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/126059
Chalftpio Spark Plug Classic ~lli@L? LP®DD&3®m By Jack Mangus MONTEREY, CAL., A UG. I teve Baker, a quick-as-a-bullet rider, and Bob Work, wh builds bulletproof machinery, teamed up to score thei second straight AMA Grand National Championship - Camel Pro Series road race win for their sponsor Yamaha Motor Canada-, Baker handily won both 100 ki lometer (60.8 miles) heats' of the Champion Spark Plug Classic, the first b) a margin 0[" 17.7 seconds ahead of Kawasaki mounted Gary Nix o and ·the second by 26.5 ove r Yamaha's Kenny Roberts. q S Steve Baker swooped t he troops in both legs of the Champion Spark Plug Motorcycle Classics. Gary Nixon held off a wheelie·ing Kenny Robe rts in the first leg, b ut unloaded in t he second segment. Roberts took run nerup honors. . ' . ....- Roberts took run nerup honors wit h a 3-2 performan ce and BS&WI Bel Ra sponsored Randy Cleek ea rned the third spot on the winner's circle platfor with a 5-3 day. i Qualifying Heats Practice had shown that the Yamaha OW·3Is of Baker and Roberts wer 't he class of the field with only the Kawasakis of Yvon DuHamel and Gar Nixon given a chance at breaking Yamaha's stranglehold on Nationa Championship road racing. . .Th e heats,· run . for grid positions, proved that the co mbina tion of TZ-75 engines and an abundance of titanium parts were still unbeatable. Baker too the first heat ahead of the Kawasakis of DuHamel, Nixon and Ron Pierce while Roberts topped the second ahead of a long list of Yamaha riders. Cleek Steve McLaughlin, Gene Romero and National Champion Gary Scott chase Roberts across the line, all wishing they had the former champ's bike. First 100 km. leg Baker, by virtue of the fastest heat win, occupied the pole position. At th .wave of starter Bob Malley's green flag the Bellingham, Washington residen took holeshot honors and immediately took off and established hi superiority. He built up a five second lead over Roberts by the end of th third lap and proceeded to build up that margin throughout the 32 lap leg. . The action was all behind Baker as was the attention of the spectators With a continuous stream of riders working to pass the man ahead in ev e tum and on every straight, the action was typical of the close racing that tight twisty course like Laguna Seca provides. David Aldana dropped out of the race on the second lap when the botto end on his Venture Yamaha "exploded. I got the clutch pulled in just in t ime T he last time that happened I got this," Aldana said while pointing to a Ion Scar on h is left elbow. By the ninth lap the fast guy s we re involved in lapping the slow guys an Baker looked to be able to handle that maneuvering the best as on the nex two lap s he increased his margin over Ro ber ts to 16 seconds. Nixon , who had been 'wo r king on Roberts, got by and into second comin o ut of t urn n ine , a first gear tum that exits o nto the pit st raight. They Him toge th er u n til -th e final co uple of laps and we re far ahead of the fight 'fo fo urth between Gene Ro mero, Yvon DuHamel, Ran dy Cleek and Gary Sco tt Wit hin t he top th ree runners was n ot only a fight for top m on ey, but a tir wa r as well. Baker was usin g Dun lop slicks both fron t and rear; Nixon ha Michelins - slick on the rear, grooved on the front; and Robe rts ' ha Goodyear slicks both front and rear. Mo re o n tha t la ter. . . With the firs t three finisliing positions a ll but decided, attentio n tu rned t that fourth place scrap. Romero opened up a slim margi n over a tig ht l bunched DuHamel, Cleek and Scott , but that trio's dice moved them back u on Romero . DuHamel dropped ba ck fr om the fight just after the halfwa mark and Scott, Cleek and Romero hooked up into a three way fight over rh fin al three laps. Both Scott and Cleek got by Romero going into the whit flag lap, Cleek with a "magic tri ck" maneuver in turn nine. Randy 's push Fo