, Ill'
.
I Oldahoma
Hank Scott, Yamaha and Shell Thuett - together in the winner's circle once more.
Steve Morehead (42) shadOWJld Mike Kidd (72) in Scott's wake early in the National.
Mert's Harley - a test bed for
things to come?
Until the pile-up.
Gary had it in the bag.
By Gary Van Voorhis
,
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA., MAY 23
~
I
"A National win this early in the
season really jazzes me. I can't
believe it." Hank Scott, charging i
on his Shell Racing Specialties
Yamaha, won the AMA Grand .
National Championship/Camel Pro
Series Mid-America half mile lead-~
ing the Harleys of Vista Sheeg
rider Ted Boody and H-D factory team ,
rider jay Springsteen to the red flag on
lap 17 of the 20 lap National. Therein ~
lies the story and the controversy.
- Finishing positions two through n r
are under protest by Mike Kidd and will
go to an appeals board sometime within.j
the near future. Hopefully by the june
4-5 dual Nationals in Michigan's Pontiac
Stadium.
The object of the protest is theinterpretation of rule 14 of chapter XIV
in the AMA Professional ' Din Track.
Competition Rule Book which reads in .
part , "In case it is necessary, in the r
discretion of the referee, to stop an
event after laps equal to at least 60% of
the total distanc~ have been run, the ,
race may be considered completed and
the riders shall be paid according to the J
position in the lap preceeding the lap in
which they were red flagged. "
. T.L
The red flag was brought about by a
multi-rider crash in an area between
turns one and two. Steve Eklund was~
the first rider down, crashing as he
started his 15th lap. He mayor may not
have spilled some oil on the track from
his engine. In quick succession Gary
'Sco tt , leader at that time, spilled in the,
same place dropping about six positions
before he was underway again. ("Both
wheels just washed out. ") Mike Kidd
then went down on the next go around
with
Corky Keener ("Mike was
unavoidable,") losing his front end in
an attempt to avoid Kidd and sliding
into him in the m iddle of the tum. 1n'~
quick succession Gene Romero aDd b
Steve Morehead found themselves with ri
no place l
