Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125467
• Phil Makanna on a Manx. Makanna kept close tabs on Baumann for a whlle, but soon the Honda began pulling away and led by a wide margin at the finish. Kilgroe took third. As an addendum, in defense of the world's Maru riders, let it be said that a Norton pilot has one helluva parts problem. Over-enthusiastic revving, for instance. can COTATI Report and Pbotos by George Martin With drizzly clouds threatening the bay area with rain and Ron Grant off in Mexico playing Rex of the mountain on a Baja record "fUn.. Sunday's AFM grand prix at Cotati was short on both crowd and talent. Best scraps of the day occurred between Georganne Muhlberg and Bill Boyd on Yamaha 100s in the prod uction category, and between Art Baumann and Dave Burchards on 350 Hondas in the GP events. Baumann also managed a spectacular win in the 500cc class aboard a 35lcc-kiUed Honda Super Hawk tuned by Bob Vineyard, and continued his domination of the 250 production class on the Howard Motors-Team Cutlass Suzuki Hustler built by Don Bates. Some of the highlights: lOOcc Production Race This was a real Lulu during the first three laps. Georganne Muhlberg and Bill Boyd got off the line at almost the same instant and immediately began running their own private race. Georganne had both acceleration and top speed, but Boyd seemed to be a little sharper in the corners, and with astute use of Georganne's slipstream kept within striking distance on the first two laps. "I got past ber at one point," Boyd said later, ·but I moved my foot back to the rear peg and accidentally turned off tbe key. By the time I got tbe bike ronning again sbe was gone, and I had lost her sUpstream. Tben sbe just began to bnild up ber lead; I couldn't catcb ber.- 350cc Grand Prix As usual, the 350 race was a test to see who has the fastest Super Hawk. Also as usual the answer is Art Baumann, riding the Kx-Ki bblewhite-Young Precision Machining Honda. The bike now belongs to Baumann, but some ~f that old magic is still there, for the machine's acceleration and top end are still tops in class. The only fly in Baumann's ointment is Dave Burchards, who, true to the ·number two" tradition, tries harder. Burchards has the frightening habit of roaring through a turn with the power seemingly full-on, the bike's rear wheel skipping and skidding, and his teeth gritted like he wished he had a good strong bite on Baumann's leathers. With Cotati's ·long course" laid out, the boys had a full three miles per lap to dice in and they made the most of it. Burchards was behind more than he was ahead, but it was a close thing until about lap four when Baumann began to steadily pull away. Taking third at a respectful distance was Hunter Freeman of Oakland. 500cc Grand Prix The things a gifted tuner can do with a Honda Super Hawk are enough to make strong men weep. The AFM's Cotati announcer tends to get rather choked up about the histroy and grandeur of the Norton Manx (winner of 34 TT's etc.) but it all sounds a little hollow when Baumann, Ron Grant or someone blasts past you, megaphones emitting an ear-shattering 10,000 rpm roar. It seems even more hollow when, five or six seconds later, the bangbang-bang of a big single heralds the approach of said Manx, persisting wi th all the impotent glory of the sinking British empire. One only wishes Honda would get off its duff and put a five or sixspeed close-ratio gearbox in the Hawk to make things a bit easier for hard-working tuners. But enough philosophy. Dick Kilgore's Team Cutlass Honda 450 was first off the line but it was passed by Baumann on the 351 Honda and Dick KlIvoe of Hayward leads Phil Maka... na of Clayton, Calif. In the 500 Grand Prix. KlIgroe(above seen overhead) rides a Honda 450, Makanna Is Manx-mounted. cause one to frazzle a sodium-filled exhaust valve which costs many bucks when it is available, and just now ain't hardly availahle. Such problems as those enforce cautionary riding in the most enthusiastic of competitors. A racing enthusiast with a religious bent might say that God is retaliating for the shortage of parts. AMC, Norton's parent company, is in serious financial trouble in England now. The British aren't saying much about it, but the US's Norton Distributor Joe Berliner has anpeared (Continued on page 22) • I 5 -- - San Gabriel Valley Raceway Class ttC" AMA TT Oct. 8th NOVICE_AIN ST JOE ROSEBERRY and BENELLI 250 COSMOPOLITAN MOTORS INC. 5521 Wayne Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa. 19144 west Coast Distributor: COO PE R M OTO R S 2815 W. Olive Street, Burbank, California