The Motorbike Archives

Boody had accumulated his share of the points through consistency on the dirttracks. He had Avon just one event, but had scored in almost all of the other dirt-surface races. To take the title, however, Boody was probably going to have to win at least one of the two remaining dirttracks, especially since he wasn't eligible to compete in the one remaining roadrace. Only the top 14 riders in each event would get points, with the winner getting 20.

In third place with 195 points and five victories was Gary Scott, the privateer and former national champion. Scott was favored to win the Ascot TT, one of the three final events, and he could score in all three. But he had to do well in the roadrace—something he hadn't done all season -and heat Springsteen in the other two races if he was to he the champ.

Unlike the three riders he had to beat to win the championship, the fourth contender, Yamaha factory rider Kenny Roberts, had accumulated over half of his 183 points at roadraces. His three competitors didn't have a single roadracing point among them. While he had occasionally been in contention on the dirt, Roberts had lost countless points to mechanical problems on his dirttrack machines and he hadn't won a single dirttrack event. Roberts had been the point leader at the mid-series payoff, but there had been four roadraces in the first leg; the second leg included only two pavement events. Nonetheless, his competitors realized that if Roberts did get good rides in the two dirttrack events, he was the one who could win all three races. Roberts, even more than the other two challengers, had to hope that Springsteen wouldn't make many points.

RIVERSIDE ROADRACE: ROBERTS' ROMP

Barring mechanical problems, Roberts was a shoo-in at Riverside. He had won four (Charlotte, Loudon, Pocono and Sears Point) of the season's five previous national roadraces and finished second at the fifth (Daytona) with his slower, backup engine.

Harley had Manned to field one of the old, very outdated Vee-twin roadracers for Springsteen hoping he'd pick up a point or two which might give him a winning edge. But by the time Riverside rolled around, Springsteen was so far ahead that he obviously had more to lose than to gain by riding the event. Boody hadn't earned an Expert roadracing license, and although Scott had the prerequisite Yamaha TZ750 necessary to be competitive in national roadraces and he had even claimed one of Roberts' engines at the end of 1976, he hadn't done anything in 1977 roadraces.

Roberts became even more untouchable when his protégé, Skip Aksland, crashed while riding a camera bike during an ontrack filming session. Aksland, the only rider able to keep tabs on Roberts at most roadraces this season, broke his collarbone and wrist and wouldn't he able to ride until mid-winter.

David Emde walked away with the first of Riverside's supporting non-points races, the 250 Expert event, after early leader Gary Nixon slowed with tire problems. The other 250 race, the Novice event, was won by John Gidney who, like Emde, was riding a Yamaha TZ250.

Although Yamahas have dominated 250 and 750 road racing seemingly forever, one class, the Superbike "Production" class, had seen six different riders and five different makes of machines win the six 1977 races. Riverside saw a seventh winner mount the victory podium. After his Yoshimura teammate, Steve McLaughlin, had dropped out with mechanical maladies, Wes Cooley waited until the last two laps to stick his big Yoshimura Kawasaki under Cook Neilson's Ducati and then hung on to win.

When the lesser events were over, the race insiders used to call the "TZ750 race" but have started calling "Roberts' race." was assembled on the grid. Gary Nixon spurted into the lead at the green flag with Dave Aldana holding a close second. Roberts started fourth behind Steve McLaughlin, but he quickly moved to third and settled in to study Aldana and Nixon for a few laps. Checking out the opposition is something Roberts does when the pressure is off.

He didn't have long to study Nixon before Gary's clutch a brand new one that Ery Kanemoto had installed immediately before the main event—went south and Nixon retired. While Roberts tailed Aldana, Dale Singleton and Sadao Asami came forward to fill out the top five positions. Singleton eventually established himself solidly in third lace.

When Roberts had learned what lie wanted to know about Aldana and his Paul-Dahmen-tuned machine he simply turned up the heat and pulled away at about a half second per lap. Despite the length of die circuit, Roberts would lap up through seventh place by the end of the race—and lie wasn't even trying hard. His worries were reduced even further when Gary Scott retired with an overheating engine. There were no Riverside points for Scott.

Meanwhile, both Singleton and Asami developed ignition problems. Asami pitted and tried unsuccessfully to make repairs, but Singleton kept on going. With his engine missing and backfiring, Singleton eventually had to slow and he saw a certain third place slip away as, one by one, the front runners overtook him. He finally ended in tenth place.

Roberts was gone and Aldana was all alone in second. McLaughlin took possession of third slot, comfortably cushioned from fourth place, which was occupied by Australian Warren Willing, who wasn't gaining on him.

At the back of the pack things were happening which would affect McLaughlin and Willing by race's end. Ron Pierce had gotten a mediocre start and rode several laps without advancing until he realized his tear-off shield was distorting his vision. Once he'd shed the tear-off. Pierce began making progress.

As he advanced, Pierce was joined by Bruce Hammer, a relatively unknown, second-year Expert. Hammer had gotten a miserable start—about 25th spot—and was now making up ground. About halfway through the race privateers Hammer and Pierce came upon Willing, who is favored by partial Yamaha factory assistance. When Hammer passed Willing. the Australian picked up his pace slightly hut he couldn't shake off the two Americans. For several laps the three racers swapped fourth place as they closed up on McLaughlin. About the time the Pierce-Hammer - Willing clump reached McLaughlin. Pierce had a tiny advantage over the other two. Hammer had passed Pierce twice. but couldn't make it stick.

The other three riders recognized McLaughlin as the third-place rider and renewed their efforts with an eye on bagging third. But McLaughlin apparently had some reserve. and even Pierce, the strongest of the trio howling at Steve's hack tire, couldn't pry McLaughlin loose.

McLaughlin seemed to have third and Pierce had a tenuous grip on fourth. hut fifth place was still very much in doubt as the last-lap flag came out. Hammer let Willing pass him in the slow Turn hut when they got to the last turn, the fast. banked Turn 9, Hammer went up next to the boiler plate wall and with his rear wheel hung out and spinning, almost dirt-track style. he passed the Australian for a photo-finish fifth place.

Roberts and Aldana were almost hack in the pits when the third-place battle crossed the finish line. Roberts' victory jumped him from fourth to second in the point standings (203 points) and also made him the third winningest rider ever in Grand National competition. Riverside was the 25th victory in Roberts' six-year career as an Expert. Only Bart Markel (28 wins) and Joe Leonard (27 wins) have recorded more victories, and Roberts may catch them next year. Riverside also added another record to Roberts' seemingly endless collection: He became the only rider ever to rack up five roadrace victories in a single season.

ASCOT TT: THE DECIDER

Roberts was 32 points behind Springsteen and he was one of the favorites for the win at the second Ascot TT of the season—if his machine held together.

This second TT at Ascot had been scheduled just a few weeks before to replace the rained-out Peoria, Illinois TT. The previous Ascot TT. in fact the previous

four Ascot TTs, had been won by Gary Scott. Three of those times he had been riding a Triumph twin. which is what he'd brought to try for his fifth straight victory.

Scott's most recent Ascot TT victories had come only after Roberts had gained the upper hand. then lost it to mechanical problems or illness. Roberts reminded everyone of that fact by qualifying fastest. then making a couple of unbelievable riding-on-the-crankcases passes to take the lead in the first heat. But. in keeping with tradition, Roberts then lost his transmission and dropped out to be scored tenth in the heat, one place short of a transfer to the semi where he could make a second try. "It's always the same thing." he later said about the Ascot TT. "I set fast time. make the longest jump and then I have to drop out." With no hope of any points in the TT, Roberts had missed his slim chance of taking the championship.

Steve Eklund won that heat, and BSA-mounted Alex Jorgensen passed Gary Scott to win the second. After a had moment when his Harley's magneto went south—something XR750 magnetos are famous for—on the starting line, Springsteen switched over to the back-up battery ignition Bill Werner had installed and went on to win the third heat. Dave Aldana had led that heat until his Harley blew its lower end. Gary Scott's brother Hank took the fourth heat after much dicing. two restarts and a last-lap blown engine for almost-winner Mickey Fay. Ted Boody finished second to also go to the main.

Gary Scott immediately took the lead when the starting light turned green for the main. No one in the field could match his pace, and Scott won the TT as solidly as

Roberts had won the previous weekend's roadrace.►