Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ 00 C'J ~ Q.) ,.0 8 Q.) :> o Z Team Ontario (2) and Po Folks Racing (60) get close during the opening lap. Ontario went on to win while Po Folks had an engine failure. (Front row, left to right) Keith Perry, John Ashmead, Lynn Miller and Kaz Yoshima pose with other members of their championship-winning crew. AMA/CCS Endurance Road Race Series: Final round Daytona win, title to Team Ontario By Gary Van Voorhis DAYTO fA BEACH, FL, NOV. 2 Team Ontario, with John Ashmead and Lynn Miller handling the riding, won the inaugural Daytona Six-Hour and the series championship along with it. At the end of 551.8 miles, covering 155 laps on the revamped 3.56-mile combined oval/road course at Daytona International Speed- 10 way, Team Ontario was four laps up on second-place finisher Team Lyte with Team Mota-Guzzi roundingout the top three. Team Lyte, with Rich Jagoe, Paul SLOkes and Rob Whelan riding, were in contention on their Kawasaki Ninja throughout and put pressure on the. Ontario Honda 1000 in the final hours until overheating problems forced them LO slow their pace. Team MaLO-Guzzi finished seven laps oH the winning pace and was one of the few teams to use four riders with Nick Phillips, Noel Portelli, Larry Shorts . and Gregg Smrz all getting track time. Heading inLO the eighth and final round of the series, three teams Sailing Shoe, Mota Guzzi and Ontario - all had a shot at the title in the best-six-fi n ishes-ou t-of-eight series, with scoring based on miles finished plus bonus points for finishes in the overall top 10. Ontario, 199 points behind series leader Sailing Shoes going into the race. LOok the title over MaLO-Guzzi, 3184 LO 3048 points. Sailing Shoes, with problems, finished 12th overall at Daytona and third in the final standings with 3003 points. A field of 60 teams took the green flag at II a.m. Rough Stock Racing, with Dr. David KieHer and Rueben McM urter sharing the duties, took control on lap two with McMurter quickly breaking free of the rest of the field on the Rough Stock Moriwaki Kawa aki 1025. The mai n strategy of every team during the first hour was gambling with gas consumption. Team I Think I Can was the first to pit 40 minutes inLO the hour. Through the six hours the team kept a consistent pace on thei r Honda Ascot 500 and was rewarded with the Lightweight class win via their J 7th-place finish, 20 laps down at 135 laps completed. "It would be great to win," said Ontario' Keith Perry, "butourstrategy is LO finish. The way the point scoring works we're actually in the be t position LO win the title although we are third in the standings. Our worst finish was 80 miles and that's the race we'll drop, so once we finish 80 miles here then we begin to roll up points. Sailing Shoes and MaLO-Guzzi have worse finishes around the 350mile marks, so they won't begin to score until they've passed that distance. Basically, SailingShoes would have LO finish 86 miles ahead of us LO win the title." Ontario LOok on gas at the 45-minute mark. By the end of hour one, Rough SLOck had an over one-minute lead on the other five teams - Po Folks, Ontario, Lyte, Spirit and MaLO Guzzi - who were all on the lead lap. The lead six pack had covered 22 laps. A storm front moved in a few minutes into hour two, dropping a good bit of water on the back straight and chicane while only sprinkling the front straight and infield. Although the pace slowed considerably, many riders went down in slow motion crashes with few injuring more than their pride. Ontario took over the lead from Rough SLOck for about 20 minutes before handing it back due LO a quick, but unscheduled pit SLOp. Once back in front, Rough Stock held command as the field settled in behind. Sailing Shoes, with early problems, was working back up through the field. Po Folks began LO have problems with their Kawasaki during the second hour and lost over 10 laps as a result. Rough Stock had problems with a rear tire change 'i n hour three which cost them nearly four minutes. The cushion they had built up LO that time-nine laps-didn't suffer much. At the end of hour three Rough SLOck held an eight-lap gap on Ontario with Lyte one lap behind and MOLOGuzzi nine laps back at 73. Spirit. on a Yamaha FJIIOO, held fifth at 72 laps. Rough Stock's shot at the win went up in smoke - literally - halfway into hour four. McMurter had the engine blow at nearly top speed on the front straight. Po Folks' ride came to an end at nearly the same time when the engine digested a valve and then a pi ton. They put in a spare engine and went back out, but only LO get time on the new engine. Ontario pulled of[ a one-minute tire change and was oH and rolling with the lead in hand after the demise of Rough Stock. "We're way ahead of where we thought we'd be," said Ontario's Miller. "It's a bit hard LO hold back now, but that's what we're trying LO do. Finishing is still the top priority, but I'd sure like LO win if we can." '.'1 think we're far enough ahead of Sailing Shoes that we can win the Middleweight class title," said Smrz about Team Mota-Guzzi. "We need to beat them by about two laps. The way Ontario is running, we've stopped thinkingabout the overall titlcunless something happens to them." Ontario lost the physical lead LO Lyte heading imo hour five when they made a special SLOp to change the (ront brake pads a lap after doing a gas/rider change. The Lyte Racing riders were eager to give Ontario a run for the money, but the bike began LO overheat and they had to slow their pace. Sailing Shoes was also in the pits straightening bem handlebars and replacing the front brake lever after rider Eric Kimple went down in turn one. Chris Ross and team captain Eric GiHord split the riding chores from there on. Back in the pack a duel was going on between Strick's Cycle and BiWheel Racing over the Lightweight class title. "Our plan has been to lay back, run smart and not crash or break," said Strick's Cycle rider Bob Green. "We're really down on motor here." Green was teamed with Gene Strickland on a Honda Ascot 500. The standings at the end of hour five saw Ontario with a two-lap lead, 126 to 124, over Lyte with MotoGuzzi at 121 followed by Bruce Sass and Tom Marquardt on the Spirit entry. Team Coconuts, after a strong late race charge on their Honda 1000, was fifth with Doug Chancey, Joe McKay and Jim PenningLOn riding. "I rode the start, so John (Ashmead) will ride to the finish," said Miller. "We're going to top up the tank with about 30 minutes LO go and cruise. I hope, LO the finish," Smrz was riding the last leg for MalO-Guzzi while Gifford was up on the Lyte entry for the last miles. The top three positions didn't change before the checkered flag at 5 p.m. Fourth place, which Spirit held at the beginning of hour six, became a fight to the finish with Team Coconuts when Spirit had to make a stop to fix a loose cap on the oil intake after not tightening it enough when they put oil in during the rider/gas SLOp. Coconuts took advantage of the SLOp, moved back omo the same lap, and was ahead at the finish to grab fourth and bump Spirit LO fifth. "It·s been a long two years. a very long two years," aidKazYoshimaof Ontario Mota Tech, Team Ontario's main sponsor. He was referring to Ontario's losing the 1983 WERA National Endurance Series to Team Hammer. "I believe this title is more meaningful LO us," said Miller, "because the chase was tight right to the end. There is ,.Iot of ,trong competitioll." In addition to Ontariu Muw.l ech, the team receives help from Luckhart. K.C. Racing, Moto-X Fox, ND. RK Chain, Dunlop and Spectro. "I wish the bike hadn't overheated," said Lyte's GiHord. "We had horsepower on Omario and I think we would haw won the r

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