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/126034
Behind the front running, dicing trio and Pierce was Detroit, Michigan's Doug Teague. Teague has always performed well in Lightweight races at Daytona, but his position became precarious due to a nearly race-long battle between Yamaha Motors Hideo Kanaya and Phil McDonald. Kanay a broke: away from McDonald and set off after Teague and fifth place. That ruth became a fourth when Pier ce went down in the infield on the 19th lap, reportedly suffering contusions and as is usually the case - asphalt rash. '." With Roberts long gone and Hennen and Baker comfortably seated in second and third, Kanaya and Teague raced the final laps side by side . The pair exchanged fourth spot over three dozen times with Kanaya taking that position over for good on the next to last lap. Just after Roberts, Hennen and Baker took the checkered flag, nearly a half a lap ' ahead of Kanaya and Teague, Batavia, Illinois .' Ron Hollmeier hit the wall coming out of the banked fourth turn of the oval and suffered a separated right shoulder and a massive dose of asphalt rash. Pieces of his bike's fairing, as well as the gas tank, scattered on the track and made the finish a two-wheeled duplication of the recent Daytona 500 stock car race that saw Richard Petty and David Pearson smash into each other approaching the finish line. Behind the front running- five came McDonald, Tommy Byars, Mike Devlin and Harald Merkl of West Germany. Devlin's perfonnance was outstanding as he and his S&L Yamaha had started at the back of the 80 rider field. o So, once again, a Yamaha runaway. a Roberts victory and a second straight third place for Steve Baker, who would only says, "!t 's better than fourth. " For the runnerup, Pat Hennen, it was a day of accomplishment. He was ecstatic over the fact that he had diced so closely with Roberts, whom he described as "poetry on two wheels." HeavY lightweight notes: The first non-Yamaha mounted finisher was rookie road race Expert Greg Sassaman on a factory sponsored . Harley-Davidson RR250 . . . fellow rookie ro ad race Expert and teammate Jay Springsteen, who started the race on the second row, never finished the first lap as he holed a piston ... Yvon DuHamel skipped the event as he did the Superbike Production race .. . Gary Nixon, a second row starter, reportedly suffered mechanical problems and dropped out Roberts averaged 100.612 mph Yamaha, Goodyear, Bell, Champion, and "a new oil Yamaha's marketing" Yamalube-R received credit from Roberts in his winners' circle interview with Roxy Rockwood . . . Texan Tommy Byars, who finished eighth was the highest placing self-sponsored rider ... 15 ,000 was the estimated attendance for the Saturday morning event. • Unofficiaf Results 100 MILES·26 LAPS : 1. Kenny Roberts (Vam). 2. Pat Hennen (Vam). 3 . Steve Baker (Yam) . 4. H ldeo Kanaya (Vam). 5. Doug Teague (Yam) . 6. Ph il McDonald (Vam). 7. Kevin Stafford (Vam) . 8. Tommy Byard (Vam). 9. MIke Devlin (Vam). 10. Harald Merkl IVam). 11. travre Emde (Vam). 12. Miles Baldwin (Yam). 13. Richard SchlaChter (Yam). 14. M ike Baeder (Yam). 15 . Hank Scott (Vam). 16. RUdy Galindo (Yam). 17. Mike CIJirke (Yam). 18. Gary' Fisher (Yam) . 19. John Long (Yam). 20. Hal Coleman (Vam). Texan Tommy Byars left AussieGreg Hansford behind asfirst privateer.