Traffic same as usual
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THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1975
Roberts starts out with TT win
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By TONY GALLUCCI
Staff Sports Writer
HOUSTON — It’s dangerous try
ing to leave the Astrodome along
with 40,000 other people after wit
nessing some of the best motorcycle
racing in the nation. All the pent up
energy of every soul this side of the
Mississippi who ever dreamed of
racing or have seen their peak is
unleashed on the freeway. It’s
worse if you happen to be going the
same direction.
The traffic never changes, year to
year, but every season has some
thing new to offer at the races. This
year offered twice that.
Kenny Roberts was already a
legend at the dome. Only a colorb
lind postman on a 3-horse Vespa
could not notice all the Team
Yamaha yellow scattered among the
seats of the dome.
It was the Friday night steeplech
ase that proved Roberts was for real.
That he really was the stuff champ
ion riders are made of. That he re
ally did deserve the No. 1 plates he
was wearing for the second year.
That he might be only the third
rider in AMA history to win the na
tional title three years in a row.
Roberts had to make an extra ef
fort to qualify for the TT final. But
once the Californian got off the line
in the Yamaha Gold Cup Dash,
there was no question who “Num-
ero Uno’’ was.
The yellow buzzsaw thus became
the only person ever to win in the
prestigious Astrodome events three
time. Nobody else has even won
twice. He also became the only per
son ever to win both the short track
and steeplechase in the dome. Log
ical.
Roberts gained his acclaim as a
short track racer, becoming a pro
fessional just four years ago. He
finished fourth in the AMA that year
as a rookie. Quite a feat. But to top
that, at 21, the youngest ever, he set
a national points record to become
the national champ. He has been on
the throne ever since.
Oddly enough, the next night
produced surprise No. 2. Namely,
Roberts after two chances failed to
qualify for the final in his specialty,
the short track event. That led to
local hero Darryl Hurst’s big show
ing.
Hurst, became the first Texan
ever to win a dome event, and he
won going away. In fact he spent
most of his time looking back to see
if he had time for a coffee break. His
win also sent most of the traffic
headed for Spring Branch, the area
where he lives and runs his Yamaha
shop.
Perennial second place finisher
Gary Scott, did it again, finishing
second to Roberts in the TT. Dave
Hansen, last year’s TT winner over
Roberts and second last year in the
short track event to Mike Gerald,
finished second in the short track
again this year behind Hurst.
“We try harder” must be their
slogan.
As for manufacturers? This year
was a little more varied than last
year’s near Honda sweep and the
year before’s near Yamaha sweep.
TT-wise it was Yamaha, Harley,
Norton. While the short track went
Photo by Tony Gallucci
Gene Cameron takes turn two in the Junior Invitational Short Track Race.
Yamaha, Honda, Yamaha.
Universal City’s Larry Beall took
the Junior Invitational Short Track
Event on a Yamaha followed by
Houston’s Jimmy Mayo aboard a
Bultaco.
In Sunday’s speedway racing
event, The Europeans ran away
with the team title after being given
a close race early by the Americans.
Final team score was Europe 64,
U. S. 44. After the eighth race of the
20-race event, the Americans were
within two points. But Europe, led
by Ivan Maugers, had little trouble
after that point.
The Astrodome golden racing
weekend, now in its eighth year, has
grown to immense proportions from
its once small beginning. It started
with the first Texas race on the na
tional circuit in 1968 when Gary
Nixon won the Short Track event in
the dome. The next year the steep
lechase event was added, and last
year international speedway racing
came to the dome. And as evidence
of the greatly increased popularity
of motorsports in Texas, last year
the dome offered the first Texas ver-
sion of national championship
motocross. This year, also a first,
Texas Stadium will offer both
motocross and short track on a na
tional level.
There are always other fascinat-
Northgate
College Station
CHARLES THOMAS
Agency Mgr.
ing attractions, too. Although this
year the races began to take on a
rather circus air, no thanks to the
speedway announcer and his cutesy
jokes.
Besides time trials and races,
there is the huge manufacturer and
trade show, the world’s youngest
daredevils proving that sonny-boy
can drive at the age of three, the
Bandidos and a parade of minihikes,
trikes, choppers, Harleys and a few
bits of soldered iron who made the
long trailride to watch the races.
And if you decide to go next year,
take a helmet, a semi and wear your
seat belt on the freeway or wait til
next weekend before you leave.
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