Bart Markel Gets His Fun Snatching Points From #1
BART MARKEL GETS HIS FUN SNATCHING POINTS FROM #1
AN EXCLUSIVE CYCLE WORLD RACE REPORT
DAVE EVANS
TWO WEEKS of important national point events in the East and Midwest drew a huge field of maximum-talent riders to the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, there to fight it out for the 50-Mile National Championship race. Over 150 riders had their eyes on a part of the $12,000 in prize money offered this year.
The Springfield track, in its dampened state from some early showers, was in a clay-like condition. Though graders were worked over it constantly, it was still tacky in spots, slick in other spots, and just plain ol' rutted in others . . . definitely not conducive to record lap times. Practice took its toll of the machinery, some of it from the usual mechanical reluctance to work; other machines just couldn't stand the terrific pounding that the course doled out.
Qualifications lost some of their usual suspense, since with 150 riders to qualify, there was no time for a rundown to allow for "bumping" ... no one knew who was in the lineup of heat races until after all bikes were timed . . . and on a mile track, qualifications take a very long time. Former Springfield winner Joe Leonard, Triumph mounted, broke an oil pump before time trials and didn't ride at all. By afternoon, when the races finally started (before a crowd of 28,000), the track temperature was somewhere around 95 degrees, and leathers weren't exactly the most comfortable attire imaginable.
The first amateur race was relatively tame, with H-D riders Shadley, Shiflett and Martin qualifying for the amateur final. The second amateur heat provided a thrilling finish, with both Clyde Litch (BSA) and Yvon Du Hamel (BSA) nosing out Marco Powell (H-D) on the last turn to beat him to the flag. The third amateur heat gave a thrilling demonstration of close riding with Ashcroft (BSA) and Estep (H-D) fighting for first place. Estep took first after they exchanged positions all over the course, lap after lap . . .
rubbing elbows at over 100 mph! Look out, in the expert class, next year!
The dirt really began to take a gouging when the experts hit the track. Dick Hammer, in from California, tried to wrest the lead from fellow Harley rider Bart Markel for a couple of laps, but was forced to take a high line where he lost traction . . . Bart eventually pulling away. Back in the pack, Dick Klamfoth put on a nice display of youthful verve, fighting it out with Duane Buchanan and Milt Lassiter. Buchanan soon fell back, and Sid Payne filled the gap in the 3-way duel (truel?). George Roeder then moved past Klamfoth, who was just able to hold his 5th place (missing a chance in the final) to the flag.
Neil Keen (BSA), Roger Reiman (H-D) and Darrel Dovel (Tri.) were riding a motorcycle built for three, or so it seemed, as they rounded the corners in the second heat. They were so evenly matched that they virtually dead-heated every lap. It was possible to tell the power curve of each engine, since first one bike, then the other, then the third, would inch ahead at various points along the straight. In the end, they finished under the proverbial "blanket," with a 10, 55, 45 finish. Fourth and fifth places went to Tibben and Wiebler.
Heat three was a Resweber benefit. He put on a real show, though, by broadsliding his H-D through every turn, regardless of how far in front he may have been. He was followed over the line by AI Gunter (BSA), Ronnie Rail (H-D) and Everett Brashear (Tri.), in the fastest heat of the day (by four seconds).
Ralph White (H-D), Jack O'Brien (BSA), Tony Murguia (H-D), Gary Nixon (Tri.) and Art Barda (H-D) were never more than three feet apart for almost the entire fourth heat. After 7 laps, O'Brien's engine called it quits, but the rest kept right on broadsliding the corners side-by-side, much to the delight
of the crowd. White edged out Murguia and Barda with Nixon just three short feet behind.
Sammy Tanner (Tri.) and Stu Morley (BSA) kept the last heat from being dull by putting on a good scrap for second place. Matchless-mounted Dick Mann finished as easy first with Don Twigg fourth.
The amateur final was a bit confusing. Immediately on the second lap, various bikes and riders came up with assorted difficulties . . . slowing although not dropping out. Things soon became a jumble, and most of us weren't sure of who was where. There was no doubt about the cool-headed riding of Dave Estep, though, as he boomed into the lead on the 4th lap and staved off the repeated attempts of Shadley, Litch, Martin and Du Hamel, to take his lead. They made him "prove it" . . . and he did, finishing well ahead of Martin, Litch, Du Hamel and Shadley.
Bart Markel, in second place for the last three years at Springfield astride his Harley, once again saw the bridal bouquet slipping through his fingers as Carroll Resweber shot into the fast line around the first turn of the expert final . . . and into the distance. Most of the riders were treating the final like a short-track race rather than a 50-miler. Sammy Tanner's mount went sick off the line, but he refused to drop out . . . cruising around the course, fiddling with his engine on every lap.
Meanwhile, C. R. continued to pull away from Markel. If Bart was determined to win this time . . . C. R. was determined to lap him! With $20.00 a lap in lap prize money, we could all see C. R.'s bank account growing as he went round and round. Try as he might, Markel couldn't keep No. 1 from cutting just less than a second a lap from his time, though Bart had earlier picked up $75.00 as top qualifier.
Sammy Tanner finally pulled into the pits on the 10th time around, stayed there for 2 laps, and got his engine running, if only for a short while. Indeed, it would go sour for a while, then come up like mad. This gave him a chance to dice with each little group of contestants ... although they probably wondered where in blazes he was always popping up from! White, Nixon and Hammer were having a real little war for third place. Barda, Reiman and Dovel were battling one another all over the course for god-onlyknows what place.
Lapping was in progress by the time 20 laps had rolled by. Brashear, after a fine ride, had ducked into the pits with some sort of engine trouble on lap 15. Another favorite, AI Gunter, was well up in the top ten before being sidelined on the 19th lap by a flat tire. Art Barda broke his steel shoe and was forced to slow in an attempt to remove the heel, which was still strapped to his ankle and in danger of fouling the rear wheel. (I know he lost part of his shoe because a part of it hit me in the neck! Who says that watching motorcycle races is safe?!)
Two unfortunate accidents marred the race, with Dick Mann going into a wobble trying to avoid a rider in trouble and getting pitched over the top of his Matchless . . . the hard way. He sustained a broken hand — tough luck indeed for the nation's point leader, who had worked his way from 20th to 8th place before crashing on lap 25. Sid Payne pulled in on the next lap after gashing his left hand on the inside rail, and joined Mann on his trip to the hospital.
Around 30 laps, the now-potholed course was taking an even heavier toll. Ralph White (H-D) lost his exhaust pipe, which began to drag on the ground in a most dangerous manner. It looked like it might dig in and foul the wheel ... or even worse, foul some other rider's wheel. Then, a couple of laps later we noticed that his tachometer bracket had broken, and the tach was dangling and banging against the front wheel, possibly ready to get caught in the fork-lock and prevent his steering. Still no black flag came out!
Stuart Morley was having his troubles, too. The left footpeg had been jarred off
his BSA and only a grim determination kept him in the running under such supertiring conditions.
Other bikes started to drop out as the attrition rate continued. Resweber, on the other hand, was going faster than ever in his attempt to lap Markel. C. R. began to ride "no-handed" . . . locking the throttle wide open and putting both hands on the little clip-on grips below the handlebars. He was really hugging the gas tank . . . flattening out! Pretty soon he was in the "no-handed" position at the apex of of the corner . . . broadsliding out to the edge of the groove just by shifting his weight!
He was just 20 seconds short of lapping Markel when he came around the north curve with his motor stuttering, on lap 41. He reached down and tried to adjust something; then a lap later he coasted above the groove to the edge of the track, handed his bike to one of the officials . . . and collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. His gas tank had split and the machine (Continued on Page 51) was out of fuel.
Markel assumed complete command of first place now, just 8 short laps from the finish. Ralph White nursed his slowlydisintegrating bike around for the final laps. Sammy Tanner, his engine running again, was going like a bortib and dicing with everyone. Art Barda winced as he set his foot back on the peg coming out of the corner ... his foot blistering inside the leather boot on which he continued to slide. Gary Nixon, running second, ran out of gas with two laps to go. He was able to get back in the race after spinning completely around upon entering the pits for refuelling, and wound up sixth. Ronnie Rail slipped past Hammer and Keen into second spot . . . and the checkered flag fell.
Markel completed the safety lap, coasted towards the finish line, got off his Harley and fell to the ground. Someone grabbed his bike and handed it to his mechanic. Bart was in a fit of nausea . . . sick to his stomach from the vicious pounding of the track, the fumes, the 95 degree heat, and the excitement of the race. It was 15 minutes before he came around enough to make it to the flag presentation by Illinois Governor, Otto Kerner. Could he have held on many more laps? That isn't important. He got the cup, the flag, the kiss and the money ($3,085). He deserves it! •
