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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126034
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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
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