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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125851
.. GO EThe Junior Race i Pat Hennen makes experience count -.::r By Gary Van Voorhis ' r- DA YTONA BEACH, FLA., MARCH 8 O"l Pat Hennen, of San Mateo , California, out lasted an early lap duel with John "Pee Wee" Gleason and Larry Bliel to win the ..- O"l ..- oJ: U :- :':l .. ;E shortened 50 Mile Junior event at Day to na. Gleason and " Blie! engaged in a race long duel for second with North Carolinian Gleason holding off Florida rider Blie l by a wheel"at the checkers. Hank Scott and Wes Cooley rounded out the top five. Hennen, sponsored by retired road racer Ron Grant, o pted to remain a Junior rider this year und er a new AMA ru le rather than advance into the rookie Expert ran ks; a m ove that gives hi m a fu ll year's experience over new Junior riders on t he big bikes. It showed. In qualifying on Thursday Hennen left no doubt that he would like to win the event by posting a new track record of 104.151 MPH; a full two and one half se conds faster than his closest rival Gleason. ... Larry Bliel, Wes Cooley and Ala n Barbie rounded o ut the fast q ualifiers with an over four second spread separating them. Larry Bliel led the field out of pit road and into the infield but it was Gleason who was in the lead exiting the infield and onto the banking with Bliel fo llow ing and Hennen, Gary Blackman, Hank Scott, A lan Barbie and Wes Cooley close behind. _ Jay Levingston, last year 's top Novice class road racer, was the victim of a no n-start ing bike on the gri d and lost h is second row position; having to start from the back of the pack. Jay worked his way in to thirteenth by lap five, b ut was then sidelined by m ech an ical problems. Gleason m ain ta in ed his lead around the banking lead ing the second lap in to the infield. Bliel, with sticky gearbox problems, bobbled it for a se cond and Hennen swept by closing on Gleason and taking over the lead on the banking. The pack behind began to change as Black man closed the gap to third place with A lan Barbie moving into fifth and Jerry Cheney, sixth. Randy Clee k was • Gleason (254 ) and Bleil (172) went at it like t his most of the race. Henning, Gleason, Bleil f lying formation. on the move and in seventh but lost his place o n the next lap when he over shot the turn into the infield and lost five places ; a problem that reoccurred again later in the ra ce. Hennen's lap fo ur lead disappeared on lap five as Gleason forged out 'in fr o n t again only to slip into second o n the next go around. Bliel, meanwhile, was staying close but lo sing ground in the slower corners as his b alky gearbox was not always as snick-snick as it should have been. Hennen, now that his tire s had begun to stick, was pouring on the coals in an effort to shake off Gleason. By the halfway flags the front three had pulled out a short five second lead over the fourth place Hank Scott. Scott spent the early laps getting used to his new Yammie TZ 700 and, w ith renewed confidence, charged back up in t he pack from a far away n in th only lap s earlier . Wes Cooley had also encountered early race difficulties but was now charging hard an d pulled to within breathing distance of fifth p lace Blac kman. On lap ten , Hennen picked up some slower traffic and used the blocking to put a safe distance b etw een himself and second " p~~ Gleason c:; leason, with Hennen pulling away, began to feel t he pressure of Bliel a nd the two rid ers diced for the remammg four laps in occasional very tight competition. Scott, in fourth , had traffic between himself and the tight race fo r fifth be tween Blackman and Cooley while Barbi e, Tom" Byars, Sam Mallonee and Pat McCaul strung out the runners to tenth pla ce. Hennen coasted to his victory with an eight second bulge but the duel for second was much, much closer. In fact, it was fairing to fairing right down to the flag with Gleason holding off the Bliel charge. Hank Scott picked up an easy fourth while Wes Cooley - after slipping by Blackman on lap twelve scratched out fifth . Hennen , by virtue of his win, will definitely be in the Expert ranks next year although for the rest of the season he'll have some tough competition to keep his hot st reak going. • Resulu 1. Pat H ennen ( Y am) . 2 . Jo h n "Pee Wee" G leason (Yam) . 3. La rry Bl e il ( Y am) . 4. Hank Scott ( H·O). 5 . Wes Cooley (Yam). 6 . Gary Bl ac k m an (Yam). 7 . Alan Barbic ( Y am ). 8. Ran d y Cleek (Va m ). 9 . J . T om my B y ar s (Ya m ). 10. Jerry Cheney ( Y am ). 11. Robert Hen derson (Ya m ). 12 . S.J . M allo nee (Vam ). 13 . Pat McCaul (Yam) . 14. Tim Buckles (Y am) . 15. Wa de Killen (Ya m) . 16 . Willi am Pete rs (Ya m ). 17 . Ed Eato n (Yam). 18 Tho m as Sisso n ( Y am ). 19 . D enn is Pegel o"'; ( Ya m ). 20. R ic h ard Ch am b er s ( Y am ). . Average speed: 102.193 M PH. Time of race : 3 1 m in u t es, 38.76 secon ds. The Ju niors crowd through Turn One as Gary Blackman (Yam ) forges to t he early lead. He fin ished sixth . ~ :I II o o > z v 30 ii!!!!:::~&..~ ~ « > >II ~~