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/125803
ti o ~ w Z W ..J U >U Paul Smart's style may be outlandish, but it has.given him wins in the two richest races in the world. by Art Friedman Photos by. Larry Groves, Howie Fowler, Dave Schoonmaker, Tom Culp, Charles Clayton. Friedman, K.C. Brintnall and Tom Clark ONTARIO, CAL., Oct. I, 1972 - "It isn't going to be easy, but I want to win at least one race." So said Paul Smart· when he signed up to ride in this country for Kawasaki. [-Ie got the big one. At first it looked as though the Champion Spark Plug Motorcycle Classic was going to be a disappoin tmen t. One of the best riders on hand, Jama Saarinen, the "new superman" of road racing fell in the first few hours of practice on Wednesday, injuring his leg severely enough to keep him out. But what was lost by Saarinen's withdrawal was more than made up for by the result of the heat results. When the flag dropped for the first heat Yvon DuHamel on the Team Hansen Kawasaki rocketed away from Gary Fisher (Yam) and Cal Rayborn (1-[.0). Yvon's Kawasaki rushed away until turn 11 of the 20-tum course where he fell and was relegated to a starting position in the hack of the second wave. Cal won it with Fisher second. It was the second heat that really caused commotion, though. It was led from start to finish by the p.ivate Kawasaki of Cliff Carr. It has often been held, and the weekend would show, that Carr is one of The Best. But he is also a privateer, and AMA road racing has all the cards sta~ked against the privateer. Carr and his tuner, Kevin Cameron, have often run near the front, but bad luck and the big bucks competition from the factories- have kept their Arlington (Massachusetts) Motor SPOrts sponsored Kawasaki from winning. But this time they were in the fron t row and ready to do business after a long, hard season of riding their credit line. All the way ., , . through the heat Carr was pushed by Paul Smart on a factory Kawasaki which made it even more impressive. So three days later when they line up for the first half of the Champion Spark Plug Motorcycle Classic, Cliff Carr is in the front row with a good shot at the lion's share of the $68,675 prize money. But he is joined by some of the heaviest talen ts in road racing: Cal Rayborn, Paul Smart, Gary Fisher, Gary Nixon (Kaw). and Kel Carruthers. Farther back in the pack is Renzo Pasolini, FIM number two plate holder who was just nipped at the flag ending the heat by Steve ~IcLaughlin (Hon). Last year's winner Englishman John Cooper (BSA) is sitting in the midst of a group of his countrymen: Peter Williams (Nor). Phil Read (Nor), and Tony Jeffries, (Tri). Nearby is New Zealand's Geo,ff Perry. Not so lucky are Yvon DuHamel in the back row and Mark Brelsford who is changing a fouled plug when the flag drops.As the first wave of the 55 bike field charges the first turn Gary Nixon shoots Out in fronl. Right on his tail is Cliff Carr. A few inches behind Carr is Paul Smart who remains there right to the end. In fourth is Kenny Roberts on a fa tory Yamaha 350. Cal Rayborn passes Art Baumann (Suz) and then Roberts for fourth. Already in ninth place on lap three and pumped "beyond the understanding of anyone watching is Yvon DuHamel. He came from 53rd place. A whole slew of machinery is already back in the pits. Don Emde is oul. Gene Romero crashes and has gearbox problems. Eddie Mulder pits. Cooper and Pasolini bump each other hard in tum eigh t bu t stay uprigh t. At five laps the order is: Nixon, Carr, Rayborn, Smart, Carruthers, Baumann, Roberts, and DuHamel is in eigh th and still cutting his way up. Mark Brelsford is over a minu te back and beginning to catch riders. Then on lap seven, in the tricky, bumpy, scarey tum one, Carr takes the lead. Incredible! A privateer is leading the Big One. Art Baumann, in sixth, is involved in an altercation with a slower rider and put out of the race. The same slower rider pu ts Rayborn down and ou t a few laps later. ~leanwhiJe, Nixon has repassed Carr, but Carr is breathing right down his neck, waiting. Now DuHamel is in fifth, five seconds down after eigh t laps and closing. Jody Nicholas gets into a gollywobble in tum 15 and goes to the hospital with a broken shoulder and clavicle. The leaders are well into traffic by lap 12 and someh ow DuHamel is in third. Tony Jeffries and Dick Mann seem to be glued to"ether as thev circulate together, but more amazing is the trio of John Cooper, Phil Read, and Peter Williams. You could drop a blanket over all of them at any time. They move as one unit, running their' own race, phased neither by slower nor faster traffic, always together, playing with each other and signalling. They seem to know each other pretty well. On lap 14 Yvon passes Cliff on turn J 8 for second sPOt. Yvon zeroes in on Gary. Behind the three Kawasakis, the Yamaha factory duo of Carruthers and Roberts wail. They know the thirsty threes will have to stop but that their Yamahas can take a shot at the distance. Suddenly Gary's bike slows with trans problems, and he pulls into the pits, out for the duration of the first half. DuHamel has gone from 53rd to first in a mere 16 laps. Back in the pack, Renzo Pasolini undergoes an amazing transformation. Until now he has been riding smoothly and inauspiciously. Now he begins to really push. Tires chattering, leaned over at crazy angles, he begins to charge . Paul Smart. Goerge Kerker has been in and out of the pits with clu tch problems and has just returned to the track in front of the Cooper-Read-Williams tea party which is being passed by Steve McLaughlin. In tum one the megaphone breaks off George's Honda, and it gets involved with his rear wheel, putting him sideways at 120. Somehow he saves it, and the me.gaphone doesn't catch anybody else. Later George can be seen waving the remains of his exhaust system .at his pit crew while he yells at them. McLaughlin on a Honda 750 passes the three Britishers in the infield. On lap 19 the gas stops begin. DuHamel is first in and he loses his lead to Carr who picks up some more lap money. The order on lap 20 is Carr, Smart, Carruthers, Roberts, DuHamel, Perry, Fisher, and a fast, consistent Mert Lawwil in eighth. Smart and Carr both pit for gas. The new leader is last year's almost: Kel. This time he is dogged by his teammate Kenny Roberts who fought with him for the lightweight win the previous day. Roberts gets by on lap 24. The two Yamahas are followed by Yvon, Cliff, and Paul. Will the Yamahas stop? DuHamel is closing about eight seconds ba~k. He finds it a little slippcry in turn 16 and loses a little time. Then on lap 31 Yvon meets with disaster as he tries to pass a slower rider as he enters the horseshoe ;md gets knocked off, breaking his elbow and tearing up the bike. The incredible Canadian gets up, restarts, and rides back to his pit to prepare for the second half heat. Kenny pulls away for a while but then he pits for fuel on lap 32 and Kel takes a solid lead. Kel's crew tries to bring him in fOr gas, but with a six second lead over Kenny he waves off the gas stop four times. When the flag falls, Kel has plen ty of gas left. Behind Kel the first half finishing order is Roberts, Carr, (25 seconds back), Perry, Smart, Pasolini, Fisher, Lawwill, Coopcr, and McLaughlin. Mark Brelsford has put on a brilliant ride to come to 11th place from dead last. They will start the second half in the order that they f'mish. THE BREAK As the mechanics tear in to the machines to install new tires, change the oil, add gas, fix damage, etc. " headwind. ~omes up, and it cools slightly. I • , Geof Perry W1S ~ii\d III poiO$S with SQ'lart, but Paul won'it on the basi. ,,~lt • I . 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