Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

. . . ..... .. &; • • ~ • t Pennsylvania privateer ices Novices , By Lane Campbe ll A YTONA, FL., MARCH 5 elf-sponsored Ed Ingram (Yam) of Downington, Pa, came off the outside of the front row to win a draftingfbrakingfhorsepower duel with hea t winner Harry Klinz mann (Yam) and early holesh o t leader Tom Berry (Yam) . These three riders out-distanced a field of 80, t he survivo rs out of ove r 130 Novice entries by way of two qualifier sprints the previous day. 5 SoCal smothers heats • The first of these heats, Klinzmann won going away. He'd brought a Kawasaki KR250 amid reports that Kawasaki had o ffered him a S1000 "bounty" on the Novice race. But when it came down to qualifying, Harry chose to stick with his LaPosadafPremierfPierce Tamaha, as the Kaw was still having teething troubles. larry's only problem in the heat was with a distracting Id in the nose, which began dripping past his face erchief into his eyes. "On about the third lap I had just one eye to get arou nd turn one on to the straight before I could wipe: it." Paddo c k stablemate Wally Karpynec won the second heat, sling-shotting Ro bert Barton, early leader Tom Berry and Larry Legarra o n the ban kin g. Legarra came back in the infield, and these two cleared away from the heat race pack drafting each other until o n the final lap, Legarra overcooked turn one, almost sucking Karpynec in with him. " I came right up to the grass. I thought, I got to keep it up, man..... Wally to ld his tale with much gesturing and crouching, as the happy California Crew gathered 'rou nd. Upset fina l But t he tight group of So Cal club racers was not to have a wa lkaway, as it was Expert dirt tracker Tom Berry who holeshot them all and proceeded to pull the field by about a second a lap in the early part of the 76-mile final, with Ed Ingram and Ted Boody (II-D) tucked behind. And r ight with the lead gro up, off the fifth row, came Dave Bennett of Westland, Michigan, on his un iq ue home-built monocoque Yamaha TZ ("Five weeks ago, this bike was a sheet of alu min um an d a bag of pop rivets .") Bennett, an aggressive club racer who likes to get close and scrap, ran as high as fourth before fading bac k (the wind appeared to be getting to his full rear bodywork, possibly causing it to foul the rear whee!.) Meanwhile, In gram had moved up to draft Berry, getting by on lap three only to be repassed on the infield while Klinzmann hung back and watched. Next time, the leaders came around in a tight wedge, while several seconds back, Van Salt and Bernie McHugh paired in a duel that would go the length of the race. Further back, Jim Vialovos (Yam), Dennis Briggs (Yam), Bennett (still running, but slowing), and Joe Ronay (Yam) were circulating in another group. Karpynec was slowly reeling people in after a slow start . By lap five, the leaders were already running into third wave tail-enders. Klinzmann briefly slipped ahead of Ingram as the traffic thickened, and both closed again on Berry, who had enjoyed a short-lived cushion lead. "About lap five, the motor went sour;' Tom said later. HI started out pulling 12,200 ; then it wou ldn't go over 11,500. I ended up going two seconds a lap slower than when I started." This was enough for Ingram to jet by; and Klinzmann slipped past in the infield. The lead three were set, Salt and McH ugh continued to play tag, and Via lovos held Karpynec in seventh until about lap 12 . Ronay squeezed by Jim Vialovos on his way to chase Karpynec to the flag : Jackie Mitchell (a di rt track Junior) and Dane .J .J UJ "' 0. :;:

• Cover