, was favored to win on his works Yamaha Twin. From the start he blasted into the lead, but two riders fell on Turn 1 and the race was stopped. Mashburn again led from the restart, but after a lap and a half his rear chain broke and he coasted to a halt. Just as he was stopping, however, there was a crash on the lower turn and the race was halted once more. But, despite the hurried replacement of Mashburn’s chain, the AMA stewards refused to let him restart with the rest of the field. They claimed that he had already retired before the race was stopped. Mashburn, the crowd and a number of experts—including Bart Markel, Skip Van Leeuwen and Gene Romero-all protested vociferously, but to no avail. The race went on without Mashburn, and the win went to another California teen-ager, Dave Aldana.
Young Aldana—nephew of Skip Van Leeuwen’s tuner, Danny Macias—was uncatchable and, on his BSA, won going away from Squire Tomasie (Bultaco). SHORT TRACK EXPERT FINAL
AMA TEUR FINAL
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THE INDOOR TT
Skip Van Leeuwen, the “Flying Dutchman” from Hollywood, Calif., emerged from the Astrodome with his unbeatable TT image untarnished and enough points with his surprise 5th place in the previous night’s short track race to take the points lead for the National No.
1 spot.
At Saturday night’s 25-lap TT, Skip waltzed home the winner on Danny Macias’ super-fast 650 Triumph. But it was not before Skip and the 26,000strong crowd had some heart-stopping moments, along with several stars and the 11-D factory.
Intent on capturing that elusive No. 1 plate this year, the Milwaukee factory furnished its riders with new lightweight 350 Singles instead of the usual 750 V-twin flatheads. They were gambling that the indoor track would be tighter than usual. But the Astrodome foiled their plan as it contained a fast full-size TT track. The first H-D rider on a factory machine was Mert Lawwill, who finished 10th out of a field of 12. Nix, Haaby, Rayborn and Fulton all failed to qualify. Insult was added to injury by first-year Expert Mark Breisford. He finished 2nd to Van Leeuwen, on a 350 H-D built by his mentor, Mert Lawwill, using a stock 350 engine the best ever National placing by a first-year Expert!
Although tight, with two straights and an “S” loop, the track provided enough traction to cope with the 750s. Many experienced riders didn’t expect this before the practice sessions started. As over 1 50 riders entered for the Amateur and Expert classes, qualifying was to be brutal. Top of the poll was Skip Van Leeuwen, who took his Triumph around in 30.27 sec., using every inch of the track and gassing it much sooner in the turns than anyone else. Second fastest was another C'alifornian, Paul Bostrom (Triumph), who managed 30.55, while Sonny Burres put his Triumph round in 30.60 sec. Englishman Barry Briggs (441 BSA Victor) did not qualify.
And so to the races. One aspect tarnished the whole event the starter. Despite being a long-serving member of the AMA, Red Mosser had not performed starter's duties for some two years and made it patently obvious by throwing the flag away twice. The second time it happened, the flag nearly went in the face of Amateur Dave Aldana. The ensuing avoiding action brought down three riders, one of whom had to be taken to the hospital.
A ripple of laughter was raised in the first Expert heat when Bart Markel slid off his Harley during the warming up lap and Skip Van Leeuwen rode past, clapping and grinning, while Dusty Coppage did wheelie demonstrations.
Van Leeuwen went on to win the heat with ease, while rookie Mark Brelsford put it over Dusty Coppage to earn 2nd place and a direct pass into the final.
Mert Lawwill managed to win the second heat, but not before he nearly fell while being challenged by Paul Bostrom (Triumph). Lawwill seemed the fastest of the 350 H-D riders, bred Nix was not so happy. He was second from last in his heat. Said a dejected Fred: “I'm hurting for power. I wish I had my old 750 flathead.”
Heat 3 suffered from the painfully slow starter who kept the riders hanging on their clutch levers. Sonny Burres won this one, while Dallas Baker (BSA) managed to hold oft Fddie Mulder s screaming 360 Montesa.
The semi was an orderly affair, with Gene Romero (Triumph) leading from start to finish. Dick Mann (650 BSA) and Chuck Palmgren (Triumph) had a racelong duel that involved a few arms and elbows, but neither could catch 2nd man Gary Nixon.
The noise of 12 bellowing Fxperts straining at the leash echoed through the Astrodome, and as the starter’s flag dropped for the final, the whole auditorium rose as though the floor were giving way. Skip Van Leeuwen, in pole position, knew he had one thing to do make the inside of the corner first. Although he may have heaved a sigh of mental relief having commanded the inside line, he was far from safe. His old rival Dusty Coppage had other ideas. Dusty got inside Van Leeuwen on the pit turn and ran him out of road over the jump. As Skip's Triumph ripped lumps off the straw bales, Dusty took the lead. Van Leeuwen battled to regain control, landed sideways and found himself still on his Triumph, but behind Coppage and Brelsford.
The crowd roared as Brelsford stormed past an amazed C'oppage and took the lead. Then Van Leeuwen slipped through on the inside and gave chase to Brelsford. Van Leeuwen took Brelsford’s lead three laps later and held it to the finish.
While Van Leeuwen talked to the ABC World Wide Sport commentators, Mark Brelsford was being congratulated by sponsor, Lawwill. Said the elated ll-I) rider: “The bike handled like a dream. 1 don't know what was the matter with the other ones!”
Keith Mashburn led the Amateur final from start to finish, never seriously challenged. Main interest centered on the battle for 2nd place between Tim Thomas (Triumph), Roya'l Sherbet (BSA) and William Lves (BSA). In a fantastic finish. Sherbet inched Thomas out of 2nd place on the line as they flew past the Hag with elbows locked !
TT NATIONAL
EXPERT FINAL
AMATEUR FINAL
