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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126011
Baker makes it three for three in International Lightweight Expert/Junior Combined race By Bo bi Scott ONTARIO, CAL. , OCT. 4 The young man from Bellin gham, Washington, Steve "Don't call me Stevie" Baker and his Canadian based TZ-250 Yamaha turned Kawasaki's plans for a clean sweep in the first International Lightweigh t race ever held in the United States into a shambles Saturday. Steve set a scorching 'average lap speed of 89.9 57 mph which none of the remaining star-studded field co uld even come dose to matching. Heat I Walter Villa, the Harley-Davidson: factory rider from Modena, Italy took the lead in the start of heat one to set a blistering pace. Kenny Roberts (Yam) lost ground as he and another rider slid off the track onto th e dirt and the momentary side trip cost Roberts numerous positions as he re-en tcred the track way off the pace. Conrad Urbanowski (H-D), Masahiro Wada (Kaw) , and Gary Scott (H-D) were two-three-four on lap two with hard charging Wada challenging Urbanowski as Scott pressed the Japanese factory rider in their tigh t three-way bid for second. Wada found his opening as he and Scott sh o t by Urbanowski and started their m ar ch on Villa. Wada's charge was on. He took over the lead on lap three leaving the Harley duo in hi s wake. While Villa and Scott were dicing, Kevin Stafford (Yam) pushed around Urbanowski to take over fourth and Kenny Ro berts blasted up from near disaster to sixth and was aiming for fifth . Wada refused to relent, creating a Japanese n ightmare for the other riders, . increasing his lead with every inch of pavement he covered. Villa se ttled into a solid second and Scott in third started p utting a lot of hot, gray California air between the top three and the rest of the pack. On the fifth and final lap Roberts moved up to challenge Stafford for fourth as the checkered flag -came out but there wasn't enough time. Wada, the dark horse, Villa, Scott, Stafford and Roberts took the top five positions in the first heat. Chec king Steve's gauges - every th ing's under control. Highest -placed Harley 250 had Gary Scott aboard . pressuring, subtly waited for his opening. On tap five Baker and DuHamel were too close to calIon the st raigh t . DuHamel took command over Baker and started . lapping slower riders. Meanwhile Skip Aksland moved up to take over what looked like a "second race" farther back in the strung-out pack. VilIa fell way off the pace and the 250 World Champ was for now just another rider in the race. Not q uite halfway thro ugh the final, Kawasaki's hopes were dashed as DuHamel pulled into the pi ts with fork and tire problems. It was allover for the gutsy Canadian as he parked the bike beside the pit and wall an d walked downcast to the garage. Steve Baker, in the lead, pushed for more speed in every t um and gained ti me with every passing lap . Grant was too far behind to make a charge. Katayama was third, Scott fourth . On lap nine Wada, Kawasaki's dark horse hope, tumed into the pits with suspension troubles, leavi ng Grant's lone Kawasaki battling for second as Katayama started his move to the front. Baker was lap ping Slower riders while Ted Henter (Yam) challenged Scott's fo urth position. Katayama, pushing Grant to the limits, finally charged past into second as back in the train Skip Aksland p assed Kenny Roberts on the next to last lap. At the finish line, Baker had a 20 -second lead over second place Takazumi Katayama. Baker tumed his Yamaha into the winner's circle for the third and last time fo r 1975. He is the only ri der in the Lightweight clas s to sit in the winner's circle in all three National Road Races this year. • Heat II Steve Baker (Yam) led the charge into tum one with Yvo n DuHamel (Kaw) pressing and Mick Grant (Kaw) passing 14 riders to take over third. DuHamel wasted no time making his bid for the lead as he moved up to aggressively overtake Baker on the first lap. Baker tried every possible angle to recapture his le ad , but DuHamel left no doors open for the young Washington road ace. Grant was q uickly closing in when DuHamel eased his pace just en ough for Baker to slide in to the lead. A blanket race for first between the three on the grandstand straigh t had the crowd on its feet, holding its breath as they dived into tum one. DuHamel regained the lead fr om Baker and Englishman Gran t remained at the tai l of the three-man super show. DuHamel saw the checkered first, with Baker, Gran t, ' Katayama (Yam), and Aksland (Yam) rounding out the top five positions in the final heat.' Kawasaki had really done their homework on the new, liquid-cooled twins. World 250 Champion V illa, jet lag and all, went fast, st ayed out of trou ble. - The protege IAksland, 72 1 be ats the teacher. Lightweight Final 8 The I8·lap final sat o n the line wi th DuHamel and Wada looking relaxed, confident and ready to go. As the go-flag waved, Steve Bake r thrust his howling Yamaha in to the lead and set a red hot pace With DuHamel chewing away at his tail. Katayama, the Japanese works rider, quickly moved up to challenge DuHamel, with Roberts and Gran t moving through heavy traffic back in sixth and seventh . On lap three, with Baker increasing his lead, DuHamel in second and Results LIG HT WE IGHT INTERN AT ION AL R ACE (E X / JR ) 2SOCc, 1. Stove Bak er (Vam). 2 . Takaz urni Katayama (Yam ) . 3. Mike Grant KaW) . 4 ." G ar y Scott (H -O ) . S. John L ong V am). 6. Wal t er V i lla (H- D) . 7. Phil McD o nald ( Vam) . 8 . Ru d y Galin do (V am ). 9 . S k i p A k slan d (Yarn), 10 . Ken ny Ro b er ts (V am ) . 11. Bob End ico tt ( V am). 12. Don Cast ro (Vam). r a . vcc nra c U rban o w sk l (H-O). 14. Mike Cl a r k e ( V am ) . 1 S. Whitney B la k eslee (Vam). 16. Da le Si ngleto n (Yarn), Winner's Time : 34m 4 8 .979s. (1 8 laps x 2 .9 miles) S pee d: 89.957 mph • l .. . . ........... _ _ _ __ _ _ - 't - • •