Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

.. O' withou t lookil'!g Scott, running an engme built mainly from parts and ideas derived from the engine he had claimed from Beauchamp at San Jose, remained equidistant. Scott Drake took third from Sehl with a drafting and slingshot ',mo ve; something which was raised to a high art as the night progressed. Ricky Campbell challenged ~!U'th_before he holed a piston. The second heat went into red flag status on the fourth lap , wh en Scott Rader crashed unhur.t but shaken in t urn on e. The single file restart fo u nd Sp ringer going directly to the front with Al Jorgensen dose behind. Springer quickly opened up a gap as 'J orgy d ropped back, the victim of a shattered spark plug. Attention then focused on the Billy Eves/Hank Scott duel with Scott the master on the corners and Eves taking it back on the straights. Scott finally secured second with Eves close third and J orgy holding on for fourth and final transfer. . . Seven riders in a flying wedge crossed the finish line at the end of lap one of the third heat, remained glued t oget her exiting turn two and then, with a bike an d body flying t hrough the air, scattere d. Ph il McDonald had had his rear wheel ticked as he crossed to' the inside line fo r his drive dow n the back st raight and endoed : with his b ik e breaking into pieces. He was uninj ured. The complete restart fled the starting line with Mike Kidd in the lead followed very closely by Steve Morehead, Steve . Droste and Steve ' Eklund. Eklund immediately began his challenge, only to have the engine swallow a valve and ' trash itself. Morehead moved back to second as Skip Aksland, Chuck Palmgren and Droste fought for third. Palmgren closed the gap and shook off Droste, but could not take third from Aksland, ' The opening laps of heat fo ur were a six- wheel image containing Kenny R ob erts, Randy Cleek an d Gene Romero, playing it side by side on the back straight. Roberts fmally broke away on lap four to leave Cleek and Romero to their own devices. In a few laps, mag problems slowed both. Behind the three front-runners Charlie Chapple and Keith Ulicki were playing the same game of swap and swap again which went right down to the flag as Chapple edged Ulicki by a wheel. .Clee kedged Romero while Kenny ran away. Both Semis were real heart stoppers. Steve Freeman led a six ' pack of riders for the firs t three lap s whe n th e six became a five p ack as Terry Poovey had his engine go sour. J ay Ri dgeway hounded Freeman with Jay Levingston, Mike Johnson and John Johnson in a blanket behind. Ridgeway held the lead at the white flag holding off Freeman who, in turn, was trying to keep Levingston from taking second while worrying about gaining back the lead. Ridgeway was unbeatable on the final lap . . Steve Droste, Keith Ulicki, Pee Wee Geason and Guy McClure pulled away fro m the pack in the second Semi to stage a show of their own. McClure dropped in th e late laps with Gleason leading. .Drost e then shook off Ulic ki to go wheel to wheel with Pee Wee as the pair swapped the lead . Droste too k the lead on t he las t lap , slip streami ng down the back straight. Gleason put a wheel up on Steve as they drove out of tum four; and it was enough as the inches-only decision went to Gleason. "I like to, do it to the Harley riders every once in a while .. . just to mess up , their thinking about Yamahas," chortled Darryl Hurst in victory circle after his win in the Trophy Race. Hurst came from a bad start through' the pack to whittle d own, one by one, the riders blocking his path to victory. Sonny Burres h eld the lead fo r the fir st t wo lap s , wi th Guy McCl ure taki ng ove r as Burres 'slo wly slipped back , J immy Ziegler then grabbed t he lead o nly 'to be p ressured out of it as McCl ure and t he n Hurst t ook ove r. Hurst shook off h is pursuers while McClure clung t o second and Burres came back to take third. Nati onal There was a glow in Sandy Kidd 's eyes as she watched husband Mike finish getting into his leathers for the National. Mike, riding Mert LawwiU's spare bike, was exh uberent, "It's been a lo ng ti me since I've had ,a bike that hasn't broken. I think we 'll do good tonight." . The last hurrah. Charged emotions put electricity in the air m ingling with t he smell of someone's burned clutch, the sounds of the fair in the background interplaying with the colorful lights of the ferris wheel and other rides. The three row 8-8-4 grid exp loded with a roar sending a huge mass of sound and co lor diving into turn one fanning ou t before closing again fo r the exit o nto the back stretch. The power game was very ev ident as mid an d back pack rid ers 'grab bed a handful of throttle and literally leap t through the traffic. Mike Kidd led the 20 rider field across the fmish line at the end of lap one with Gary Scott, Roberts, Springer and Steve Morehead behind. Beauchamp had gotten ' off slowly from his pole position and been boxed in traffic. Springer immediately grabbed a handful and blew Kenny out of second o n the back chute. Two laps later Springer again jetted the competitio n to sweep by Scott and Kidd into the lead. Kidd swep t back o n the fr o nt straight say in g later t hat he wan t ed to p ile up the lap mo ney so he passed there. Beauchamp m oved to fourth behind Scott on lap six wi th Morehead behind. Hank Scott was already in the pits with a blown engine: Morehead held off Roberts as Romero and Jorgensen came up to challenge. Billy Eves was in a four-way battle with Skip Aksland, Dave Sehl and Chuck Palmgren for ninth. Jay Ridgeway was making up places from his back row start. • On the seventh lap Beauchamp took Scott as Kidd and Springer changed the lead on all ' parts of the track. It was quickly developing into a two- rider affair. Beauchamp wo ul d say later t han he had wanted to p laya waiting game, bu t waited too lon g, th en wo re out h is tire t ry ing to reel in the front ru nners. Morehead continued to hound Scott with Roberts, Romero, Jorgy, Aksland, Eves, Palmgren, Sehl and Cleek in various packs and fights within fights going on behind. Morehead held the pack at bay until lap 15 when a puff of smoke (b lo wn rear cylinder) ended his ride. Springer had picked up the lead on lap 11 and continually looked over his shoulder exiting tum four for Kid d and his lap money charge, The pair engaged in friendly waves and fist waving on the back st raigh t ; the gestures of someone having fun. Kidd b egan 'to close on Springer on lap 18 when it appeared t hat Springer was slowing slightly and having tr o u ble getting a drive from tum four. Kidd slipped b y in turn three in a late braking, slip stream charge to take the lead with Springer losing ground. Beauchamp was three seconds behind. The white flag and one lap to go. Springer and Kidd hit the finish line side by side wi th Kidd breaking late for the lead. Springer regains going high through tum two. Kidd drafts on the back straight, but Springer breaks high through tum two. Kidd drafts . o n the back straigh t passing Springer, but Springe r brakes late to regain the lead in tu rns three-fou r, Wheel ·t o- wheel ·t hey , exit tu rn fo u r with bo t h hugging the tank. Still wheel to wheel with inches separating their handlebars, Springer and Kidd dueled it out t o the last few feet w~th Kidd finding that' extra urge. Ironically, it comes out later,-Mike had $8 in pocket money after entry fees and was looking for a miracle. He got it and Indy outdid its elf again. The Claim Rumors that so meone would claim Kenny Roberts' bike before the end of the season had been float in g around ever since the circuit returned cast. Tonigh t it happened. Sam Ingram casually wal ke d up to Cen tral Regional referee Du ke Oliges wi th $3 ,5 00 and a slip o f pap er maki ng a claim o n b ike No. Two. "Pan d om on iu m . Checks appeared from thin air bearing Yamaha In t erna tio nal and Harley-Davidson Motor Company logos for counter claims. "Counters" were presented by Gene Romero, Kenny Roberts, Darryl Hurst and Randy Cleek before the time ran out. The number of each rider entering claim went on a pi ece o f p ap er S II • ~ t ~ r-.. O'l ...-l ;;: z ~ > > a: ~ e c Z ~ > w a: o :; III • W ..J a: ~ J: o >

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