Racing Review
RACING REVIEW
SWEDISH GP: 500cc MOTOCROSS
After the two unlucky opening rounds of the 500cc world championship, which did not net reigning champion Bengt Aberg any points at all, Husqvarna had some hopes for a better outcome on their home ground. Aberg was second fastest in practice, after Friedrichs (CZ), but also fell and injured his wrist.
Still, there was hope. Aberg got a pain-killing injection before the start, and expected to ride without trouble from the wrist. Christer Hammargren, also on a works “experimental” Husqvarna, was in top form. Arne Kring is not quite as fast as usual yet, due to last year’s injuries.
In the first heat, Adolf Weil (Maico) led at the start, but was passed by Roger DeCoster (Suzuki) on Lap 4. DeCoster gradually pulled away, followed by Friedrichs (CZ). Aberg was in 5th place on Lap 12, when his big end bearing seized up. DeCoster crossed the line 30 sec. ahead of Friedrichs, who was followed by Weil, Hammargren, Ake Jonsson and Arne Kring.
It was going to be no points for Aberg, but in order to satisfy the locals, a new engine was fitted during intermission. Weil again took the lead in Heat 2, while DeCoster made a fairly bad start. Hammargren overtook Weil on Lap 3, when Aberg moved up to 2nd, with Weil 3rd. Two laps later, Aberg fell in a downhill bend, but restarted and soon pulled up to 5th place, with Weil losing ground on Hammargren up front, and Friedrichs battling for 3rd with DeCoster. Friedrichs and DeCoster passed Weil, then DeCoster got by Friedrichs,, and Aberg passed Weil. But, after 1Ü laps, the effectiveness of Aberg’s injection was gone, and he even had trouble holding his Husky on the straights.
Hammargren won with 5 sec. on DeCoster, taking it relatively easy at the end. Third was Friedrichs; 4th, Ake Jonsson; 5th, Adolf Weil; and 6th, the Belgian Jacques van Velthoven (CZ).
With equal points, but 5 sec. more on time, Hammargren lost 2nd place to Friedrichs, and complained bitterly about not being notified by his pit crew not to slow down.
500cc MOTOCROSS RESULTS
AUSTRIAN GP
Last year we saw the writing on the wall. This spring the once-whitewashed, four-stroke refuge of 500cc racing is scribbled with the names of Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. Agostini, on his MVs, won the 350 and 500cc classes in the opener of this year’s championship rounds, but in the first laps the twostroke brigade really made him race for his name. Strokers, however, are not fully developed; it is too early in the season.
Seven bikes lasted the 45 laps of the 500, two Suzukis, a Kawasaki and a Yamaha among them. The distance was blamed, but to give this argument full value the bikes should have broken down later in the race.
The Salzburg Ring is a spectator’s circuit, and a beautiful one at that. Bedded in a valley, it is surrounded by natural grandstands, which could hold a crowd of 100,000-if they ever get there. Access, parking and accommodations are fairly poor. From a good place, one can watch most of the track, but the seating is a mixture of grass and mud. And the organizers put the press box on the only place one can see absolutely nothing from.
The big drawback of the ring is the mighty Armco rails all around. It must be like riding through a tunnel, with one’s right ear lower than the top of the barriers. Most bends are righthanders, and the steel is cushioned by straw.
The 350s lined up with Ago and the MV in pole position. But it was Phil Read on his Yammie with a special nickel-plated frame and disc brakes who led off the line. Ago was trapped in 5th, and the Finn Jarno Saarinen led the opening laps cranking his Yamaha to the limit and giving everyone chills.
Gradually Ago pulled through. Grassetti hung on while the MV rider, fascinated by Saarinen’s riding, watched him without being able to close. After four laps, he sped his MV past the leader. But Jarno and Grassetti did not give Agostini a rest, as they were no more than 60 meters behind. Phil Read and Werner Pfirter, who had done well at Salzburg last summer until a broken chain lock put him out, closed on the leaders. Martti Pesonen, another one of the flying Finns, joined the leaders, until both Read and Saarinen retired.
With no respect to Grassetti and his reputation of riding rough, Saarinen closed, but a pit stop put him back a lap and into 6th place at the end. Silvio also stopped. The MV, outsped again, won because of its incredible reliability.
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Lots of retirements and the short laps made it difficult to keep track of the leaders. Pfirter finally got 2nd at the halfway point, and Steve Ellis, who had some lean years on a Linto, was 3rd.
Beaten by fate, but not destroyed, lapped Saarinen kept up with Ago for some time, to demonstrate his skill. Kurt Carlsson, a Swedish newcomer, and veteran Bo Granath crossed the line ahead of him.
Except for the MV in 1st place and Bohumil Stasa’s CZ in 11th, all the finishers rode Yamahas.
And then the big fun or the big bore, depending on how you look at it. Twenty-two bikes set off, and seven came home. T here were a few bangers at the start. But they were eliminated before Agostini had established his usual lead.
Roberto Galina, a young Paton rider, led them for two laps, before Ago got ahead. Ginger Molloy and Silvio Bertarelli, both on Kawasakis, kept pretty close to the leaders, and they were followed by Alberto Pagani on the works Linto.
The Paton closed up to the leader, and Ginger Molloy, in one of his last races in Europe before moving to the U.S. and a Honda, chased the Paton. But a lap later he pushed his bike in with a broken crankshaft. Keith T urner, another Britisher who is fed up with Lintos, took his place on a Suzuki.
The Paton then went out, but later reappeared for a few laps. Pagani with his works Linto really flew, but a broken petrol pipe ended his effort. After lots of pit stops, retirements helped him finish 7th, nine laps back.
T urner got clear of the field. Only Eric Offenstadt (aluminum framed Kawasaki) gradually closed on him. His frame cum tank carries approximately 40 liters of petrol; enough, one would think, to last the thirsty Three the distance.
Tension rose. Ago had a safe lead; but could Turner ride the distance without a pitstop, or would he have to refuel? Eric got faster in the closing stages, but three laps from the end he slowed again. He had to blow in the little rubber pipe on top of his tank to get the last drops of petrol to the carb. And he missed the prizegiving, as the bike stopped with a dry tank on the far end, after taking the checkers.
Apparently not only the big Singles have disappeared from the GP scene; confidence in British tuners seems to have gone too. Everyone is talking of American parts, which are said to be the safest bet for faster laps.
