Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

IAbovel Gene Romero 131. now riding a Don Vesco/Busch Beer special. led the early part of the race. He is followed by Skip Aksland 1271. Mike Baldwin lbehind . Akslandl. Dale Singleton 1301 and Ted Boody. IBelowl Rich Schlachter 1481 passed Singleton one third of the way into the race. swooped by him and led the field around the twisty "up close" track. The order at the end of the first lap was Romero, Aksland, Baldwin, Singleton, Schlachter, Boody and MarkJones. The front five stayed that way until Schlachter dropped Singleton to fifth on the ninth lap. But the spots behind the front running quintet shuffled on each lap. Bruce Paterson and Bruce Hammer joined Boody and Jones in the scrap for sixth, but Boody and Paterson's race came to an end with a pair of heavy get-offs in turn one and on !he 10th lap. Boody, who entered the event sitting in eighth place in the Winston Pro Series point standings, suffered fractures of the left wrist and right knee, a dislocated elbow, a lacerated left knee, and multiple abrasions. He was in intensive care at Concord Hospital following the race. Paterson was listed in satisfactory condition with fractured ribs. By lap III both Schlachter and Singleton had fallen back from the dice for the lead which was being' heatedly contested by Romero, Aksland and Baldwin. Aksland took the lead from Romero going into the first turn at the beginning of the 14th lap and Baldwin moved his Kawasaki by Romero two laps later. But on the next lap, the 17th, defending U.S. Road Racing Champion Baldwin unloaded in the high-speed sweeper on the back straight. Romero descr·ibed Baldwin's get-off . as "one of those things you hav(' no control over. He shifted and the rear end just went away." Schlachter, who was next on the scene, said, '" saw Mike-bike-Mikebike-Mike-bike. 1 knew it was a heavy one." Baldwin, who had planned to fly to Holland immediately after the race to compete in next Sunday's Dutch GP, suffered a fractured right femur and a fractured right elbow. With ambulances on the course, the field began to string out. Aksland was able to pull away from Romero by approximately a second per lap, and by the 20th lap had built up a sixsecond gap. Romero had more than that on Schlachter, as did Rich on Dale Singleton. Singleton "lost the clutch" and was forced to shift witbout it and couldn't use the rear brake while doing so. Schlachter caught up with Romero on the 28th lap and took over second on the following lap. Romero later detailed his problems, saying, "My ignition started going away and the bike wouldn't work under 9,800 rpm. , had to shift it down to first gear in just a bout every corner to get her to pull. It make me sick because Pete Davies and Nick Deligianas had done such a super job in preparing the bike. Here' was with Busch sponsorship - and you know their slogan is 'Head for the mountains' and here we were with the Don Vesco/Busch Special in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Anyway, third beats fourth." Despite his problems, Romero salvaged third because Dale Singleton was having his own problems, as described earlier. But the fast early pace of the pair had left them comfortably ahead of the rest of the field and when the red flag came out they were home free. That final lap was run with Texan Harry Cone and an unidentified rider being attended to at the start/finish line after they had unloaded there. While most eyes were either on Aksland and Schlachter or following Romero and Singleton's problems not to mention the circulating ambulances - Miles Baldwin moved the ex-Mike Baldwin Yamaha, sans fairing, into a fifth place finish. Three Californians - Dave Emde, Bruce Hammer and Harry Klinzmann followed Baldwin across the line while MarkJones and John Samway rounded out the top 10. While most. riders attended to dehydrated bodies and suffering machines in anticipation of a restart, the officials got their heads together and decided to call it a race, Aksland, occupying tbe victor's spot in winner's circle, told the crowd via announcer Roxy Rockwood's microphone, "I wanted Romero to pace it at the beginning so 1 could see where he could go fast and where , could pass him. It all worked out. We're through falling down, and now we're going back to the dirt to race those guys who don't have the guts to road race." Roxy told Skip he'd be sure and relay tbat latter statement to the dirt racers at Santa Fe and Columbus next weekend. That brought a grimace to Skip's face, but he regrouped and said, '" want to thank my brother Bud for tuning the bike and thank PJl Lubricants, Lecrron, Arai and Goodyear for their help." Runnerup Rich Schlachter said the heat wasn't re.ally a problem until you stopped, described his vibration problems, and expressed thanks for the help Joe and Fred LaBerge of Sky Cycle in Leominster, Massachusetts, had given him. While the injury toll put a damper on the event, the crowd, which appeared to be a record one for Bryar Motor Sport Park, filed out of the facility knowing they had gotten their money's worth of top notch road racing. • Results 750 EXPERT FINAL: 1. Skip Aksland (Yam); 2. Riclwd S c h _ (Yaml; 3. Gene Rome

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