Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Expert/Junior affair. Speedway racing at Volusia County Speedway also drops the checkered flag for the final time. Racing in both events begins.at 8 p.m. Sunday This is the day that the majorit y of us wait for . The peak, the crescendo , the. main course , the ultimate high ; call it what you will this is Speed Week . If you've al ready purchased you r grandstand ticket then you can arrive at your leisure. Of course if you are planning to see the race then you had better plan your arrival for around eleven. Traffic has a way of slowing everyone down as the noon opening ceremonies and the I p .m. start ing time approache. Those of you who will do your wa tchi ng from the infield sho uld have already spent at least one day a t the track picking out your favorite spot to view the race from . T here are p lenty of good p laces although the a reas where the rider enter a nd exi t the in fiel d a re t he m ost p o pular and therefore the most heavily po pu lated. Ano th er a rea that is popula r is the high speed switch back (esses) where a good portion of the infield is visible . The chicane is also a neat place to watch part of the race fr om and gives you an entirely different angle than any other part of the track. The main thing to remember is tha t there will be a lot of other people at the race with the same ideas you have so get there early, early, early to be sure of getting a good spot. Remember, you don't have to watch the race from only one place. The 200 will take almost two hours to run so you ha ve plenty of time to wander around. A f ew ti ps on watching the races T here is an a rt to watching a race and gettin g th e most ou t of it. We've compiled a few ti ps a nd hints that shou ld inc rease you r awareness of what's goi ng on and , hop efully. add to you r enjoy me nt . It 's recommended reading for th e first time Da ytona war cher and should help explain th e questions wives and girlfri ends alway s seem to come up with. You have two choices at Da ytona on whe re you want to view the races from : the grandstands and the infield. T he infield offers unrestricted movement to a good number of viewing points while the grandstand area gives you a permanent seat with. depending on where you chose to sit, a good number of (stationary) viewing choices. Since each place has its own special points. the final judgement as to which is best is a strictly personal choice. The ultimate race watcher has on e eye on the scoreboard, one eye on the race through binoculars. a radio with the race broadcast on and one ear tuned to the golden throat of race an nouncer Roxy Rockwood . If what has just been mentioned seems somewhat impossible , you 're probably right although it might just be the only way to keep on top of all that is usually going on. In any case a radio and a pa ir of binoculars should be con sidered a necessity along with a hat, su n glasses , sun tan lotion and a pillow for t hose in the grandstand . Don't forget you r program ; it's hard to tell who's who without a scorecard. Everybody has a favorite a nd one way to keep track of his progress on th e track is by making note of the color com bin a tion of his leathers . helm et and bik e . It is much easier to pick a flash of co lor out of a pack of riders than it is to strai n you r eyes searching for a number . Once th e rid er has d evelop ed a pattern t he n following his p rogress becomes much ea.sicr. One of t he best wa ys lU find out m ore about t he race is to have eac h person in your group watch a different ride r th en , a t the end of th e race. you will each ha ve a different view point on the ra ce . Pa y a ttention to th e " d a rkho rse" ride rs, the ones you ma y never hav e heard about before. T he speed the top rid ers will be reac hing on port ions of the tra ck d u ring th e 200 will approa ch 180 m iles per hour. T h at's fast. Howe ver , speed becom es rela tive a fter awhil e and a rid er goi ng 140 mph looks just like one going 170 mph , unl ess of co urse. one is passing th e other. Sh eer speed on the ova l part of the track p lays a large pa rt in th e success of a rider, but if he isn't fast through the infield th en he isn't doing his job. The ra ce can be eas ily won or lost on the tim e d iffere nce in th e infield if the riders are eq ua l in speed on th e ova l sections. Infield spectators wat ching from eit her th e infield entrance (tu rn one) or exit (tu rn six) can get an idea on times by picking out a fixed position on both turns a nd then timing th e in terval between entrance and ex it with a stop watch or sweep second hand. Grandsta nd viewers in certain secti ons ca n do th is also . Infield wat chers should wat ch th e esses since , ac cording to the rid ers , this is an area th at sepa ra tes th e leaders from th e also rans. APRIL 15,16,1978 60% Payback + Contingencies 0-125cc. 126-25Occ. 251 -0pen. over 38 yrs. o ld -1st t ime everLas Vegas 400 Sportsman C lass fo r trophies only 0-125. 126-250. 251 ·0pen Everyone w ill race on Sunday. April 16 approx. 85 m iles - 4 lo o p s - ~ way gas & change over 40 miles Paved p it area cam pi n g OK 30 gal , fr e e gas fo r a ll Las Vegas 400 teams T-s hi rts Jacket Patches Fini sher P ins En try: Pro $250 per team + insu ra nce Sportsmen $100 per team + in s u ranc e · S P ECIAl NOTE Timed e v ent-drawing for starting position March 15 f or m o re info & e ntry b lanks write o r c all: LAS VEGAS 400 c/o Sportsma n C y c le 3475 Bou lder Hwy. Las Vegas. NV 89121 702-457-0343 Grandstand viewers sho u ld be a ble to pay a good deal of att ention to two of t he finer point s of raci ng : pit sto ps a nd th e high spee d ballet of riders en tering th e infi eld . T he majori ty of th e riders will mak e th ree pit stops to take on gas eac h time. T he stops sho uld fu nction like a fine watch a nd work in strict precision with every piece in pla ce , never skipping a bea t unt il the job is don e . Don 't blink you r eyes or you ma y mi ss th e d ra m a of the rid ers scream ing d own pit ro ad a nd div in g into thei r pits using their brak es a nd th e pe rso n holding th e pit boa rd as a sto pping device . The top crews ha ve the stops d own to where a rid er shou ld be on his way three to four seconds after enteri ng his pit zone . This is another area where precious seconds lost could make a difference in a riders' final positi on . The ability to hold off braking until the very last moment isa skill . If you have a view of the infield ent rance from your grandstand seat then you may want to watch the braking markers .. the signs with 300 ·200- 100 on them just past the finish line--and see who brakes (sits up) where. If there is a close rider duel this is likely to be th e spot where the passing is done. The follo wing figu res should give you an idea of just how critical braking is. Two years ago the top riders were timed via a VASCA R ra d a r unit at close to 160 mph crossing the finish lin e just prior to backing off the gas and getting on the brakes. The turn into the infield is negotiated at around 70 mph d epending on the riders skill , meaning that a misjudgement of a split second or d iving in just a few feet too deeply before getting heavily on the binders to scrub off nearly 100 mph of speed could spell disaster. Another area where braking can be obse rved is the chicane. In this instan ce the riders are coming off the high speed on back straight and quickly sweep ing their way through the chica ne . There is a greater la titud e in the m a rg in of er ro r here . but m iscalculations bring disastero us results . Remember the key to having a good tim e and enjoying yourself is to becom e involved in the ra ce . Cheer on you r favor ite a nd observe what makes him a good ra cer; then observe his riva ls. You may just find a lot more ra c~ng th~n you, t..h,ou g~~ was th~!.c::__ . ~ MI~ I YlelS I 8 April 14 & 15, 1978 Team Desert Mini Bike RAce Two-man t eam - 1 bike classes: O-SOcc. 81-100cc age limit: No one over 15 yrs. Lot s of super neat trophies, t-sh irts, jac ket patches. & finisher pins Also - other free goodies approx. 100 miles - 4-25 mile loops Race on Sat., April 15 Paved pit area - camping OK entry $80 per team . · S PECIAL NOTE: timed ev ent - drawing fo r starting po s ition March 15 for more info & entry blanks write or call: LAS VEGAS 400 clo Sportsman Cycle 3475 Boulder Hwy. Las Vegas, NV 89121 702-457-0343 At you r dealer's or at you r door buy Cycle News or subscribe and we'll de liver ! DEALERINQU IRIES INVITED .s ..~ l ... ~~__o, Robert Bosch Plugs AIRCON E " f or m erly A ir co Sheet Metal" 15209 Grevillea Ave. Lawndale. CA 90260 . 21~75-5290 Complete Une of M o t o t ek - COl Kits • 35

• Cover