Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

DAYTONA CftIIaued These two fine young riders (Fulton is 19, Odom 18) took off from the drop of the nag and left the rest of the record field far behind at the end of the first lap. Odom led across the line on lap one, Fulton was first on laps 2-3-4,Odom was back in front on laps 5, 6 and 7. They were cut from the same mold and tied together. The duel ended on lap eight when Odom came out of the infield and back on the oval portion of the track too hot and crashed bard on the bank. He bad laid the machine over too far and the exbaust pipe bad hit and vaulted the northern Calif. ace high into the air and into the crashwall. Fulton Crasbes ••• And Wins! It was now Fulton way out in front by over a minute. The suspense was not yet, however, over. Late in the race, Fulton fell'off llOing into the number one turn but was down and back uP in a blink 'of the eye tbat was missed by many. He' won by close to a minute and thirty seconds and became the first rider in Daytona history to win the novice race one year and the amateur race the next. It was a new track record by over two mph at 94.018 mph. The race for second went right down to the' wire with Ron Widman, H-D, edging Dick Woods, H-D, right at the line by less than a length. California's Dick Jennings missed third place by inche s on a Matchless in a three-rider duel that also went ri ght down to the finish with third, fourth and fifth place riders in a near triple dead heat finish. Turning in a fine ride but being ;forced out due to mechanical troubles was Frisco's Art Bauman. He came from way back in the pack to take over third place, twenty seconds back of Odom and Fulton, early in the race to make it a onetwo-three California runaway. When Odorn crashed, Bauman was in second for six laps but could not close the gap on young Walt. Bauman rode a BSA twin. The Novice '15-Miler A record 180 novice riders competed in four heat races for the shot at the 80 starting positions in the 75-mile main event. Yamaha riders swept all four heat races with Lakewood's Dave Smith one of the heat race winners. The final found the lead changing 13 times before Florida's Kenny Stephens, a third year novice, finally outlast.ed minois's Ron Muir on a Suzuki. Smith was edged for third right at the finish line by New England's Leon Cromer, Ducati. . Muir was the 1966 national sportsmen 250cc lOad radng cbampion wbile Stepbens is ronsidered the best in the southeast. stephens and bis Yamaha bad fantastic straightaway speed, as did Muir on bis Suzuki but the lIdge went to stepbens on the basts of bi s ability in the inDeld portion of the traelr.. One of the outstanding rides of the entire week was turned in by Steve Pederson from Long Beach who came from 50th starting position to finish a closing fifth place on his new Kawasaki. Doug Boiles, Hollywood, was also one of the front runners early in the race until he fell off. He came back to finish in 15th. Muir"s teammate, Tom Rockwood, did not tide in the event due to a blown· gearbox during the final practice sessions prior to the running of the heat races. The novice race speed was an average 88:868 mph. It was the only race that did not top the old record. The mark was set in '66 by Walt Fulton at 89:122 mph. Sportsmen Events Over 150 riders entered the five classes of sportsmen road racing events held at the speedway this year. 100cc class honors went to Texan Joe Bradley who was a runaway winner on his Yamaba 100 twin. Class two, for l25cc machines, again found a Texan, Bobby Sandidge, taking the win on his l25cc Yamaha singl e. Class three, for machines in the l75cc bracket. bad Florida's Jerry Hollingsworth on a H-D Scat model out in front at the finish over two Honda 160 models. Bultaco won Class four honors for the second straight year with Harold Vogt from Pennsylvania in front of a Parilla and a Triumph. The Class Dve event, the one with the largest entlY, for 250cc machines, was a ding-dong mel between former Italian road racing ace, Sam Bertarel and Florida's Kenny stepbens. Tbe race was decided on the final lap with Bertarel, a five-year veteran of the circuits in Italy the winner on bis Bennelli. All classeS except the class five 250cc event were held on the shorter two-mile course. The 250s raced on the regillar 3.81 track. Lakewood's Dave Smith pUlled a fourth in the lOOcc class aboard a Bridgestone. Terry Donaher, Gardena, was running well within the first ten in the same class when he was involved in a three-rider spill. He was also Bridgestone-mounted. Tom Rockwood, riding in the l75cc class on a Bridge stone , came from 21st place on the first lap to move into third on lap three but was forced out due to engine problems. (Results on page 20\ YOU'L.L ALWAYS SEE 'IT FIRST BICYCLE lEIS H.I.,.-oavldson "., two, tbr. In !be am. . .r 1Iv1.I_ .aU Fult.. Jr (ceo.) led til. way bam. by a mlnut. and a balf, d••plte spllllnc. Proud dad Fult.. Sr, SilzukJ uee: and race wlllller In bl. own rllllt, ..II•• In backcround. Harl.y'. Dick O'BrIen I. directly beblnd yaune Fulton. Second plac. _ t till R. . .Idman (left) willi Dick .ood. (rllllt) third. Lov.ly IIlssllotlllrcycl. Classic. eraced 1II. scene all 5D_ ...... DAYTONA PROVEN " THE 32 1'040 TO 1 LUBE RACING CASTOR and SUPER FILM E."'~AIJIfIAII" £"

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