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/126303
to ~atch and c ha llenge Aksland , a nd u~ul afte r th e first gas stops to pass hIm . Baker b riefly led Roberts a t th e start of th e second lap , th ro ugh the infield. But after Rob er ts rega ined first pla ce and Cecot to ca ught Aksland , th e fron t-runners' orde r stayed steady until th e 4 7th of 52 laps. Roberts led Baker, Cecotto , Aksland and Ron Pier ce , who held eight h on the firs t lap, bu t mo ved his self-o wned, selftuned TZ750 into fifth on lap two . By that tim e . th e front -runner tussl es were over. But behind Pierce , rea l drama a nd racing co nt inu ed . Mike Baldwin was fifth on the first lap . but ran off turn four - the sa me spot wh er e Aksland had crashed twice be~ore the .ra~e - and fell over. He go t gomg agam 10 29th , worked his wa y ? ack up to 13th, and th en hit a lappee 10 th e sa me turn on lap 12 and crashed for good . Steve McLaughlin went from 25th on the starting grid to 14th int o turn one , where his bike seized. When it did n 't get any better by the third lap , he pitted and quit. Gary Nix on (KK Supply/Erv Kanemoto) held sixth for the first two laps , was passed by Gene Romero (Don Vesco /Ocean Pacific Sunwear) on the th ird lap , and then retired with a seized engine - his sixth blown motor of Speed Week . Randy Mamola Oim Doyle) and Steve Eklund (Mario Zanotti) made their 750cc National debuts at -< Da ytona . Mamola started 22nd and 5 worked his wa y up to 15th, then 14th, ~ then 13th before a transmission seal let _ go and sprayed oil all over him on lap :: seven . He then retired . ~ Eklund started 23rd and worked up :; to 16th before his bike seized in th e ' - early laps. ~ Both Singleton and Bruce Hammer Z (Sa n ta Monica Consumers Credit hampered by Union) were disintegrating fuel tank vent cork gaskets , which plugged the vents and halted gas flow. Singleton came around th e fir st lap in 30th place, rid in g slowly and returned to the pits. Hammer did th e same soon after. Both lost seve ra l minutes in the p its an d put on terrific rid es, although down a lap . Sin gleton bl asted his wa y thro ugh tra ffic , passin g five to 10 riders a lap. While Sin gleton fought his wa y ba ck thro ugh the tra ffic . Hammer circu la ted with R omero , Hansford , Sadao Asami (Triton Ra cing Team) , an d H a rry Con e (Co ne's Mot ocycle Sales), a ll five slici ng through bac km arkers wh ile _ constantly swap ping positions. Singlet on passed the enti re group to unl ap himself, then lost more time in a nother lengthy p it stop wh en his p it crew doused him in gas. Cone went ou t on la p 20 , an d both Singleton's and Hammer's rides en d ed on the 44th lap , whe n Hammer's bik e's wa ter pump fail ed. The ' engi ne overhe a ted and pressu re forced off the rad ia to r ca p, dumping wat er in th e fast turn three and sendi ng the bik e's Hammer rea r wheel side wa ys. bounced up through th e bubble a nd ma naged to sto p , bu t Singleton , wh o was right b ehind , hit the water and , crashed ha rd , He suffered abrasion s. 5. Wes Cooley sta rted 14th and work ed his wa y int o eig h th before his bik e lost ;(cra nkshaft 'bea ring on lap 32. David Emde sta rted ninth and grad u a lly slip ped back d ue to handling and ti re r ro blems unt il he reti red on la p 33 . . Rom ero also ha d his problems. (Continued to page 36) (Above) In the crowded Daytona pits. Johnny Cecotto gets a quick pit. (Below) Skip Aksland survived two crashes in three days - both in turn four - and went on to finish third behind Roberts and Cecotto. 7