Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

TEAM YAMAHA MOTO III Aldana, Sarron and a hoat of others followed. Van Dulman's ride was quickly coming to an end. The Dutchman had broken a crank on the flJ'lt lap of the morning's final practice and feverish work to repair the damage was completed just five minutes before tech in· spection clOled. Unfortunately, the radiator couplings weren't tightened enough and coolant leaked out, causing engine overheating and forcing his retirement on lap seven. Also hitting the DNF column was Graeme Crosby who parked his Yoshimura Suzuki with gearbox and shifting problems. On lap 10 of the 52-lap race, Spencer had a 10-second lead Oller Schlachter who was a good distance ahead of the fight for third between Singleton/ Fontan or Fontan/Singleton - depending upon where they were on the trade Cooley was bein~ gained upon by Aldana while Chnstian Sarron was up to seventh. Past that position it was hard to tell just who was where al· though Jimmy Adamo and Wayne Gardner were on the move. Schlachter began to whittle away on Spencer's lead as the Honda appeared to laclt the power coming off corners and out of the chicane it had in the opening laps. Singleton and Fontan were drawing a bead on Schlachter in the meantime. John Long parked his ride on lap 15. "The engine was slow and just got slower until it stopped. That's it." Gas stop signs began coming out for stops on lap 16 or 17. On lap 16, Spencer was in and out in an unofficial sevm seconds. Five pits away, a near disaster was in the malting as Cory Ruppelt's pit crew disconnected the qwclt-ftll from his tank before turning off the gas. This drenched the rider and covered a good bit of the pit area and pit road with gas. Singleton's pit was two areas away and as he came in for his stop' he hit the'g'as and slid past his pit while brak· ing. Lucltily, Singleton didn't go down and he quickly took off - not losing a position. He came in on the next lap as Schlachter, who had taken over the lead when Spencer pitted, also stopped. Just as the gas stops of the leaders were taking place, Spencer ended his ride in a smokey pall of the start/finish line. "What can 1 say?" said a dejected Spencer. "The engine quit, that's all 1 know." Honda had a high rate of engine problems in both their Superbikes and Formula One bikes, so much so that riden Mike Spencer and Roberto Pietri were given the option of riding the 200 with their remaining engines or saving them for the Talladega Superbilte round March 15. Both chose to sit out the 200. The entire complexion of the race had changed. It was nearly one-third finished and Roberu was out, the four·stroke challenge had fIZzled and the top four fmiahers - in a somewhat different order - were already set. Schlachter held a bit of a lead over the Sin~leton/Fontan duel with Aldana crwsing in fourth. Aldana would continue to run fourth for the remainder of the 52 laps. "We didn't get a good plug check in practice so there was some ~rk involved in jetting," said Aldina after· wards of his Don Vesco/Bob Worktuned Wasco Racing Yamaha. "The engine was on the rich side and I really couldn't get the tOP end I wanted. 1 thought I could run with everybody in the opening laps, but as the race went on 1 saw I couldn't, so 1 settled into a comfortable pace and rode conserva· tively to fourth. " The center of attention became the Singleton/Fontan duel in which the pair would swap 'second three and four times a lap. The racing was close on the entire track.. Meanwhile, Schlachter pulled out a near 12-second lead. Miclt Grant drew attention on lap 26 when he literally had his Yoshimura Suzuki explode into a fireball on the front straight. "I had a bleeding rod go through the bleeding crankcase." said Britisher Grant. Luciltily, he wasn't singed. Dan Chivington was putting consistent riding to good use. He was aboard the G.V. Performance Yamaha that Ted Boody was slated to ride before Boody broke a collarbone in a crash earlier in the week. "I'm pumped," said Chivington after his fifth-place fmish. "I finally got a good bike to show how well 1 can ride. George Vencensi sure builds a good bike." "I k.now," said Boody who was also in the pits. "I should have been on it." Jimmy Adamo, on the Meadowbroolr. Sales Yamaha, was plunking away to· ward a seventh-place fmish. "I rode it one lap at a time and was going to fmiah no matter what," said Adamo. "If 1 had known Kevin (Stafford) was ahead of'me 1 could have gotten sixth, but 1 thought he was a lapped rider. That's luclt." Schlachter bepn to slow slightly as the laps dwindled towards lap 54 and the beginning of the second gas SlOps. "I had to raiIe my bead up on the banking to see over the bubble. That didn't help my concentration. " The margin was down to 4.5 seconds as Schlachter, Singleton and Fontan all pitted for gas. Fontan overshot his pit, made a U·turn and rode baclt, costing him precious seconds. Both Singleton and Schlachter were away lfuicltly. The trio continued their battle 1D the same positions. . Two laps later, Singleton moved by Schlachter in the entrance to the in· field. Without second and third gears, Schlachter was greatly hampered in the infield and motioned Fontan past three laps later. "I knew 1 couldn't keep up the pace with the tranny prob· lem," said Schlachter, "so 1 let Dale and Marc fight their own war." Singleton was off and running and by lap 45 had put nearly 20 seconds on Fontan. Schlachter was safe in third as was Aldana in fourth. Chivington had fifth sewn up. The only problem was finishing nine more laps to the checltered flag. They did. Once winner's circle ceremonies were over and the press had been saris· fied, there was an emotion·charged gathering in the 8eaulieulTaylor White Racing garage area. Singleton thanked Taylor White for starting him off eight years ago and being behind him through thiclt and thin. He then drew Carl Boucnert of Beaulieu - his GP sponsor - up on a makeshift stand to thank him. The final thanks were saved for his dad "C.E." 'This is what happens when you raise a boy up right," said C.E. There were tears in Singleton's eyes. • Results 1. Dole SingIft>n IV ); 2. Ma1: _ IVom); 3. Itic:hIrd Sc:hIIIc:hler IV ); 4. Devid _ IVam); 5. Dan Chivington IV I; 8. KINin S _ IV ); 7. Jimmy A<*no IV ); 8. Mart< _ IV ); 9. C _ s.mn IV I; 10. w.,.,.~ lKawl; 11. .Jack M-.U (Suzl; 12. NicIt Richichi IV....); 13. Roger l~); 14. H8rTy Cone IV....); 15. .., _ IV....~ 18. Bruce Lind IV....); 17. Hal Coleman IVam); 18. Kurt lan1z IV....); 19. Doug Il

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