Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

:: Suzuki. He led from the flag, was passed on the last lap, and then nipped back by to win by a wheel. A t the start of the Main, Long, as expected, darted out and steamed away from everyone. Mike Devlin on a Vesco Yamaha was running near the front until he got into the slow last tum too hot on lap four and wnet over the hay bales. He was alright but didn't restart. On the following lap, Hudson pitted and was out. On lap five Tim Rockwood lost his chain while running in second spot, and he dropped out. By this time Long was lapping slower riders, and spectators began to anticipate a different brand in the first spot at the f"mish. It was a Kawasaki that took the checkers first, but it would not be Long's, and in the end a Yamaha would i ... CL r0- O> ~ « II> ~ W Z w ~ U >U win. On lap 13 Long pulled into the pits with a very large lead. The plug that had been used to fill the hole where the kicks tarter shaft had been removed fell out, covering his rear tire with oil and lowering the lubrican t level in his transmission somewhat. A hasty patch job was to nO avail as the machine had to be scrutineered again. Long was out. This left a fellow named Ted Henter in the lead. Henter, who hails from Panama, had had more than his share of problems on this particular weekend. He had brough t a nice neat Yamaha twin to race, but it had gone belly-up in practice. So in the heats, Henter rode the same set-up as Long, a Kawasaki 350 single in an AI-R frame. Henter's, however, was not factory backed. As a Vvon inspects his post<:rash asphalt rash. The Novice race: Ted Henter, here in third, won. He was later disqualified and Mike Su~mers (62) got it. Paul Smart came home fourth despite a broken pipe. matter of fact, it was the rattiest looking bike in the race. The fiberglass looked like it had been done by a three-toed sloth with a clam shell. It also sounded like he was using the stock Bighorn wide-ratio gearbox. Lord. Ted had more problems in his heat when he lost his front brake. So before the Main he switched the front brake with that on his Yamaha. That he got to the line at all was amazing. Early in the Main he had had '3. long dice with Mike Summers (Yam) for the place that turned into second and then first. After he b'roke free of Mike, Ted pulled away to be first to take the checkers. Summers and Mike Clarke (Yam'), followed him home. 1i8f a whilt! Hiefe it 1881,811 as theugh Henter was going to do it up big and take h.ome two grand from Kawasaki in addition to the prize money. He got the smooch from the Canadian trophy girl, the champagne, the wreath, the victory lap in the Porsche, and the attention of the crowd, bu t Summers got the win. Later in the afternoon, the officials got around to inspecting Ted's bike, and someone noticed that Yamaha front brake. He was disquaIified. "The brake as used during the race was not approved for that particular machine under the AMA regulations." A Mickey Mouse rule (if it is safe and fmancially feasible on a Yamaha, why not on ano ther bike in the same class) bu t a rule, nonetheless. JNIOR-EXPERT 50-MILER COMBINED After the heats the favorite, or at least most poular, rider was a Junior. This 1936 Nortor, was not allowed to run since it hasn't been approved by the AMA. John Long ends his ride. Fisher kept doing wheelies through tum 6. Jerry Greene' (Yam) beat the likes of Yvon DuHamel (Kaw) , and Kel Carruthers (Yam) to win his heat. DuHamel had some problems on his factory Kawasaki coming off the line and started well back and worked his way up. , Gary Fisher (Yam) took the second heat ahead' of Ron Pierce who had married himself in to a sponsorship from Bobby J's Yamaha in Albuquerque. Two minutes before the start of the Combined Main the temperature cooled considerably causing some people to cast a worried thought to their jetting. Not so Fisher, who jetted off the line at the start. He: was followed closely by Ron Pierce and that persistent Junior, Greene. Greene got even more persisten t and

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