Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

1967 FACTORY RACING TEA·M LINEUPS FOR DAYTONA SPEED WEEK 200 mile national championship race march 19 BIG BIKES =-----:::iiiiii~~ TRIUMPH 1. Z. 3. 4. 5. 6. Skip Van L..uw.... 1II. Flylnc Dutchman. BSA 1. Z. 3. 4. 5. 6. Dick M&IlIl Ralph White Dan Haaby Ron Grant Bobby Winters Don Vesco Richmond, Cal. Torrance, CaliL Lawndale,CaliL San Mateo, Cal. Ft. Smith, Ark. SlID Diego, Cal. White is the only former winner on the BSA team. he won on a H-D in 1963. Mann finished 2nd in 1962 on a Matchless. White finished 4th last year on a Matchless. All of the listed riders for the BSA factory will be riding for BSA-West except White and Winters who will be riding for BSA-East out of the New Jersey branch. Vesco docked best time of any BSA's entered last year during time trials at 128:894 mph. Tbe best finish in '66 at Daytona by a BSA rider was John Graham, Latrobe, Pa. He finished 9th. three llllis behind the winner. As a team. has more road racing experience rider for rider than any other team entered. HONDA Gary Nixon Baltimore. MeL 1. Swede Savage Los Angeles,Cal Dick Hammer Lakewood, Cal. . 2. Larry Schafer Washington,D.C. Buddy Elmore EI Paso, Tex. A surprise last minute entry from Team-Hansen out of Racine, Wiscon-Eddie Mulder Burbank, Calif. sin. Schafer is a former Daytona Gene Romero S Luis O. ,.Calif. amateur winner who finished 5th in Skip Van Leeuwen Hllywd,Cal the 200 on a H-D last year. Savage This is probably the most impressi ve list of • chargers· ever assembled for a Daytona event by any brand •.Elmore is the defending champion and both Nixon and Hammer led the race last year. Nixon finished 2nd in '64 and 4th in '65. Nixon and Elmore will ride for Triumpb in the East while the rest will represent Johnson Motors from the West. Triumph has the depth and the -Tigers· this year. Both Mulder and Romero are vastly improved road racers over last year. Romero could be the surprise of the entire team. Nixon isthe early favorite to jump to the front early and snare the win for the Triumph team for the second year in a row. Something that they have never been able to do since grabbing their first win at the Speedway in '62. HARLEY-DAVIDSON Always a thr.at - RoC_ Reiman. 1. Roger Reiman KewllDee, Ill. 2. Mert Lawwill San Fran., Cal. 3. Bart Markel Flint, Mich. 4. 3eorge Roeder Monrovlle, Ohio 5. Chris Draayer Salt Lake City,U. 6. Cal Rayborn San Diego, Cal. Team is led by three time Daytona winner Reiman, who won in '61, '64 & '65. Roeder finished 2nd last year l\nd Lawwill ran second two years ago. Draayer, as a first time expert last year. finished a solid 7th. Rayborn set a new one lap time trial record last year at over 134 mph. Look for Rayborn and Lawwill tn be early leaders - and potential winners. Pbotos by Dennis Greene finished 2nd in amateur race three years ago and was one of the front runners early in last year's 200. The smallest team entry in number of riders and also size of engines, the Honda 450. The only double overhead cam engines in the race. This could be the surprise team on the switch from Matchless to Honda. Both are experienced road racers who will make the first serious bid on the Honda brand that is pri vat ely entered and backed by Hansen who has had national road race winners and high finishers in the past. SUMMARY: Three of the four teams entered each have one former Daytona winner. H-D usually has the horsepower edge but Triumph has been closing the gap fast and will go in for the first time this year with the rider-depth to match the raft of fast H-D riders. BSA was somewhat disappointed last year in their ficst team effort but rumors have them vastly improved with European Grand Prix veteran Alan Sheppard in charge of setting up some of .the team machines in England. It is di tficult to say how much backing Bob Hansen has with the two Hondas that are entered for the first time, but Bob is usually more than ready and knows whatit takes to tryon the· Big Boys·. Picking a pre-race favorite, it is impossible to narrow down to one or two riders but from each team we'd bet on Mann and White from BSA, Rayborn, Reiman and Lawwill from H-D, Savage from Honda and Nixon, Elmore and Hammer from Triumph. One of these will almost certainly come up as the 1967 200 mile national champion, and probably set a new record of over a 97 mph average for the di stance. Factory Backed Amateurs In the 100 Miler BSA HOWARD UTSEY HONDA Denver, Colo. JIM OooM utsey was the' 62 novice winner at Daytona when the green plates still rode the big bikes. He rode a BSA that year. also. He is a five year veteran of the amateur class who has the experience on pavement to do the job if the horses are there. Harley-Davidson WALT FULTON JR. Orange, Cal. He was the novice winner last year in record time from 75th place to the win aboard a Suzuki. Probably has more road racing experience than any other amateur entered. Walt has left Suzuki and joined H-D all the way for' 67 in both the big bike and 250cc road racing events. This will be his first ride on anything larger than a 250. He's smooth as glass at the speedway and a real threat for the win. Fremont, CaliL Last year's novice TT ace takes his first shot at road racing as a Team-Hansen member and the third rider on the new team. A charger from the word -GO· and cut from the same mold as Dick Hammer, it will also be his first time in national competition. A long shot by Hansen that could produce a winner. Cal Rayborn could eo all th. way. SUMMARY: The amateur class is always amish-mash of riders that have been amateurs for many years and brash newcomers on their way up. Seven riders led this race last year and the race record can easily be broken by a ri der that will go to the front early and stay there. Factories usually pass up this class when it comes to handing out choice equipment but Fulton will have as good a chance as anybody to win it as he will have a select rig to ride. The door is wide open in this event.

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