Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

!THE E - PAPERS o NATIONAL 00 0') The big daddy of road racing here in the U.S. - that's Daytona, of course - is just around the comer. A few years ago, it 28 looked as though Daytona would far out-class any other road race in the world with the surge of 750cc machines. But something happened along the way, at least in Europe, to keep the 5001 the main class. Daytona, however, still ranks as the biggat in America when it comes to pavement racing even though the 750cc class is no longer just a 750cc class. With the addition of the lOOOcc four-stroke and 500cc two-stroke bikes in the 200 miler this year the race remains unique. If another new trend continues, we will find in the not-too-distant future more dirt tracking than road racing in Florida in early March. The days appear gone for good where we find the same cast of entranu riding both dirt and road racing. Daytona this year in the tnain evenu will have only one or two riders at best that do both and do them well enough to be given a second thought. Daytona has long been called Speed Week. Now it is Florida that is really the Speed Week. It boasu about every type of racing that pays dollars, except alT. The road racing entry list has riders from more than a dozen different countries, including the '79 Formula 750 Champ, Pat Pons from France and other names that are more familiar in Europe than they are here. But all are pure road racers. There is no reason to try and guess who the front runners will be in the Novice final. Since Freddie Spencer breezed through, it has been generally the typical Novice, known in his own area but staning his scrapbook with a possible win at Daytona. The 250cc Expen loo-miler last year ranks as one of the best. It went down to the final tum between Spencer and Skip Aksland with Aksland playing a trump card in traffic to prevent a photo finish. Skip, like many others in recent years, has now given up the dirt tracks to devote full time to road racing, mainly in Europe. Spencer will contest the 250cc event once again and have only one or two foreign riders to keep him company in what should be a very predictable finish on the same machine that came within inches of the win last year behind the lone factory Yamaha entered. Two events that are getting the most bench-racing attention at this time are the Superbike Production event and the 200 miler. It is no secret that Daytona is a pure and raw horsepower track from start to finish. No rider of salt ever downshifts to low gear. In past seasons, it has not been un· usual to find Daytona Superbike winners not winning on the shorter courses such as Laconia, Sears Point and Laguna Seca. But the stage for some interesting action is already assured with the finger-pointing going on between the defending champs, the Yosbimura Suzulr.is and the new Honda factory entries. If you can believe what you read in the paper, Honda has bought off all the good Suzuki mechanics, zapped Freddie Spencer away from Kawasaki, etc., etc. Poor old Pops Yoshimura got into visa troubles when he went to Japan and mayor may not get back in time to see his troops try for three in a row. (At presstime it was announced that Pops' health .",U lceep him from attending Daytona . .. Editor.) The first time Honda came to Daytona, back in the mid-sixties, their little 450cc twins broke the Junior track record by over five miles an hour and had the Junior loo-miler in the bag until the wrong tire wore out halfway through the race. The second time they came, this titne with 7505, they won it all. Contrary to today's re~rts they won with a last minute addinon to the team and not one of the three hand-picked foreign riders. Dick Mann was the man. Now they are back with veterans Ron Pierce and Steve McLaughlin, both Daytona Superbike winners. The third man is Spencer who totally dominated the Superbike class last year after Daytona and after he jumped aboard the Kawasaki. Pierce and Spencer are on the quiet side, but Steve could stir up the pot if he was all albne in the middle of the Sahara desert. The pot is stirring, and we're off and running for the Superbike event between Suzuki and Honda. In the 200, some of the Superbike riders will ride machines with production-based motors against the 750cc GP bikes. Kenny Roberts is back after two years, missing last year due to injury. There is no other road racer in the world that can run with Kenny at Daytona when the Yamaha four is running right. This year will be no exception. Few people remember that when he won at Daytona in '78. he lapped the entire fieldl Guys like Ronnie Jones can 1I\ake him eat dust on a dirt track, but nobody is going to come close on March 9 - with one possible exception. Kenny was quoted recently in a Los Angeles paper stating that in cycle road racing he never had to use his rear view mirrors because nobody ever passed him. I guess that is true. But what the heck, the 200 miler was a bore the last time Kenny raced it. So just to make it i~teresting, let's at least give him some competition for the first 100 miles_ That competition could and should be, Freddie Spencer. The rookie National road race rider. Laugh if you want, but remember where you read it. To say that Freddie does not have the experience is false. He has more road racing experience than any other rider entered in the 200 miler. That's a fact. Then add the fact that the riders all have long stated that the Daytona track is the easiest of all the courses to ride. You just need lots of ponies. The superbikes are coming. Friday, March 7th to "The World Center of Racing," Daytona International Speedway. It's the 1980 Superb ike 100, sponsored by Bell Helmets. And when the green flag drops, hold onto your seat. Because you're going to witness some of the fastest, most hair-raising racing on two wheels. Superbikers know only one way to ride. Wide open. And with over 1,000 cc's under their tanks, that means blasting down straights at well over 150 mph and knee scraping through turns at speeds most of us would never even

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