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/125530
OHIO STATE TeT e CHAMPIONSHIP RACE ARKEL'S BACK • AND WI NING! ~ . By Ted Tappet Photos by Don Pummell The 1967 edition of the Dayton Motorcycle Club-sponsored Ohio State T. T. Championship will go down In the record book as the wildest, fastest, most suspense-filled afternoon in the 57-year history of the D.M.C. A good motorcycle race is like a successful Broadway play. A good cast of characters, a fine location, a suspenseful plot, entwined with a love story, and you're either on the Great "White Way or on the D.M.C.'s club grounds for the Ohio State T. T. Championship. Opening curtain has the track crew putting the finishing touches on the "Action Track," under a cloudless 22nd of October sky filled with bright, warm sunshine. Enter members of an all-star cast; Sam Ingram, Abram Drain, and Harold Lyons from Indiana; Joe Evans, Ben Breeding and Bob Perschall from Illinois; Ronnie Rail, Gary Hall Charlie Hawk and Paul Rehmert from Ohio, and out of Michigan come Al Gaskill and Buck Graves. As the pit orchestra starts to tune up with the sounds of Gold stars, KR's, Bultacos, and other exotic noises, enter the star, who has returned to court his Rebnlne trtumphantly to the raclne scene and the winner's circle. Bart Marke'. Harley-Davidson maunt'" National Number On.. . t· . " Winner of the IT Championsllip event for Ohio state rldws, Rormle Rail accepts ~ cratulatl.s from starter Dulle Pennell (I eft) and D.ytOll M.C. prexy Walt Smith. asks not what the color or creed, but how fast Is your speed. Paul Rehmert nailed down second with Buck Graves third. The Ohio Championship was a 20-lap Trophy Dash between Charlie Hawk and Ronnie Rali. Hawk led the first seven laps before Rall could get around Hawk's Triumph. Rall held on for his second Championship repeat in two straight years. Lennie Waldo was third, with Gary Hall t a kin g home fourth place money. One of the post-race highlights was Markel giving his qualifying watch and check to his faithful fan. Bart's comments on the track were a fiat, "Best club-owned T. T. track I've ever raced Ma;...1 (1). aboard a borrowed CH street bl .... motors by Triumph rider Bob HI,*'e (46f) on his way to victory at Dayton. Ohio IT track. Bart set new track records In ~allfylne and tile lO·lap Expert final. life-long love, after turning his back on Dame Speed over in Sedalia. Missouri. He's Grand National Champion Bart Markel, sans competition license, which was cast away in a moment of despair. AMA Referee Bill Boyce opens the track for the warm-up session for the 63 entries. Lap times are fast. Rail, Gaskill, Markel and Breeding are testing the track and one another ••. then the plot thickens. Markel raises his hand and pulls out of the pack. Disaster the faithful XLR drops an exhaust valve in the rear cylinder. Is he through for the day? Noll Down through the pi ts, pushing a beautiful H- D CH street job comes one of the faithful Markel fans. "Take her, Bart, she's yours to use." ttThankspardner", says ole Champ as he reaches for another wrench. With Rich Pearson and John Zwerican assisting, Markel wheels a hybrid out for qual1!1caUons. Rall has already broken last year's track record of 25.20 seconds with a lap at 25.08. Breeding turns in a lap at 25.30. Bart rolls off the line, and tours the track in time of 24.67 seconds for a new track record. Novice Dick Ary of Piqua, Ohio, by posting the fastest scratch heat, Amateur Ted Kieper of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a lap at 25.66 and Markel, are awarded gold wristwatches and in addition Bart also receives a check for $25.00 for the new track record. Novice heats are dominated by Rodger Lapart of Mansfield, Ohio and Cecil Jones from lndianaplis, Indiana, both Bultacomounted. Amateur heats go to George Singler, out of Medina, Ohio on a Triumph, and to sam Ingram from Indianapolis, Indiana, on a BSA. Expert heats belong to Markel and Al Gaskill, the Michigan hotshots. The Novice final, with seven Bultacos and one Ducati, goes to Dick Ary riding a 200cc Bultaco, who edges out Rodger Lapart with a last lap, last turn dash to Duke Pennell's checkered flag. The Expert final, with eight of the top Expert riders in the Midwestern United States, hit the first turn in a ball of elbows and handlebars, up the backstretch with Breeding, Markel, RalI, Gaskill, and Lyons all drawing a bead on the leading role. Lap four, Markel dives under Breeding while Rall tries to pass them both on the outside rim of the banked track. Bart takes the lead while Ronnie takes until the sixth lap to pass Breeding. Rall closes in on Markel but loses out to Pennell's flag as the 10 laps are run off in record time. The Amateur final was won by Ab Drain, wire to wire. The ovation that the crowd of around 2,000 spectators gave the Negro rider from the Hoosier state proved that the two-wheel crowd • on." (Results on page 20) ATTENTION! 2-STROKES RUN WHEN WE GET DONE! SUPER TUNING by Culver City Cycle Cenrer 10248 Culver Blvd. (213) 839-9'1. Porting and tunin! strokes is our specialty. Co . ;ession releases expertly installed. OPEN 6 DAYS A WEEK 9 10m. to 6 p.m. AND THURSDAYS 9 10m. to 9 p.m. (213) 839-9000 .-