Pocono Non-National Rained Out
POCONO NON-NATIONAL RAINED OUT
THE AMA Winston Pro Series national road race scheduled for Pocono Raceway was a non-event this year, canceled when it rained the entire weekend. This is the second time in two years that the AMA has canceled or postponed a road race national due to wet weather (the other was at Sears Point last year) and it makes one wonder why the provision for racing in the rain was put in the rule book.
To be sure, it rained a lot at Pocono and the cancellation of the race on safety grounds may have been valid. But instead of leaving the matter entirely to the discretion of the referee, there perhaps should have been more consideration given to riders’ oninions.
Most of the riders at Pocono wanted to race. Few actually enjoy racing in the rain but most riders resign themselves to coping
with the conditions as best they can. In every direction at Pocono it was obvious that people were serious about racing. Rain tires were bought and mounted, rain suits were dragged out of boxes, intakes were being shielded from spray, visors were fogproofed, and any premix found noncompatible with water was changed. These people are professionals, capable of dealing with adverse situations. This wasn’t an amateur race meeting. In some garages there may even have been smiling facesrain has a way of making horsepower advantages disappear.
At any rate all the above effort was wasted. On Sunday morning the AMA agpiÿnçed a “nostnonemenr whpch later in the week became a cancellation. The decision did little to aid motorcycle road racing at a time when aid is needed. Due to
the second Loudon National cancellation, Pocono was to be the decisive round for most of the championships. In at least one4 case a rider’s sponsor travelled 1500 mi. to see him race in Pennsylvania. In every case the competitors were out their traveling and expense money, which, if they were from the west coast, meant as much as $700 to $800. It would have made sense to at least let an experienced rider take his bike out on the track and assess the conditions to support referee Charlie Watson’s decision.
The AMA isn’t in the position to cover a promoter’s loss. Rain is a fact of life to every race promoter and if he’s lucky,
Pöcono^n^naer^woun^i^Toldingthe^
bag.
—Kent Peterson
