Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

" N "> g 0.. N .... Ol 0' u o ~ w Z W ..J U >U Gary Fisher was happy about it. mechanical woes put him behind Markel, as were Urbanowski, Don Castro (Yam), Ron Pierce (Yam), and Larry Schafer (H-D). The sky had begun darkening shortly after the Final started at 2:30 and by the halfway point it looked as if rain would fall as soon as the race ended. By lap 40, however, the first few drops began to fall, and the race was ended on lap 43, just in time to get the riders under cover before everything in sight got soaked. Even with the plate in the. bag, th~re is still races to be won and money to be had. Number One Wins One in His Spare Time by Ken Dunlap photos by Ken Dunlap and Leighton Smith CHARLOTTE, N.C., September 17 The biggest storm in the whole world brought a halt to the HlO-mile Expert Final at the 43-lap point. Since more than half the 58 laps had been run the· race was allowed to stand. Mark Brelsford lH-D) dominated the race from flag to flag. He was headed only sporadically by Gary Fisher (Yam) in the first lap. By the time Brelsford entered the front straight at the end of lap one however he had a commanding lead and proceeded to extend it over the rest of the field. Brelsford could have been forgiven for sitting this one out--it's not a ational and besides that he's already numt>er one. But as he said, "There's money to be made here," 812,000 worth. Brelsford's qualifying performance was relatively unspectacular. He diced hotly with Fisher until he missed his line into the turn leading to the front straight. He still did well enough for a front row start. Fisher got the pole, followed by Cliff Carr, Kel Carruthers, Ron Pierce, then Brelsford. On the next-to-last row was Bart Markel, who was riding his half miler--complete with dirt track bars and no fairing. Markel explained he was there Hodaka. II' won'l run oul of guls before you do. ,;r=" "''Y~.'"'' look Junior because he had promised to show, bu t there was no time to prepare his road racer. When the flag went up Brelsford charged into the lead. Fisher, from his vantage point on the pole, nipped Brelsford's lead and they played cat-and-mouse on the first lap. On lap two it was solid Brelsford, with Fisher, Cliff Carr (Kaw), and Kenny Roberts (Yam), a trio of hornets at his tail. Carr and Fisher diced for second, wi th Carr taking it on lap 15 and holding it until lap 22, when he dropped out for a full lap. Fisher was then second, with Roberts third, until Roberts dropped a lap to check something in the pits. Meanwhile Brelsford was all alone in front, until he began to lap the field. Conrad Urbanowski (Yam) had fouled a plug in the qualifying heat, and experienced similar problems during the Final, pulling out for several laps. Bart Markel (H-D), who was giving it the old Milwaukee tryon his flat tracker, was also having some sort of difficulty and made several pit stops. On lap 29 Dave ~ehl (H-D) overshot the course at the tight left hander before the front straight. Not daring to try a short cut under the noses of all those officials he made a legal reentry onto the course, which cost him several positions. The races continued with Brelsford somewhere out there leading the way, with Fisher, Roberts. Kel Carruthers (Yam), and Marty Lunde (Kaw) racing each other in hot pursuit. Cliff Carr's CHARLOTIE, N.C., September 17 Jeff March (Yam) won his heat handily, then went on to win the Junior Final in much the same fashion that Brelsford did the Expert race a half hour later. Mike Hishiki, riding a high-barred Honda ("I don't have enough experience with low bars yet"),had won his heat and turned in a creditable performance by taking second in the Final. March was stoked on his sponsor, Motion Enterprise$ of Elm, New Jersey, and was unabashed in praising them to the spectators. They had been working hard on this machine, he said later, "and they finally got the breaks." Kurt Uebmann was a bit less enthusiastic about his sponsor, Butler and Smith. After he had won Pocono, they sent his BMW to Ontario for the big last National of the season next m 0 nth. Liebmann was to ride the machine in the Junior road race, "but since a Friday race doesn't draw any spectators they won't send me out there. They'll probably give it to Pridmore." Liebmann wasn't too happy with the arrangement. "We had worked on that bike for a year and finally got it going good ... and I had wanted to see California and all." Liebmann had taken third on his own Honda today. At the end of the race one official yelled, in a. strong New Jersey accent, that there were three New Jersey riders in the winners' circle. Perhaps they get their practice by outrunning cops on the N.J. Turnpike. by Bob F. Read I view On tario as becoming the ultimate in American road racing each year. The track does not require raw horsepower, and it happens at a time when any rider worth his salt from anywhere in the world can be on hand. The October first event hosted every top road racer in the world, except one. That's Giacomo Agostini whose spons r is not willing to go along with the American claiming rule. At least that is what has been printed in the past. This seems rather odd due to the fact that the FIM and the AMA agreed to a rule that states that at least one hundred engines of the same type would be built and approved under the wOTld wide Formula 750 rule that is now in effect. (It's 200 for American National only rules.) Our reports, rumored to corne righ t from Ago himself, was that his machine that would be used for On tario was just not competitive, or fast enough, for him to enjoy the edge he has become so acc.ustomed to for the past few years. Rather than have this come out in print his bosses are saying they don't want to take a chance on having his machine claimed. Only winning machines are ever claimed, and it is true that Bob may be lurking in the Bailey background on race day. Unlike FIM racing, the success of an AMA National does not have to depend on one rider. not with the lineup that Ontario has. It far exceeds anything in the past and is a far cry from just eigh t or ten years ago when everybody scooted to Daytona with their converted dirt-trackers. The AMA has only two true fast specialists in Art Baumann and Ron Grant. The rest of the well known household names arc all at least part time dirt trackers who blend road racing when the-schedule calls for it. Just so no reader goes out on a limb it should be pointed out that Yvon DuHamel is the three or four time Canadian din track champion from past years. In all honesty we cannot call Paul Smart and Kel Carruthers Yankees as both still have an accen t that is not .Brooklyn or New Orleans. Even Ron Grant does not sound like a boy born by the Bay. It should also be pointed out that defending champion, John Cooper, did not even practice last year due to his BSA arriving late. His first laps came in the five lap qualifying heat race. How many American riders do yo. know that ever won a road race with no practice, especially on a t\ven ty one turn track like Ontario's wbere half of the field last year carried maps of the course taped on their gas tanks? The Hodaka is built lor one purpose. To out-last and Qutperform its competition. How is this done? By refining the same basic, superior"design year after year. Perfecting the little things that multi-model manufactuTp.Ts don't have time to notice. Carefully examine the new Hodaka. Notice the trip-set odometer. The feather-light clutch operation and spring protected throttle cable. And the rubber mounted gas tank. Little things that add up to big things. We only build one bike. But we build it beller than anyone else in the world. HODA! .... - - - - - - - - ... ~. .-

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