Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

DAYTONA SHORT TRACK Short irick racos at lIemorlal stadium drew crowos 01 5000 nl-,Uy, prosentod d1amplonllllp-c:allbtlr rldors lrom all 0_ U.s. Left, Study Eddlollulder. Cent. Ronnlo Rail Irom lIansflold, Ohio iasllat lIu" In his .,.. RIIIIt, .ell Keen zaps on Eastern colIIfIst•• lb. splendor and scop.ol Daytona Int....tlonal Speedway as novices take off for 75 milo.. California's Davo $mlill (22) proparos to tako Iud lrom Italy's Sam Bert.al (191). Smith fI ... Ishod lourth on prIvatol,.onterod V_aha. next four laps with first the Yamaha and then the Suzuki forging a wheel in front. WIth less than two laps to go, Hammer dropped hack slightly to stop the duel and the race was in the bag for Nixon and a win. for the third straight year in a row for Yamaha. In Victory Lane after Ihe races it was found that Hanauer had busted off Ids enUre rear brake assembly and it was bancJoc by the cable. He rode the last six miles wi Ih only the front brake - and a lot of gats. Nixon had a new record with an average sPeed of 94.280 mph!! Yamaha IDok seven out of the first teo places to become the first brand to ever win this hotly contested factorybacked event three times in a row. Winters was a strong third with the surprising Dickie Newell, on a privately entered Sam Corona Yamaha. in fourth. rbe lead had changed no less than eleven times between Nixon. Hammer and Duff. First-time efforts by the new Kawasaki brand found three of these machines in the first eleven with Californian's Don Butler. Kenny Clark and Florida's SOnny Gager. The 200~Miler Ascot runs a mile-and-a-half Trophy Dasb every Friday night during the halfmile season. At Daytona. Nixon and Hammer ran a 10o-mile dash on the big bikes before Dick pulled to the pits for his gas stoP. It was a two-rider show between California and Maryland from the drop of the flag with the lead changing a record 29 times between tbese two riders on their potent Triumph 500s. There was $~.OO a lap to Ihe leader across the line on every lap and time after time Hanauer passed Nixon coming down the front banked straightaway and would grab the Ill>ld by less than a bike length. On lap twenty the lead changed no less than four times. Hammer led across the line each and every lap from the opening round UP through lap twentyfive. except for lap nineteen when Nixon was inches ahead in front of the stands. Hammer pitted for gas on lap twentysix with Nixon taking over and moving Buddy Elmore to second. Dick regained second when Elmore pitted the next lap for his gas stoP. Hammer Down•• ;. 'And Out Nixon gassed On the 30th lap but was in and out and still in front of Hammer by a seven-second margin. The duel ended on lap thirty-one wben Dick crasbed bard on turn one trying to make time and regain the lead. He was down and out of the race for close to a minute and a half before getting back in in 7th place. Then it was Elmore's turn to play chaser as the Texan began closing the gaP. Tbe '66 winner cut the time gap on Nixon from sixteen seconds on lap 35 down to seven seconds on lap 48 but then Nixon received the ·Charge" sign from his pit crew onc e again and Gary took it back UP to a twelve-second margin at the finish. Gary lapped everyone of the 97 starters at least once with the exception of his teammate Elmore. Elmore also lapped the field. passing and lapping third place George Roeder on tbe final lap. It was Ihe second straight year for Triumph to win the event and th e first time that the H-D brand has lost two in a row since 1949 and •50 when the No.tons turned the trick. Five Caiifornians finished in the first ten places with Gene Romero taking 8th place and becoming the highest finishing ·Rookie". or first time Daytona rider. Gerry Seguin placed 14th and took home first year expert honors in the largest field to start a 20o-miler since tbe race came to the speedway in 1961. It was temed a great day by all for the two Honda 450s in tbe race ridden by Swede Savage and Larry Schafer. Savage ran 10th and Schafer 12th. Swede has his tach break off on the second lap and lost his rear brake completely at the 100- mile mark and had to ride the last 100 with a front brake only. The same can be said for the two Yamaha 350s ridden by Mike Duff and Tony Murphy. They came up with a few minor problems that reQ.uired extra pit stops but both were running at the finish and well inside the first twenty places. The Amateur lOO-Mile In the annual amateur big bike race on the banks for the century distance, it was a great day for California, HarleyDavidson. Honda. Walt Fulton Jr.. and Jimmy adam. These two brands and these twO' riders highligh ted the event and were the class of the field. The 9O-rider entry list found Odom and his Team-Hansen Honda 450 smashing the one-lap time trial mark by over five miles per hour in time trials!! The 18-year-old Californian b 1a s ted around the track at a shattering 132.782 mph for top honors and was close to six miles an bour faster than the second fastest amateur. Art Ninci. Kansas City, on a H-D. Fulton was fourth fastest at 126.756 mph. Sidenote to Ihe entire race was that Fulton was the favorite and stricUy a road racer who has Dever competed on a dirt track. Odorn, a striclly dirt track rider, was riding in his first road race. (Continued on page 19)

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