Barely Footin'

Barely Footin'

Canadian and U.S. World Trials Rounds

Fernando Belair

IF MALCOLM RATHMELL thought he had it rough last year, when the only other rider in contention for the World title was Finland’s Ulf Karlsson, this year has become even tougher. Last season “Rastus” and Karlsson battled right down to the wire. For a while, it appeared as though the lanky Swedish Montesa rider was going to prevent Malcolm from earning his World title—a title that he had been waiting in the wings for.

He waited until the end of Sammy Miller’s domination, then he waited for Mick Andrews to hit a cold streak, and just when it looked as though he was going to have an easy time of it, up pops a virtual unknown and damn near pulls an upset.

This year, Karlsson’s performances have not been as strong as before. Besides, his former nemesis, Rathmell, has joined him on the Montesa marque, riding the 31 Occ Cota

348 six-speed prototype that will soon be in production. But others have come into the picture to once again make things difficult for the blondhaired, blue-eyed Briton.

Martin Lampkin, who picked off the Championship in 1973, is back in the running. Charles Coutard, the boyish, likeable French Bultaco rider has had some very good placings. And then Yrjo (pronounced Oorio) Vesterinen from Finland is also riding a> Bultaco. At the start of the `74 season, Martin Lampkin said at the CYCLE WORLD International Trials, "Watch out for the Finns and Swedes, we (the British) might not be able to hold onto it for much longer." How right he was.

With more than half of this year's International events already down the road, Rath mel! was holding onto a slim lead over Martin Lampkin and Vesterinen. The entourage came to America to compete in two Internationals held on this continent. The first was the Canadian round, organized by the Calgary Motorcycle

Club and held some 30 miles from Calgary, Alberta. The second event was in Rhode Island. The Rhody Rovers was the sponsoring club. Its members had been very successful in sponsoring one of last year’s National trials rounds, so they were given a chance to put on the International.

The drizzle that fell throughout the day in Canada made the Europeans, and particularly the British, feel right at home. On the first loop, Rathmell managed to pull a one-point lead over Lampkin, but it was the second loop that would be the decider.

Riding with great consistency, Vesterinen managed to come from 3rd and assert himself as the overall victor by 6 points. Martin Lampkin was 2nd with 47 marks lost, and Charles Coutard followed for 3rd. Although Rathmell delivered some brilliant rides—particularly in the mud where the fantastic power of his works Montesa really displayed itself —he could only manage a 4th. This really put a crimp in the overall standings, vaulting Yrjo to 2nd ahead of Lampkin on net points, and only three World Championship points away from Rastus. An excel-

lent barbecued steak and potato dinner followed the event (once the rain died down), along with an abundance of fine Canadian beer.

Seven days later, everyone was in Escoheag, Rhode Island, where a superb event awaited them. Officially titled the Wagner Cup, after Colorado’s Wiltz Wagner, one of the men behind the push to have trials riding go to a full National Championship under AMA sanction, the event was one of the finest Internationals this year. Sections were challenging (although riders complained about their excessive length), and spectator turnout was large. Northern Californian Lane Leavitt was on his way to a tremendous showing after completing the first of two 20-mi., 20-section loops with the lowest score—27 points. But in order to do so, Leavitt took an excessively long time and had to hurry through the second time around. Without as much time to walk and observe others at the sections, his second-loop score increased to 40 points, with an additional 3.3 tacked on for tardiness at the finish.

This time, Rathmell came to win. Riding with consistently improving style, Rastus forged ahead of all comers to finish the day with 54.1 points, 3.4 ahead of Vesterinen, who dogged him throughout the event. Manuel SolerBulto, grand nephew of the founder and owner of the Bultaco factory, brought the family marque in for a welldeserved 3rd. Ulf Karlsson followed him home only threetenths of a point behind. Martin Lampkin, suffering a flat tire and a couple of broken chains, found himself 6th, behind Charles Coutard. Since the World title is decided on the best eight rides in the 13 events, Lampkin still holds onto 2nd place on overall gross points, although Vesterinen has better rides and leads on net points. Even so, riding the way he has been, Vesterinen may soon overtake the former World Champion regardless of which points situation you look at.

Mick Andrews had two very disappointing rides in America. In Canada, his machine refused to run cleanly and he finished 9th. During the week between rounds, his machine got hung up in customs and he had to ride> Yamaha factory rider Don Sweet’s spare, which is basically a stock machine. Unaccustomed to it, he found the going quite tricky and could only manage a 10th, still beating all of the Americans, though, except 9thplaced Leavitt.

As the end of the season draws near, Rathmell is holding the lead, yet is still hounded by the trio of riders

who have been chasing him all year. Coutard has had flashes of brilliance and may one day put it all together for an International win, something France has never had in world-caliber trials. If, before the end of the season, he can start poking his youthful nose up front at the top of the finishing lists, taking the maximum points position at trials so that none of the others can get in, the battle for the title will become even tighter.

But it is obviously Lampkin and Vesterinen who have the best chance of toppling Rathmell’s apple cart. Andrews is no longer in the hunt. He has had too many machine problems. If he can get his bike sorted out, the way it was when he took his 5th Scottish Six Day Trials victory earlier this year, then he may have the same ability to tighten up the race that Coutard has.

Montesa paid a dear price in order to sway Rathmell over to its camp. The company is banking on a World Championship for its efforts. If anyone can deliver it is Malcolm. Last year he had to work damn hard for his title, but this year he’s having to bust his tail.