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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126339
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IAbove) Billy Addington .... Open Superblke •• Steve Ep8teln l288)take.
the tight InaldeUne.IBelow) Keith Klyota. 410cc Production winner.
(Above) Mllea Baldwin won Formula 2l11'1d 3.IBelow) Armed with • Honda
.bc. Joe Petton acored the Open Production win.
National Final win
the crack just in front of Baldwin and
was soon lapped. " I never could get
int o the groove," said the Georgia Pig
Farmer .
Pridmore pulled ou t of the race
before Singleton pulled into the pits, a
victim of unknown maladies.
b, Cham bers started a move in the mid
stages of the race that carried him past
Klinzmann, bu t the top four were just
too far in front to catch.
Baldwin. riding fa irly conservatively
to save his ti res, maintained a 15-20
second lead over Spencer. who had
more or less th e same margin on
Aldana. Morehead kept on going in
fourth. more than half a lap in front of
the next position. Singleton circulated
in seventh behind Chambers and
Klinzmann. That's how they finished ,
with Curt Connell, Robert Wakefield
(Yam) and Addington rounding out
the top 10. Addington was first nonTZ.
For his win , Ba ldwin collected
$2 ,600 to wrap up his '78 road racing
season. Sixteen classes paid money
from the $25.000 purse.
' 11n the 75-mile Formula S race .
Marl..Jones and Bruce Paterson led the
p*dominately Yamaha-mounted pack
up into the road course outside the
oval. By the next lap. Jones had
d ropped back behind Pa terson and
Dan Chivington. Miles Baldwin made
his appearance known quickly as he
blasted into the lead on the fourth lap.
Paterson and Chivington battled over
the second spot ahead of Dan Warren,
Jones. Hugh Humble, Tommy Byars ,
Mike Callahan. Rocco Giomo, Victor
Schaefer and Gerold Smith. A prerace fa vorite, Freddie Spencer
dropped out on the first lap with a
seized engine.
Baldwin was never significantly
pressured and went on to win easily.
Chivington soon decided the battle for
second was in his favor and also rode
easily to the checkered flag . Patterson
held on to third. with Byars moving up
into th e fourth spot. well back of the
leaders. Humble dropped out, while
Smith made good progress through the
pack to wind up fifth,
On Saturday, Baldwin had faced a
nearly identical field in the 24-mile
Formular 2 final . which was open to
S50 as well as 250cc machinery.
Baldwin started on the 11th row, and
caught leader Dan Warren shortly
beore the white flag . Warren closed it
to less than a bikelength at the
checkered, but Baldwin held.
In the Open Superbike race , Billy
"T he Bullet" Addington appeared 10
be the winner. after he took the lead
on the first lap and opened up a small·
but·consistent lead over 750 T riumph.
riding J on Minonno. But Addington
was disqualified after the race ,
reportedly for lack of a self generating
lighting system . Minonno was declared
the winner. with John Fuchs (Hon)
and Chris Rossi (Duc) second and
third.
Minonno was the wire- to-wire
leader in 750cc Production. beating
Ken Greene (Suz) who is also the
passenger on Reg Pridmore's Vetter
sidecar rig.
Pridmore and Greene took their
TZ750-powered chair to the sidecar
win. but not without a helluva scrap.
The Fred Hopp/Bill Alston Kawasaki
1000 rig traded the lead with
Pridmore and Greene throughout
most 'of the race. The two lead teams
passed each other all over the course. •
Results
FORMULA I: 1: Mike _
lVom); 2. Freddie
3. Dove Aldono lVom); 4. S _
5. Richerd ChomborslVom); 8. Horry
ICinznwnn lVom!; 7. Dolo SlngloIon lV~ 8. Curt
ComoII lVom); 9. Robert Wokoliold lVom!; 10. Billy
Adding10n tKowl.
FORMULA It 1. MIoo BoIdwinlVom!; 2. Don WOIfen
lVom!; 3. Bruce - - . lVom~ 4. Hugh Humble
lV~ 5. Don ChMngton lVom!; 8. Roa:o Giomo
lVom); 7. Richerd Chombors lVom!; 8. Doug Ilr--=k
lVom); 9. VOClDr Scholer lVom); 10. Don GugIiomo
Sponcor lVom);
_
lVom~
lVom!.
.
FORMULA III: 1. Miloll BoIdwin lVoml ' 2. Don
ChivingtOn lVom); 3.
lVomI; 4. Don
WOIfen lVoml ; 5. Tommy Byers lVom); 8. GoroIdSmith
lVom!; 7. MerIt .Jon.lVom!; 8. Roa:o Giomo lVom!; 9.
Viclor ~ lVom!; 10. Mike CoI_lVom!.
•
FORMULA IV: 1. Rocco Giomo CHon); 2. Tommy
Shioldo CHon); 3. Dovid lMlgloy lVom!; 4. Don
ChMngton (Han!; 5. Koilh Kiyolo (Hon) 8. Viclor
;
Scohofor CHon); 7. S_ IIrogg ISocl; 8. Jerry HIrdy
C
Suzl: 9. . - . . Ooowoki lHon ~ 10. KoiIh Brond (Hon)
.
OPEN SUPERBIKE: 1. Jon Minonno ITril; 2. John
Fucho ~ 3. CIwia R08i (Duel ; 4. Dovid ~ (Duel;
5. Fronk Mrozek lHon); 8. DicIt .lor.- lSuzl; 7. AlIon
.l