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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126920
A contingent of Kern County (california) Sheriff. cheer a. American Rick William. pa.... Frenchman Marc Granie' to win on Sunday. The American team of (from left. standing) Rick Shaw. Cecil Don. Bill Justice. (from left. kneeling) Charle. Price. Michael Summers and Rick William. dominated the Police Olympic•• Absent: Mark Perez. Bernd Hein of West Germany (4) wheelied off the Race of Nation. start but cra.hed on the first lap; Rick William. (second row) won. pollee Olympic Motorcyde Road Raclns World Champlonshlp_ U.$. team tops the world at Willow By Bruce Newton ROSAMOND, CA, JULY 18 &: 20 American cops are the best in the world, at least at riding California Superbike School Ninja 600Rs around Willow Springs International Raceway. That's the v~rdict after the United States team dominated the inaugural running of the Police Olympic Road Racing World Championship 20 at Willow. Despite competition from France, New Zealand, Italy, Australia, Denmark, England, West Germany, Switzerland and Canada, the Americans took away all 12 gold medals there were to be scored at the event. Biggest individual winner out of the series of events held over two days (Friday and Sunday) was the Arizona Highway Patrol's Rick Williams, who collected a total of six gold medals. Emphasizing the good will in which the Olympics were held, Williams passed his gold medals out between his team-mates, Charles Price, Mark Perez, Michael Summers, Bill justice, Cecil Doss, Rick Shaw and non-riding Team Captains Bruce Wilson and David Steele. Williams' most gratifying win came in the Budweiser Race of Nations, one of th~ f~ature events on Sunday'S AFM program. The race lived up to its impressive pre-event publicity with the 2000strong crowd getting right behind Williams in his raee-long battle with Frenchman Marc Grani~. Williams, a Phoenix Road Racing Organization (PRRO) competitor, won the Budweiser race after making a brave outside pass on Grani~ at turn one. The Frenchman hung with Williams for the entire 1O-lap race, but could not repass in the dreadful 110° heat the event was run in. Price, of the United States, finishl'd third, giving the United States the gold and the bronze medal in the most prestigous event of the championship. But the U.S. had already sewn up the ov~rall on Friday with a totalJy dominant performance in the Open Pursuit Match Race. No less then 44 officers from 10 countries were available to compete at the start of Friday's practice. However, it soon became apparent that the amount of skill varied enormously between the police officers, with lap times as low as the one minute, 40second bracket and as high as the two-minute, 25-second bracket. Four medal classes were awarded during Friday's session at the racetrack, which was run under nonracing conditions with riders being let out onto the race track three to fi ve seconds apart on the California Superbike School machines. Williams earned the gold in the fastest-single-lap event with a 1:41.50 time, followed by FlyingTigers-sponsored AMA Superbike racet Rick Shaw of the Miami-Dade Police with a I :42.44 time, while Granie of the Compagnie Motocyclistes posted a I :43.18 to take the bronze. Williams also took the fastest average of three laps by country with a 1:41.71 with Graniesecondon I:H.75, while MOT Auckland policeman Simon johnson of New Zealand took the bronze with a 1:47.13 time.. Williams combined with Shaw and Price to take the fastest single lap, team (three fastest riders from each country averaged) with a 1:42.39, while Grani~ was joined by Gerard Singence and Raymond Loizeaux (both also of Compagnie Motocyclistes) on 1:47.81 for France's second silver, while johnson, Yogi (Grant) Martin and Dave Frew (both Auckland City Traffic) tied them for a silver also. Giangelo Croci, Gian Marco Rossi and Angelo Signorelli, all of the Milan Police, !rave Italy its first medal with I:48.35 lap time for the bronze. The Americans completed the sweep of Friday's results by winning the fastest average lap by a team (average of the fastest average laps, by country) with a I:42.38, with France second and New Zealand coming in third, the two countries posting a I :47.84 and I :48.28, respectively. With three points being awarded for a gold, two for silver and one for bronze Friday's competition left the United States with a stranglehold on the Olympics with 23 points; France had scored 15, New Zealand 10 and Italy was the only other country on the board with three points. The 44 riders from Friday were paired down to 19 for Sunday's Budweiser Race of Nations with two rider~ from each nation and the sole Canadian representative, Peter Ditchfield of Vancouver, making it through to the final. Most teams selected their two fastest riders for the race. However the U oited States elected to put Price into the lineup rather than Shaw. "We thought putting in Charles into the race would be more in line with the intention of the championship, giving the Amateurs a go rather than a Pro like Rick," explained Williams on the morning of the race. At the 1:30 p.m. start for the 10-lap race, Grani~ jumped into the lead until Williams made his daring outside pass into turn one on the Frenchman and led the rest of the way, much to the delight of the parochial crowd. However, Grani~ never fell more than a few bikelengths behind. Price was meanwhile having a lonely ride in third ahead of a swarming pack of riders dicing for fourth through 10th. With just two laps to go, Steen Pedersen of Denmark lost control of his Ninja in turn nine and crashed, once again without serious injury to himself or his machine. Williams clocked a 1:39.88 time on his way to victory, while Granie's best was a 1:40.14. Price, (a Sacramento Co. Sheriff), managed a 1:41.96 lap on his way to the bronze medal. The battle for the rest of the top 10 resolved itself with Singence, Australian Andrew Fogarty (Tasmanian Police), Denmark's Orla Madsen (Redovre Police), Australian Alex jerrim (Tasmania), England's Robin Haslam (North Yorkshire Police, no relation to Ronl, and Croci. That Left the final results as the United States scoring 12 gold, one silver and one bronze for 39 points; France with II silver and one bronze for 23 points; New Zealand with three silver and four bronze for seven points having been fined three points for Martin's crash; and Italy with three bronze and three points. Open Pursuit Results F"'STEST SINGLE tAP: 1. Rick Williom•• US.... 1:41.50; 2. Ria Shaw. USA 1:42.44; 3. Marc Gro"'o·. Fronce. 1:43. 18. F...STEST ...VERAGE OF THREE tAPS 8Y COUN· TRY: 1. Ria Williom•• US.... 1:41.71: 2. Marc Granie', France. 1:43.75; 3. Simon Johnson, New Zealond. 1:47.13. F...STEST SINGLE tAP. TEAM: 1. Williom./ Show/Price. USA. 1:42.39; 2. {TIEl Gronio' /Sin- gence/Loizelux. Fr.nce. and Johnson/MartinI Frew, NewZ....nd. 1:47.81; 3. Croci/Rossi/Signorelli. Italy. 1:48.35. F...STEST ...VERAGE tAP. TEAM: 1. Willioms/Show/Price. US.... 1:42.83: 2. Gro",o'/Singence/Loizeoux. Fronce. 1:47.84; 3. Johnson/Manin/ Frew. New Zoolond. 1:48.28. 8UDWEISER RACE OF NATIONS: 1. Rick Williams. USA; 2. MIre Grani.', France; 3. Ch.... Price. USA; 4. Simon Johnson. New Z••land; 5. Gerord Singonce. Fronce; 8. Andrew Fogarty. "'ustralia; 7. Orla Madsen. Denmark; 8. AJeunder Jer. rim. "'ustrolla; 9. Robin _om. Eng..nd; 10. Gionongelo Croci.lloly: I I . Angelo Signorelli. Italy; 12. Koilh Joggord. Englond; 13. _ r Di1chllold. Con_ ; 14. Rolond Goaloli. Swilzer'ond; 15. Rudolph K_1. __ Gormony: 18. HelnzBeuder. Switzer· lond.