Ellis Wins Again - Yamaha Super Series at the Houston Astrodome
at
Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds
Friday March 14, 1975
By: SCM Staff
A two-night crowd of 45,000 at the Houston Astrodome brought total attendance for the 1975 Yamaha Superseries of Motocross to 130,000, an average of 26,000 per date (two each in the Astrodome and Texas Stadium and one at Daytona International Speedway). Three-time 250cc U.S. National Champion Gary Jones, injured a week earlier in Daytona, was on hand for the Houston events as a spectator. His hopes of a fourth-straight title are virtually at an end as Jones doesn't expect to race again until mid-May at the earliest and will thus miss half of the 250cc National Series. Young riders dominated the series, with only three of the Top 10 finishers being over the age of 21, headed by veteran Jim Weinert at 23. Pierre Karsmakers, 1974 500cc U.S. Champion, returned to action following an injury and placed fourth in the 500cc class.
250cc HIGHTLIGHTS The weekend was a stage for Jimmy Ellis vs. Marty Smith, Team Can-Am vs. Team Honda, with this round going to Ellis and Can-Am. Only in the opener Friday night did another rider finish in the first two, as Smith ran fifth and his teammate Rich Eierstedt finished second to Ellis. Ellis won both 20-minute 250cc motos Friday night with Smith taking a fifth and a second. Saturday night Smith turned the tables and edged Ellis in both motos. In Saturday night's opener Ellis and Smith bumped and went off the course. Smith roared on to win while Ellis re-started his stalled machine and held second. Marty Tripes, who ended the series in sixth position, failed to earn a point at Houston because of a nasty "high-side" crash Friday which knocked him unconscious. Tripes suffered no ill-effects but sat out Saturday night's racing. Overall scoring gave Ellis his third straight win in the Yamaha Superseries, followed by Smith, Eierstedt, Kent Howerton (Team Husqvarna) and Bill Grossi (Team Suzuki).500cc HIGHLIGHTS The Daytona round of the Yamaha Superseries in the 500cc class was marked by a day-long struggle between eventual champion Steve Stackable (Team Maico) and Tony DiStefano (Team Suzuki). At Houston, Stackable won Friday night's opener and then settled back to run consistently while DiStefano and Jim Weinert (Team Yamaha) locked up in a struggle for the overall win. After finishing fourth in the first moto, DiStefano was unbeatable, coming off the line fast and holding off all challenges to take the overall win ahead of Weinert (two second and two thirds) and Stackable (one win, a second, third and fourth.) Gary Chaplin, one of the series' most consistent performers on a factory-backed CZ, finished 10th overall and fifth for the series. Ellis might have placed higher but for a third-moto DNF at Houston which he figured cost him well over $500. Overall scoring found DiStefano on top, followed by Weinert, Stackable, Pierre Karsmakers (Team Honda) and Jim West (Husqvarna), who was fourth in the series
