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lAbovel Jeff Haney 1501. AMA offlcl8l and their moment of truth. Jlmbo FIIIc:e
178 and belowlahared victory lane with wrench Storme Winter.
76-Mile Novice Road Race
California kids
By Charles Morey
DAYTONA BEACH, FL, MAR. 7
"This was my first 250cc race ever," Team Yamaha's Jimbo Filice told reporters from Daytona International Speedway's victory lane. "I
raced a 125cc bike three years ago, twice, when
I was 13 ... well, maybe I was 14."
Filice had set a new average
speed record - 98.082 mph for
-I N .
\ t h e 20- I~p. 7 6-1J.l1 e C?Vlce event
- and his margm of VIctOry over
20
second placer Dave Busby was 46.6
seconds. The previous record of
96.664 was set only last year by Texan
Benny Del Monico.
The results are under protest by
Team Honda's Jeff Haney who rode
"another name brand," as he put it, in
today's race. Haney's Yamaha fouled a
plug on the grid, and from where they
were working on the machine. the one·
minute sign was obscured by smoke
from the waiting field of Novices.
Haney rode up the inside line, attempting to put his machine back into its
mid· front row staning pclIition and
was met by gesturing AMA official
Rick Titone just as the green flag
dropped. Jeffs rolling stan put him
into t~e lead, but his advantage was
sbon·hved.
"He's already a lap down," AMA
Referee Charlie Watson said as the
riders completed their fint lap. The
rulebook requires that the rider either
be gridded when the one-minute sign
is displayed, or he must stan from the
back of the grid.
Haney's protest, disallowed by Watson, has entered the appeal stage.
Haney says that the one·minute sign
was not visible from the back of the
grid and that Titone, after fint
signalling him to stop, then waved him
off with the pack. A final decision will
be announced once AMA officials
have reviewed the incident.
Haney continued racing, eventually
finishing 10 seconds ahead of Filice,
but actually a lap down in 17th place.
