Cycle News

VOLUME 56 ISSUE 29 JULY 23, 2019 P123 same weekend as NASB, putting Indianapolis Raceway Park up against NASB's race at Mid-Ohio. Most of the tracks began to real- ize that the promises NASB made to them, specifically participation by the top teams and riders, were not going to be kept, so they came back to the AMA. A few of the hastily planned AMA events were taken off the calendar, but two of the tracks stayed on as a result of the AMA vs. NASB fallout. One was Gate- way and the other was Firebird International Raceway in Chan- dler, Arizona. Both tracks were marginally capable, at best, of hosting professional events. AMA Pro Racing went to the major expense of removing and then re- installing 230 feet of Armco, but still there were plenty of places where just a thin layer of haybales were all that protected the riders from unforgiving steel. Understanding that the first- time race needed a boost to get off the ground, AMA Pro Rac- ing poured a lot of money into promoting the event. Radio and TV ads inundated the St. Louis market, a high-powered promo- tional company from Los Angeles was brought in to do promotions. Local dealers wholeheartedly supported the race and featured posters and sold tickets. AMA Superbike points leader Miguel Duhamel was brought in early to do radio and TV appearances and he worked the better part of two days and traveled as far away as Carbondale, Illinois (100 miles away). Every detail was covered to ensure everyone within a couple of hours of the track knew about the race. Then came race weekend and one of the worst heat waves to hit St. Louis in years. It was officially 98 degrees in St. Louis all three days of the event with close to 80 percent humidity. Trackside thermometers used by the teams showed temperatures as high as 103. It was so hot that the National Weather Service put out heat advisories urging people to stay inside in air-conditioning, calling the temperatures danger- ous to the elderly and children. The result was a small, but certainly hardy crowd who braved the elements. Estimates were that perhaps as few as 1500 fans came out to watch the races in spite of the promotions. It was a financial disaster for AMA Pro Racing, one that took several years for it to recover from. Bob Dragich, reporting for Roadracing World wrote: "The heat was unbearable, the humidity intolerable, the track questionable, but the racing unbelievable." Surprisingly, it was Canadians from the cold north, who did well in the blistering St. Louis heat. Steve Crevier won the Superbike pole on a Muzzy Kawasaki. A couple of fellow Canadians in Pascal Picotte (Muzzy Kawasaki) and Miguel Duhamel (Smokin' Joe's Honda) joined him on the front row. In the race it was factory Honda's Duhamel who preserved his tires, then moved up through the field to win the race over Yamaha's Tom Kipp and Picotte, who finished third after leading much of the race. It was Duhamel's fifth win in a row. He would go on to win that year's AMA Superbike Championship. Duhamel said the biggest problem was trying to stay fo- cused in the face of the intense conditions. "I kept telling myself to concen- trate," Duhamel said. "The heat just took everything out of you. I really had nothing left at the end." The heat blistered a lot of the riders' tires. Freddie Spencer stalled his Ferracci Ducati on the start and then charged through the field, but his torrid pace cooked his tires and he had to retire early. Several others said they were merely holding on with no grip in the closing laps. The vast amount of money spent promoting the race and the cost of making the track safer, combined with the heat that kept fans at home, was the death blow to Gateway. Even though several riders reported liking the track and seeing potential there, AMA Pro Racing wanted nothing to do with the facility after the financial disaster. And the few, the brave, the hardcore fans who showed up to watch the race? They'll tell you it was hot—just ask them. CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives

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