Racing Review
RACING REVIEW
CAROL SIMS
CALLED THE “Charity Newsies” because its proceeds go to charity and it is sponsored by the Newspaper Guild, this year’s 10-Mile National held at Columbus, Ohio was another victory for George Roeder. For the first time this season, tuner Ralph Berndt of Milwaukee was with Roeder and had his No. 94 Harley purring like the proverbial kitten.
After finishing second to the day’s fastest qualifier (Ronnie Rail) in his heat race, George lined up next to the grandstand for the final. As Duke Pennell’s starting flag dropped, Roeder’s Goodyears dug into the hard track and gave him the jump on the field he needed. Gary Nixon (Triumph) was second into the corner followed by Dave Estep (H-D). Then came the rest of the pack in a cloud of dust.
Roeder’s fans were worried during the first four laps because hard-driving Nixon had definite designs on the lead position. However, after five tours it was clear that if George could stay in the groove and keep his machine moving, he could expect to take home the purse.
Nixon held onto second, Mert Lawwill got by Estep for third, and Bart Markel, the 12-Mile and 15-Mile Champ, soon grabbed a handful of throttle and moved into fourth. Moments later Markel brought 13,000 fans to their feet as he went into a hairy-looking broadslide on the grandstand straightaway, regaining control just before reaching the turn.
Positions didn’t change for the final four laps; Roeder, Nixon, Lawwill and Markel were followed in by Dick Mann, Ronnie Rail and Ralph White.
The Amateur final was the race of the day. Chuck Palmgren, a personable young gentleman from Freehold, New Jersey, led from start to finish on his HarleyDavidson, but Dan Welty (also H-D) could never be counted out. He was either beside Palmgren or right behind him for the entire eight miles. The shrieks of the crowd could have been for either rider, so well did each perform. But Palmgren stayed in front and Welty finished a very close second ahead of Mike Graybeal and Norman Bergquist.
AFM COTATI PRODUCTION RACE
The San Francisco Chapter of the AFM, wisely expecting the fog and cold that shrouded the bay area, escaped to sunny Cotati for their 2nd annual 250-mile Production race.
Rick Schell and Harry Webster aboard a Honda Super Hawk moved into an early lead which they only lost temporarily during pit stops. Second were Bill Boyd and Larry Long sharing a 250cc Yamaha, followed by Pete Bollier and Gerald Gukensemeyer on a Triumph 650.
Second in the 350 class were Kenneth Harvey and Elmer Johnson, also Honda mounted. Frank Crane and Bob Knott won the 175 class on a Honda 160. A preliminary 10-lap event was won by I^ori Manly on her Honda.
LITTLE BURR TO FUSAN
Of all the events that go to make up the sporting calendar, none has a more distinct and unusual variety of terrain than the Little Burr Enduro each spring. For the majority of competitors in the annual 250mile affair, this year’s was an easy run, but had the weatherman had a change of heart and thrown some rain into the picture, the Southern Ohio terrain could have been an impossible quagmire.
Top contenders fell by the wayside, mostly from losing points for early arrival at the checks, while local riders (like winner Robert Fusan) kept a smooth, steady pace to zero as many checks as possible. Fusan, on a mediumweight Triumph, led a long list of Triumph winners in both the A and B classes.
Next to Fusan with a 12 point loss was Roger Kussmaul (Triumph Cub) with 986 points. National Champion Bill Baird followed two points lower, while heavyweight champion Jack Wooten, also on a Triumph, was only one point off that with a 983 point score.
New England’s old reliable Sal Scirpo put his Harley-Davidson Sprint into the light mediumweight winner’s circle with a 979 score. The sidecar boys, who really worked hard for their gold, almost finished the run — unusual for a hack outfit. Merlyn Piper and Richard Wyant’s threewheeler won them the silver trophy with 202 miles. Finishing and taking the Powder Puff class, Karol Noss (Triumph Cub) piled up a 66 point loss, and Mike Van Damme won the Senior Class with 938 points on a BSA.
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MAELY HOTSHOES-IT EAST
Virtually all champion flattrackers are shod with Ken Maely’s steel slide shoes for mile, half-mile and quarter-mile competition, attesting to the quality of his workmanship. And he also prides himself on filling orders promptly. So, to avoid delays while Maely heads east for the AMA Nationals in August he requests that would-be customers wait until September 1 before placing further orders.
TT-SCRAMBLES CHAMPIONSHIP COMING
When the dirt settles äfter two days of racing August 28 and 29 at Prado Park, near Chino, Calif., the victors will be new national TT-Scrambles Champions in their respective AMA sportsmen classes.
Sponsored by the District 37 (Southern California) Sports Committee, the national races will feature lightweights on Saturday and big bikes Sunday. Donation from spectators on both days is the usual $1 and souvenir pins will be on sale at the track for 50tf.
This promises to be a great weekend for fans of the slidy stuff. Entries close August 15 so riders are advised to get their $5 fees in to Bill Adams, 814 Cobb Ave., Placentia, Calif, soon. Bill’s phone number is 714-528-3007.
The way to Prado will be limed from the Holt Ave. cutoff on the San Bernardino Freeway and from Highway 71 and the Riverside Freeway. A Yamaha 80 will be raffled off and we are advised overnight camping facilities are available.
U. S. RIDERS INVITED TO URUGUAY
Invitations have been sent by the Club Union Motociclista of Montevideo, Uruguay, to FIM-affiliated groups in twelve North American countries, asking riders to attend their international road races this winter. Further, the Federation of Uruguay and the AAMRR (Eastern U. S. road racing group) are studying the possibilities of organizing a Pan American Championship in 1966 under FIM rules.
Dates for this year’s events are:
November 21 — 4th Prix of the City of Montevideo, Rambla Wilson Circuit of Montevideo. Classes: 500cc, 125cc, 50cc; organized by the Club Union Motociclista, Rincon 432, Montevideo, Uruguay.
December 5 — 3rd Prix Güera of Uruguay, Rambla Wilson Circuit of Montevideo. Classes: 500cc, 125cc, 50cc; organized by the Veloz Club of Uruguay, Acuna de Figueroa 1765, Montevideo.
December 12 — 4th Prix of Argentina, Autodrome Admiral Brown of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Classes: 500cc, Sidecar, 175cc, 125cc, lOOcc, 50cc; organized by the Federation Argentina de Motociclismo, Carlos Peligrini 1362, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
For the two races in Uruguay, attending U.S. riders with International FIM licenses (obtained through AAMRR, AFM, USMC, etc.) will be furnished room and board for twenty days by the organizers.
As for the proposed 1966 Pan American Championship, it would include six events — Daytona, Sebring and West Palm Beach, Florida in March, and Uruguay and Argentina in October. Four classes would compete: 500cc (and 350cc), 250cc (and 175cc), 125cc (and lOOcc) and 50cc. Other FIM-affiliated countries in North America are Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico and Canada. In addition, FIM rules permit the invitation of riders from Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Jamaica, Trinidad and British Guiana.
European and Japanese factory teams would not be permitted to enter the Pan American Championship, but Zanella of Argentina and Carabella of Mexico, being “American” factories, could participate.
We agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Carlos Barragan, secretary of the Club Union Motociclisto, who says, “we believe and hope that this project will give a big lift to road racing on the American continent.”
AAMRR SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP AT WATKINS GLEN
The first annual “AAMRR Spring Championship of Watkins Glen,” staged as a joint venture between the AAMRR and the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Corp., saw over 160 riders battling it out for a $2000 total purse. Good TV, radio and newspaper promotion brought over 5000 spectators to witness the seven-event program at the scenic 2.3-mile upstate New York course, and existing records were smashed in almost every class.
First to break a record was Bo Gehring.
He urged his Bultaco from a standing start to a near 80 mph average on lap one of the 200cc race, and exceeded that several times during the event. No other lightweight turned better times all day. Three classes ran concurrently; Gehring won the 200cc, George Rockett (Ducati) took the 175cc, and the 125cc went to Montesamounted Bill Sharfman.
Most exciting contest of the meeting was the Junior 250cc event. For ten laps of the 12-lap race, Tony Avirgan and Andres Lascoutx swapped the lead on their identical Yamaha TD-lB’s. As they approached the last turn of the last lap, Avirgan fell, thus assuring victory for Lascoutx, who led by inches at the time. Avirgan quickly remounted and finished sixth.
Another hard fought battle, the 250cc Senior class, saw many riders retire early due to the sizzling pace set by eventual winner John Barnes (Yamaha). Only fractions of a second separated Barnes from runnerup Kurt Liebmann (Honda) and third place John Nelson (Yamaha).
Fastest rider of the weekend, Roger Beaumont, took the 500cc event going away and broke the existing one-lap record for motorcycles at the famed Watkins Glen circuit. He was followed in by fellow Manx Norton riders Ken King and Ed LaBelle. Fourth overall and first in class was George Rockett on a Ducati 350. Not content with wins in both the 350 and 175cc events, Rockett rode a Norton 650cc twin to Open Class victory as well.
Remaining AAMRR dates for 1965 include a return to the Glen, August 7-8, and Vineland, N.J., September 25-28.
BIG DRAG MEET INVITES BIKES
Most elaborate drag race meeting of the year at the Lions Drag Strip in Long Beach, California will be the American Hot Rod Assn. (AHRA) World Championship events. A total of $100,000 in cash and merchandise is expected to lure the greats and near-greats from every gofast category, and motorcycles will get their share on Saturday and Sunday, August 28-29.
Classes to be run in the motorcycle division are: Stock (B); Modified (MB); Bored and/or Stroked (MOB); Gas Dragster (OB); Fuel Dragster (GB) and Unlimited (Non-Motorcycle Engine) Dragster (UB).
Since dozens of CYCLE WORLD’S road test machines have been accelerated through the quarter-mile at LAD’s drag strip and accurately timed, we can endorse the operation as an extremely well organized one, where safety is emphasized.
For entry blanks, breakdown of prize money and other particulars about the AHRA World Championships, contact Lions Drag Strip, 2574 Santa Fe, Long Beach, Calif., phone 424-0961.
WIN, POINT LEAD TO DICK MANN
Dick Mann supplied the fireworks at the twisting, turning 2.7-mile Mid-America road race course in Wentzville, Missouri, scene of the 120-Mile National AMA road race on the 4th of July. Mann posted the fourth fastest time trial, but was never headed thereafter. Roger Reiman’s polewinning one-lap time around the eleventurn course was 2 minutes, 14.53 seconds.
From the start Mann and Reiman stayed wheel to wheel until Roger developed mechanical troubles on the fourth lap. From then on it was Mann in front all the way to his 10th National Championship win in seven years. He finished almost a minute ahead of fellow Californian Mert Lawwill, who nipped into second spot as Reiman’s machine began to falter.
Hopes of victory by the “Team Hansen” entries from Racine, Wisconsin dimmed on the third lap when Ralph White ran off the course and crashed while running in third spot. At nearly the same time and place his teammate, Dan Haaby, retired for the day with a broken primary chain. White pushed his mount back to the course and remounted to finish fifth behind Anson Holley, who scored his highest-ever finish in national road racing.
For the second time in three National AMA road races this year, the experts were forced to ride in the rain most of the way. It was not a downpour of the Daytona type last March, but the track was extremely slippery on every turn. Under the new ruling that all riders must make a gas stop in races over 100 miles long, the fans were treated to pit-stop action that would not normally have taken place. The majority of riders came in for gas between the 25th and 35th laps, and the Hansen crew outdid themselves by servicing Ralph White in a recordbreaking eight seconds!
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A surprise move just before race time found Mann and Lawwill removing their fairings and it paid off for a 1-2 finish on the course with no less than five first-gear corners. On the basis of his consistent wins and high finishes, Mann again took over top spot in the national standings. Lawwill moved back into second, previous leader Gary Nixon dropped to a close third.
The tight-cornered track took an early toll of potential winners. George Montgomery crashed hard on the first turn but later rejoined the fray to finish 11th. George Roeder left the track on the second lap but also resumed racing for ninth place at the finish. Bart Markel hit the deck late in the race, bouncing back in with no loss of position.
Wayne Cook, Amateur winner at both Daytona and Laconia, was by far the fastest Amateur in time trials and the early laps of the race until a misjudged turn sent him sailing off the track and crashing. He was knocked out of the race, but uninjured, and Chris Draayer then moved up to take the lead and, by over one minute, his third win of the season. Ronnie Widman and Bob Winters grabbed the fan’s attention with a nip and tuck duel for four laps before Widman bested the Arkansas rider to take second.
Kansas City’s Chuck Dawson powered his Yamaha in for the Novice win after fast qualifier John Patton, also on a Yamaha, was forced to slow with mechanical problems. Dawson found the Missouri track more to his liking than Daytona, where he took a spectacular end-over-end flip while trying for the lead last March.
