Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

RS500s everywhere: Randy Renfrow leads Wes Cooley and TZ750 rider Doug Brauneck. (Below) Formula One winner Mike Baldwin. Two-time U.S. Champion Rich Schlachter and his Maclean Racing RS500 finished third. AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series: Round 1. 1. Mike Baldwin scores at Road America By Gary Van Voorhis ELKHART LAKE, WI, JUNE 10 Mike Baldwin, with a flawless ride aboard his factory-backed Honda RS500, broke a personal string of bad luck at Road America to win the Formula One National during the Honda Super Cycle Weekend of racing. Baldwin, in his two previous rides at the track, failed to fin- 6 ish one complete lap in either National. On this day, the bad luck fell on last year's winner, Miles Baldwin, A broken crankshaft in Miles' Shoei/Cam-2-sponsored Yamaha TZ750 put the popular Canadian rider on the sidelines after a rousing nine-lap duel for the lead with Mike Baldwin. Nick Richichi, on another TZ750, was in contention for the lead until he was nearly blown over by a gust of wind. He inherited second on his Shoei/GS Performance/NO-sponsored machine when Miles Baldwin retired and he then rode a steady race, closing to within 18.!! seconds of Mike Baldwin at the flag. Honda RS500 riders in the form of MacLean Racing's Richard Schlachter and Sure-Fire/Burt Bigony-sponsored Randy Renfrow finished third and fourth with Doug Brauneck putting his privateer TZ750 inLO fifth. Mike Baldwin, the 1982-8!! AMA Formula One Road Race Champion, leads the Formula One point standings after two rounds by a two point margin, 24 to 22, over Richichi and Schlachter. While skies were clear in contrast to Saturday's ortloff drizzle, the wind had picked up and gusts of 20 mph and higher were common, and bothered all riders. The estimated 25,000 spectaLOrs spread out around the four-mile, 14-tum track in the emerald green countrysidedidn't seem LO mind. This was the first National to run under the new AMA rule which limits the starting field to the 25 fastest riders in timed qualifying plus an additional five at the promoter's option. Those riders not qualifying for the National run a consolation race. Mike Baldwin grabbed the pole with a 2 minute, 25.491 second lap. Richichi, Schlachter, Miles Baldwin and Honda RS500-mounted Wes Cooley filled out the front row. Renfrow, who broke second gear in his transmission on his first lap of qualifying and didn't make the top 25, was lucky to get into the added five at the back of the grid. Among those who didn't was Rueben McMurter. Mike Baldwin led the opening lap ofthe 18-lap final to within 50 feet of the start/finish line where Richichi drafted past with Miles Baldwin, Schlachter, Cooley, TZ750-mounted Art Robbins and Brauneck following. Renfrow had already carved his way to eighth. The Mike/Miles/Nick show became Mike/Miles on lap four when a gust of wind hit Richichi as he was exiting a turn and nearly blew him off the track. "I got slammed broadside by the wind and by the time I recovered and got my concentration back I had lost about eight seconds and any chance of closing back up on Mike and Miles," said Richichi. The average speed at the end of five laps was 104 mph with Miles out front by a bike length. The two Baldwins continued LO burn up the track in an exhilarating show of wheel-to-wheel, draft-and-pass racing between two veterans of the art. By lap seven the two had pulled out I!! seconds on Richichi while Schlachter ran a lonely fourth ahead of an on-the-gas Renfrow. Gregg Smrz, in his first ride on a Honda RS500, parked his bike after running into undisclosed engine problems. The start of the 10th lap saw Miles with a three-bike length lead on Mike as the two streaked past the start/finish line and blasted IOwards turn one. Nine turns later the "race" was over. Miles' engine came up with a broken crank and he was out for the day. With Miles out, Mike Baldwin had a !!O-second cushion on Richichi who took over second. Schlachter and Renfrow also moved up a position with a battle between Cooley and Brauneck over fifth heating up. On lap II, Brauneck took over sole possession of fifth and the finishing positions were set. As the laps wore down, Mike Baldwin slowed a bit while Schlachter moved closer LO Richichi, but not close enough LO make any real challenge. Renfrow, Brauneck and Cooley trailed while Robbins was a lonely seventh. Rich Chambers and Hap EaLOn, both riding Yamaha TZ750s, provided the only other battle in the LOp 10. Chambers finally got the upper hand for eighth with John Bettencourt coming home in lOth on his Honda IntercepLOr. "I really feel sorry for Miles," said Mike Baldwin. "We had a good race going and I think both of us were really enjoying it. If Miles hadn't had an engine problem, I'm sure the race would've gone right to the final feet before one of us came up the winner. "Before the start alii was thinking about was finishing the first lap. Once that was over with I knew I didn't have anything LO worry about. The wind was a problem only after Miles dropped out. Until then, we were concentrating so hard on racing I doubt either of us noticed it. After Miles parked his bike I tried LO slow my pace. When I did that, I began to get blown around. "Phil McDonald, my tuner, and I opted for a gearing change because of the windy conditions and it proved LO be right," said Baldwin. "My intentions were to make it a three rider race to the finish," said Richichi. "That strategy ended when I nearly got blown off the track. After that I had no chance to catch back up so I decided finishing second was a

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