Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126951
David Roper (1), Kurt Liebmann (52), Charles Kalko (501) and John Long (42) at the start of the Formula 750cc Four-Stroke class. Roper captured victories in three . classes at Daytona. Long leads Keith Gonyou in the Two-Stroke Grand Prix class. Long won the race as well as the Lightweight 3 class on a BultaCo. Daytona Vintage Road Races Roperromps By Henny Ray Abrams DAYTONA BEACH, FL, MAR. 2 Team Obsolete's Dave Roper dominated the Daytona Vintage Road Race program with wins in the Premier 500, Forhlula 750 FourStroke and Lightweight One c,lasses run over' a-1.76 mile course of the Daytona infield and banking. "I . h h I k d l'k . t mig t ave" 00. e ' I e a d day at th e beac, R sal , h oper "but it was a tough day at the office;" Former Grand National Champion Roger Reiman led the 500cc Prel1\ier class ahead o[ Roper on the G-50 MalChless, John Cronshawon another Team Obsolete ' G-50, ete J 0 h nson P on the Drixton Honda 450 and Amol Precision's Kurt Liebma~n on the R-50 BMW. Liebmann's race was over early with a crash in the right-hand horseshoe on the [irsi lap. He remoumed; but was out o[ comention and finished sixth. Roper lOok over on the second lap ahead of Reiman with Johnson third ahead of Cronshaw. Frank Mrazek was a distant fifth ahead of Obsolete'sMarco Polo. "Once I lost comact with them they were gone. I couldn't see them," Mrazek said. . Heading up on the banking It was obvious that Reiman had a considerable power advamage with Roper having lO make up time in the infield. "A couple of times he passed me on the bowl or coming omo the bowl. But I felt like I could get through the slow stuff better. The Matchless is more agile," said Roper. Cronshaw dropped out with a punctured from tire on the fifth lap as Roper, Reiman, and Johnson hit traffic. Roper, running laps around I:26 used it to his advantage to pull away with Johnson trying to outdistance Mrazek [or third and running imo his own traffic troubles. "It was a real sc.ene at times," Johnson began. "You didn't know going imo the corners where they'd be. It got real hairy. If this thing gets successful enough maybe they could ru,n separate races for the slower and fas~er racers. It'd be a lot safer." . On the 13th lap Roper held a three second lead and a lap later turned a lap of I:24.63. Johnson was 24 seconds back. The race ended for Reiman on the same lap when he threw a chain imo his rear wheel destroying it. Roper cruised lO the win with 29 seconds on Johnson with Mrazek third and Cycle World magazine edilOr Paul Dean fourth on another Team Obsolete Matchless. Johnson and Mrazek were the only riders on the same lap as Roper at the finish. "I was lucky lo be there," Mrazek . said. "I had a problem'with the brakes and wem of[ the track twice." "You never count out Roger," Roper explained after the race. "I didn't want to let anyone set the pace." In the Formula 750 Four-Stroke class Roper was away IOth and had to work for the lead. Ron Dameron got the holeshot but crashed hard in the left-hand kink on the second lap breaking a wrist. John Long put his Honda imo the lead with Roper, on the ex-Dick Mann Daytona-winning' BSA triple, in second and Kurt Liebmann on the kitted CR750 Honda four-cylinder third. Frank Mrazek was fourth on a Triumph ahead of Tri"umph-moumed Pete Johnson and Robert Rogers. By the third lap the leaders formed a quartet with the Hondas of Long and Liebmann leading the BSA of Roper and Triumph of Mrazek. Johnson was off the pace in fifth. Braking late off the banking, Roper took over the lead on the fourth lap as Liebmann and Long swapped places. Soon after, Mrazek, on the ex-Paul Smart Triumph, started spewing smoke and slowed. Roper had been having shifting" problems which were exacerbated by a collision with Mrazek early in the race. Coming through the horseshoe near the halfway poim Roper missed a shift letting Liebmann, Long, and Mrazek by, but quickly moved back lOward the from. Soon after the halfway mark Liebmann's machine sounded off-song. "I thought I blew it up," he said. "When I got past John and Dave I decided to go. Then it popped and kept popping. The only thing I could (Continued to page 45)