(Abovel Straddle-the-front-wheel starts got a little hairy. (Belowl Robert
Robertson took second in 250cc Intermediate division.
Staten
smokes
Un-Leap
YearGP
,,
By Ron Lawson
CORONA , CA , FEB . 25
The Corona Grand Prix rank among the most
eagerly awaited races in Riverside County.
The Racing Association of Cycle Enthusiasts
(R.A.C.E.), headed by Ron Crandall, somehow
manages to organize these events
several times a yea r and come up
with smooth running races every
.
Th
k i
If .
h
tl.me.
e trac . use IS anot e.r
8
J
bIg draw for th e nde~ . Although this
yea r some of the favoTlt.e features were
take~ out du.e to flood 109, the course
~em a lOe~ umque and full of challeng109 .sectlons. The total nu~be~ of
entrres neared the 700 mark this time .
The Pro race got underway prompt·
Iy a t 10:15 and held a knock -down drag-out battle between Yamaha 's
Rex Staten and DG's Steve Bauer in
the 250cc class. Staten aced the dead
engine, straddle the wheel start while
Bauer was back in 10th. The DG rider
, always does well on the Corona turf,
..
though, a nd before on e lap he was
righ t on Staten 's ta il. State~ was
caught unprepared and a few rmnutes
later he w passed by Bauer , who
then opened a small lead. The two
riders had , by this time , totally left the
rest of the competition behind. The
battle for th ird place was a dice
between Yamaha riders Jerry Raymer,
Jim Hoover , and Bill Barlow. The next
group cons isted of Pryor Campbell
(Hon) , Marty Miller (Suz), Mike Johns
(Ya m ) and , suffering from a very poor
start, Ammex mounted GaryJones.
Back in the lead, Bauer was still
holding off Staten on the second lap,
but his pace was beginning to take its
toll and he was getting out of shape.
He lost control in one' tum and just ·
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