Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Canadian Rueben McMurter took advantage of others' misfortune and finished third on his Kawasaki ELR 1000. Mike Baldwin. here lapping Kerry Bryant. dominated the Formula One r8ce for his third consecutive victory at Loudon. AltA Grand National Championship/ Camel Pro Series: Round J2 Mike Baldwin blitzes Loudon By Gary Van Voorhis LOUDON, NH, JUNE 17 Honda's Mike Baldwin earned a spot in the Bryar Motorsport Park record book with his third consecutive win in the Laconia Classic Formula One National. Baldwin, aboard a factory-prepared RS500, was in total command on the 1.6-mile track and lapped all except the · I secon d throug h fifth pace fIn- . . Ishers tWIce. Yamaha TZ7.50-mo~nted Doug Brauneck J:lOsted hiS best fml~h of the se~son with a sc;cond as dId Kawasaki 1000 E:L~ rtder .Rueben McMurter, who ftmshed thtrd. Wes Cooley, ~so on a Honda RS500, and Art Robbms, ~board a TZ750, rounded out the top fIVe. Crashes and mechanical problems in the47-lap, 75-mile Accel-sponsored race took a toll with only 17 starters in the 30-rider field still running at the finish. Baldwin, seeking a fourth Formula One Championship title, pulled well ahead of his rivals as they either crashed or struck mechanical gremlins. Baldwin leads Cooley in the standings, 44 points to 27, with Brauneck third at 26. Non-finishers Nick Richichi and Rich Schlachter hold a joint fourth at 22 points. There were three new faces and a couple of changes in machinery at this round. -Gamel Pro Series dirt trackers Ricky Gtah Sho- bert and Doug Chandler, all Honda sponsored, were in the program and starting their first ational road race. Of the three, only Shobert had any . d' . Grabam pnorroa raangexpenence. and Shobert were aboard 860cc versions of the 75Occ-based Honda Inter' ceptor while Chandler's bike was a stock 10000c Interceptor. The three had run the Bryar Motorspon Park circuit on Wednesday prior to the race plus Friday's extra practice. I h" . h "d . n t e sw~tc camps epanment, MtI~s Baldwm wason a Honda RS500 whlc.h he purchased for $23,~OO. . Mike Baldwm was the qUickest m qualifying with Miles Baldwin, wearing Mike's leather.s from last year, a somewhat surpnsll~g ~econd on the gnd smce Miles dldn t have much track time on the bike. Yamaha TZ750 rider Richichi was sandwiched in third by RS500 riders Randy Renfrow and Schlachter. Shobert was the quickest of the dirt trackers at ixth on the grid with Graham and Chandler behind him on row three. Five additional riders were added to the 25-rider National grid at promoter Don Brymer's option. Mike Baldwin LOok immediate command on the start and set a blistering pace which carried him to a four-second advantage over the rest of the field by the third lap. Renfrow, Schlachter, Miles Baldwin, Richichi, Shobert and Cooley were in a tight pack behind with the rest of the field following. Chander was II th with Graham I ~th. By lap six, Baldwin's margin was nearly nine seconds. Graham, heading into turn one, saw his ride come to an end in an accident which left the Camel Pro Series point leader with some cuts on his hands and a bruised ego. Richichi, Renfrow and Schlachter increased the ferocity of their battle for second while Miles Baldwin couldn't shake Shobert after taking sixth place away from him. The two ran close together through lap 10. Two laps later, Shobert crashed in turn eight. He was up quickly and back on the track, but the engine quit as he passed the pits and, after some checking of his bike by Honda mechanics, Shobert pulled off his helmet and headed to the pits. '" got on the brakes a bit too hard entering·the turn and the front end just got away," said Shobert. '" was just getting into the swingofthings." On lap 15, Miles Baldwin became a victim of turn one as he crashed. He was up quickly, shaken and battered a bit. He was more concerned with the condition of his new bike than himself. The most spectacular accident of the race, and the one which took out the majority of Baldwin's competition in the point race, happened at the end of lap 17 as Richichi, Schlachter and Renfrow headed into turn 10, a sweeping downhill/uphill righthander before the start/finish line. The three were running in close formation and apparently Richichi and Renfrow touched tires, with Renfrow getting dramatically out of shape and smashing the windshield bubble on his fairing before getting under control. Richichi had gone wide in the incident and clipped the haybales lining the outside wall, going down. Schlachter, avoiding Renfrow, had no place to go LO avoid Richichi's bike on the track and crashed into it, after getting on the brakes hard, going down also. Both were shaken, but with no apparent injuries. The order after the accident saw Baldwin way out front over Renfrow, Brauneck. Smrz, Cooley and McMur- teT. By the halfway £lags, Baldwin's margin was 30 seconds on Renfrow. Brauneck was inching away from the McMurter/Cooley/Smrz battle as it heated up. Smrz almost didn't make the start as he had crashed in practice, injuring his right elbow and ankle and doing a lot of damage to his bike. Renfrow's gearbox began leaking fluid and on lap ~4 he was in the pits for work until it was decided to park the bike. Smrz also spent time in the pits, but came back out to race. The final highlight of the race came at the finish of lap ~9, as Baldwin did a classic late-braking maneuver going into turn 10, stuffed his bike under Brauneck's and accelerated past as they crossed the start/ finish line. Baldwin had lapped the field. Behind the top five of Baldwin, Brauneck, McMuner, Cooley and Robbins, came a very happy Chandler. Results 1. Mike Beldwin (Hon); 2. Doug Breuneclt (Veml; 3. Rueben McMuner(l

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