Champion's Ontario 250
CHAMPION'S ONTARIO 250
MONOTONY COMES IN LARGE DOSES
Kawasaki has definitely had some reliability problems throughout the AMA road racing season, but if you'd seen Ontario, you would never have guessed!
Art Baumana and Yvon duHamel dominated the first heat. Gary Nixon and Cliff Carr took the 2nd and so it went for both 125-mile segments of the National.
DuHamel (No. 17) and Nixon (No. 9) spent a good deal of time swapping the lead in the first segment with duHamel coming out on top. The second segment was much the same, in spite of Yvon's poor start. As in the first round, he caught Nixon, powered away, lost ground at the gas stop, but came out on top in the end.
So, Yvon won overall and he did so simply because he was the fastest individual with one of the quickest bikes on the track.
Art Baumann (No. 30) has been on a bummer all season long. Why? Because prior to Ontario he failed to finish every national, road race he entered. But Ontario was different. Team Hansen jetted his bike a tad rich...just to be sure...and Art motored around 3rd in both seg ments for 3rd overall.
Kawasaki riders took home the bread, but the best ride during the classics (Champion Spark Plug Clas sics, that is) was turned in by an inspired Gary Scott in the 2nd heat. Virtually every lap, Scott would pass both Cliff Carr and Nixon in the infield, pull out onto the front straight in the lead, and end up 3rd by 20 bike lengths going into turn 1. With 10 more horsepower~ Scott would have been untouchable. Scott's bike, incidentally, was trick. Modified items included a new, tight clutch and an Outer cover that appeared to be magnesium.
The first bike to come in without green paint in both segments was the Yamaha 350 Waterpumper of Ken Roberts. Ken likes to start near the front, check out how fast the leaders are going, then pressure for first. He did just that at Ontario but didn't quite have the horsepower to pull it off. But then it didn't really matter. He had already sewed up the Grand National Championship, and became the first rider to do so for a Japanese firm!
Gary Nixon relaxing in the pits between segments. Gary had his best season in years. Wins at Loudon, Laguna Seca and Pocono assured him of the title U.S. Road Racing Cham pion. He also finished 3rd in the National point standings behind Kenny Roberts (Yamaha) and Gary Scott (Triumph).
Scott rode just as hard in segment 1 as he did in his heat, and it was paying off. He passed Cliff Carr and Hurley Wilvert for 6th, then it ended. A loose seat caused him to miss a downshift in turn 10 and he went down in a long slide. Scott fortu nately was not injured, but he was unable to restart until the 2nd half.
Bert Clark (l\lo. 43 phaL company with Dave AldanaThlp.. 13 Norton), Gene Rornero (No. 3 Tr~ umph) and Mann (No.. 2 Triurnph)~ `
Norton entered a 2-man team cons~ting of Peter Wiuams and Dave Aldafta. Both suffered from too littte horsepower. and even. less hick. Wil liams didn't even start thanks to a fuel leak and Aldanajsmn and ut of the pits, finally retiring with an oil leak.
Rornero and Mann had a bitchin' race in the second segment. They must have passed èath other 20 times, often n the company of Dave Smith (Vesco Yamaha). Rome~o came out on top, but just barely._____
Gary Fisher (No. 21) toppled over during his second segment fuel stop and was penalized a lap. Here he is shown leading Steve Baker (No. 41). Baker, riding for Fred Deeley, impressed everyone with two smooth 6th places for 6th overall. Not bad for a first year expert!
Paul Smart (Suzuki) was another individual that ended up frustrated. Prior to practice, he received a new engine from Japan-an engine that was supposed to put out a whopping 125 bhp. Blinding speed should have resulted, but it didn't. The Three was simply a hummer. He worked his way up to 5th in both segments for 5th overall after stow starts which saw almost everyone putt away. >
Ken Roberts (No. 8O~ has won most of the Junior/Expert Combined events this year and Ontario was no different. Gary Fisher (Yamaha No. 21) took the lead at the start, fol lowed by Roberts and Gary Nixon
(Yamaha No. 9). Nixon passed Rob erts briefly, but an oil leak from the gearbox sidelined him. Fisher then slowed, giving Roberts the race.
Tvleanwhtle, Yamaha teamsters Kel Carruthers (No. 73) and Don Castro (No. 11) began a move that took them through the pack to 2nd and 3rd overall, respectively.
The only Kawasaki in contention
was riden by Yvon duHamel and it blew halfway through the event. His 360cc Single was at a horsepower disadvantage on Ontario's Long straight and unfortunately the situa tion will be worse next year. In 74, the Yamaha 250s will be water cooled!
RESUIJS
A lot of riders hate Ontario because the entrances to several of the 20-odd turns are so simitar in appearance it's easy to get confused. But not Pat Evans (Yamaha). Re won last year as a Novice and repeated this year as a Junior.
This year, though, he almost blew it. After turning in a 2:08, the fastest lap ever recorded by a Junior, he began to relax. And why not? His pit crewsignaled that he had it made. But in reality, Pat Hennen (Suzuki 750) closed and passed Evans. Evans just thought Hennen had uniapped himself and, in fact, would never have been the wiser had he not read the opposition's pit board!
