Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

ichi, aboard another 750, and Sam McDonald, on a Honda Support RS500 filled out the front row. A field of ~2 bikes were called to the grid, but only 27 showed. Smrz started om row five. After a minute of silence in memo.JY of Hugh Humble and Mark JIWes, the field took two warm-up raps. Then, it began to rain. A ~O-minute delay to change from slicks to'ram tires ensued. t~-. Mike Baldwin and McDonald'led the field off the start on a damp track, as the rain had stopped falling. Mike Baldwin had six seconds on the t of the field at the end of lap one hd his strategy of building up a huge lead as soon as possible was quiCjCjy taking place. "I knew I could run on a wet or d.TY track with the tires I had on. The icfea was to have a big enough lead in [he early laps so I wouJdn't have to posh it if some rider wanted to berserk it if track conditions changed." Mike Baldwin said later. By lap two, Mike Baldwin had 10 seconds on Cooley, who had moved past McDonald as had Fred Merkel. Brauneck and Miles Baldwin were challenging McDonald in fourth. Richichi. Dan Nolan, Larry Shorts. Dave Busby and Smrz made up the top I!. _ Cooley's ride came to an end on lap three when he crashed, unhurt, in turn three. "I was heading into tum three and lost concentration for an instant when I saw a corner worker with an oil nag," said Cooley. "The next thing I knew I was sliding along the track." Cooley's crash almost ended McDonald's ride. "I went off the track. to avoid Wes when he went down," said McDonald. "I somehow broke the steering damper and the bike was a real handful to hold onto after that." The average speed at the end of five laps was 88.962 mph, much slower than Mike Baldwin's heat winning 102.760 on a dry track; Baldwin was already lapping slower traffic. One rider taking advantage of the wet track condi tions was Busby, who b,a.d charged his way to fifth. Baldwin's advantage had grown to 21 seconds by lap seven while Merlcel, now in second and riding a HoHaa Interceptor-based Superbike inseead of a RS500, led Brauneck by a gOod margin. Busby had moved PiI t McDonald a lap earlier for fotir'th while Smrz had broken away £rom the Miles Baldwin/Richichi Chambers battle for seventh. On lap 10, the battle for fourth heated up into a Busby ISmrzlMcDonaldiRichichi confrontation. Meapwhile, Mike Baldwin had lapped .s way through 10th place. Four laps later, Richichi, W - e running fourth, crashed in turn thR:e. "Gregg and I were going at it for fourth," said Richichi. "Gregg had just made a clean pass on the outside heading into turn three when we touched and it took my front wheel out. I couldn't save it." "I got a half lap further around the track after that," said Smrz. "and the engine seized. I pulled the clutch in hoping I could coast a bit and the engine would cool down and unstick itselL Unfortunately, it didn't and I had to park it." Rain began to fall on lap 16 and continued throughout the remainder of the race. Baldwin was ~5 seconds up on Merkel with Merkel holding a good lead over Brauneck. Busby. as a good distance ahead of Miles BaAdwin, while McDonald followed. ... "I made the wrong tire choive." said Miles. "On the damp trad I could make up some ground. but as soon as it began to rain I had to con- Cl(") 00 (j') Mike Beldwln rode to e one-minute leed et Breinerd end took his second Fonnule One Chempionship. (File photo. I ANA GraDd NadoDal Cbamploasblp/ Camel Pro series: Ro_d Z9 Race, title to Mike Baldwin at BIB By Gary Van Voorhis Photos by Rick Corwine BRAINERD, MN, SEPT. 4 Honda's Mike Baldwin, with a convincing victory in the final Formula One National of the season, clinched his second consecutive U.S. Road Racing Championship title on a wet Brainerd International Raceway track. Baldwin's win in ' .. the Hon da CI aSSIC wa~ ~S th~d of the year and he did It wIth 8 ease, holding nearly a one-minute margin of victory over teammate Fred Merkel. The biggest surprise of the 25-lap, 75-mile race was supplied by Dave Busby, who rode a "vintage" Yamaha TZ350 to third and the champagne celebration in winner's circle. Rounding out the top five were Yamaha TZ750-mounted Doug Brauneck, who lost third on the final lap to Busby, and Honda's Sam McDonald. The entire weekend was run on a somber note afterthe deaths of Hugh Humble and Mark Jones in an accident at the end of the first practice session on Saturday morning. The two had received the checkered nagat the end ohhe session with Jones slowing to enter the first of three exit roads. Humble was apparently still at racing speed when he struck Jones. lJ --' .. .J The three-mile, 10-turn Brainerd ~nternational R~ceway course mcludes a front straIghtaway of over 4,000 feet. The pit area and multiple entrance/exit roads are situated directly off the fastest racing line down the straight, thus the dangerous situation. Many riders in the payto-ride practice session on Friday had mentioned the danger of the situation to the AMA. After the accident, the AMA, track officials and riders discussed the situation and completely revised the pit entry/exit procedure and locations. Due to threatening weather, the Formula One final was moved up in the program. Most riders welcomed the change, but for Gregg Smrz' crew it meant even more pressure. Smrz had the crank go in his engine during the heat race and there was feverish activity in his pit area. "We've got a chance at the cham· pionship," said Smrz' tuner Phil Flack. "We'll do anything it takes to get the bike running." Miles Bald· win, also in the running for the title, offered them his spare crankshaft as ' ....... did Dave Schlosser. They chose Schlosser's because it mated better with their running gear and saved them at least a half hour's extra work. "I don't believe we would have finished the job if it hadn't been for Rich Chambers and Doug Brauneck pitching in to help," said Flack. They made tech inspection on the final call. For Mike Baldwin the pressure was on even though his nine point lead over Smrz and 10 points over Miles Baldwin was enough to allow him to finish fifth and still take his second consecutive title. "The pressure is on even more now that Freddie (Spencer) has won the 500cc World Championship," said Baldwin. "I'm planning to ride my race and see how things go," said Miles Baldwin of his strategy. ''I'd like to win the title, but everything depends on Mike and Gregg. The first priority is to beat Gregg." "I think we've got the horsepower," said Nick Richichi about the Yamaha TZ750s he, Miles Baldwin and Smrz were riding. "We should hound Mike and stick to him like his shadow to see just how hard he can push his Honda." Mike Baldwin, by virtue of his heat win which was one second faster than second heat winner Miles Baldwin, sat on the pole for the final aboard his factory Honda RS500 GP bike, a 500cc three-cylinder two-stroke. Miles Baldwin was next on his 750 with Kawasaki's Wes Cooley and his 1,000cc in-line four-stroke alongside. Rich, " . 1 c !,.

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