Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Round 2: Daytona International Speedway (Left) Stewart Rogers came away from round two of the AHRMA Historic Cup Series with se veral class wins , including the 250cc GP class aboard this 1966 Ducali 250. (Above) Jim Redman (4) emerged victorious in the 350cc GP class after teammate David Roper (1 B) cra shed while leading. Both riders were mounted on Team Obsolete-prepped MVs. By Matt Benson Photos by Henny Ray Abrams DA¥rONA BEACH, FL, MAR' &-7 Ti e slings hot has been a feared move at Daytona International Speedway for years. Coming off the East Banking and onto the fas t fro nt straigh t, a rider tucks in close to the mo torcycle ahead and uses the draft to get the turbocharged boost he hopes will carry him around his riva l and across the finish line first. Whether it works or not, the slingshot is always an exciting move that provides some close finish es. With th e American Historic Raci ng Motorcycle Association using the full 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway circuit for the first time, round two of th e AHRMA Hi storic Cup Series looked less like a vin tage road race and mo re like a slingshot move backward in time. The biggest vintage winner during the two-day AHRMA st in t came during Monday's program, which concentrated on AHRMA 's older machines and smaller-displacernent Classes . Englishman Stewart Rogers cap tu red the 250cc Grand Prix win on a 1966 Ducati 250, Pre-1940 and Class C,on a 1937 Norton 500 single, an d too k third in Cla ssic ' 60s on a '56 Manx Norton. Todd Henning took two wins - the ' Sportsman 350cc event on Monday and the prestigio u s 500cc Pr emier class on Tue sday, both on Honda twins. The Massachusetts-based rid er also scored a second to John Long in the Formula 500 class, . Th e firs t race on Mo n d ay w as the co m b ine d 200cc Grand P ri x / Pre -' 40 event, and amo ng the little bikes David Fabia n led on a '67 Yamaha 125 fro m green flag to checkered: Bultaco rider Chris LaCruze wo rked his wa y into second by the finish, followed by Bob Barker on a Harley-Davidson / Aerm acchi 250. " I had trouble with th e gearbox," Fabian said. "But fingers crossed and toes crossed, it a ll held together," the British ride r said of his victory. In Pre-'40, Californi a BMW dealer Ozzi e Auer nailed the holeshot with his 1939 BMW 500, but officials decided his start was just a little too good and he was docked a lap, dropping him to 10th in the final results. On lap two, h owever, Rogers and his Norton sna tched the lead from Auer for good heading into the chicane. Rusty Lowry and his GMA Racing- , prepared 1934 Indian hand-shifter took over secon d from Auer on the las t lap . The Class C r ac e al so sa w Rogers quickly into the lead and opening a huge margin over Aue r. Behind them wa s a tussleover third position between Norm Nelso n' s Man x Norton and the '51 Triumph 500 of Gordon Menzie. The contest went to Menzie. Rogers jumped off h is No rto n and on to the 250cc GP Du cat i for th e ne xt event. M ich ae l Green ' s West Coa st Briti sh Racing-backed 1965 Ducati led mo st of the fir st lap, but whe n Green chose the low line around the East Bankin g, Rogers went high, came chargin g down and snagged the top spot. Rogers' Henry Hogben-owned Du cati appeared to have a little more stea m on th e straights, allowing him' to keep inching awa y. The real race was the contest over third position, waged by John Stephens, Edward Sensenig and Charles Sexton. By the sixth and final lap, Sexton was clearly in control over Senseni g and Stephens. There was no way anybody wo uld get close to Todd Henning in the Sportsman 350cc race. He took control near the Internation al Horseshoe on lap one and flat ran away from the field . Which isn't to say that he wasn't at least a little ap prehensive. "I had about four of my own moto rs out there, Henni ng said. "I was afraid of gett in g ou t-mo to red . I can build a lot more just like them, " Henning said . Alth ough Hen ning never did say which other engines he had put togeth- . er, the re was a four-Honda battle raging behind h i m . After repeate dly swapping positions, second th rough fifth went to Frank Smith, Peter Sheppard, John Lightfoot and Harold Page Jr . A pai r of number-one plates topped the combined Formula 250 /Classic '60s ' . race, with Yamaha-mounted .Rick Mer . har out in front of the F-250 bik es after w arding off Fr ank Smith's Honda while Stephen Matthews put in a flawless ride aboard the Barber Vintage Motorsports-backed Matchless G50 ahead of British classic-racing champion John Cronshaw on a Team Obsoleteprepar ed G50. Team Obsolete also fielded a pair of its factory MV Agustas in the 350cc GP division, and the results were decidedly mixed . With .six-tim e World Champion Jim Redman on a 1967 model and David Roper aboard a 72, the pair took a couple laps to shake off the 250cc Ducati of Rogers, then engaged in a dice worthy of the machines' Grand Prix heritage. Redman , wh o hadn't raced in 26 years, and never in the U.S., gained confidence and speed as the race went on. The lead went back and forth until the white flag flew on lap six, and Roper went slingshotting past Redman into turn one. But Roper's last -lap charg e end ed a few turns later, when he was taken 'd ow n by a backm arker, and the ex pensive red MV ex p lo ded the h ay b al es in turn fiv e. Roper wasn' t seriously hurl. . " It was fantastic," the South Africanbase d Redm an said of the race with the American vin tage champ. "I'm just sorry that I had to win it by the other's fallin g off. But a win's a win. I've been batt ling along for the w ho le th ree or four days that I've been in the States, and all of a sudde n I can win a race. I feel like a kid aga in." The last-lap slingsho t move itself was a key factor in several more of the 14 vintage races. For Dr. Rob Tuluie, the slingsho t worked aga in s t cla ss champi on Larry Kirby for a slim Sportsman 750cc win . But when Yvon DuHamel tried the move against Kurt Liebmann in the very next race, Formu la 750, Liebmann was ready and managed to hang on to his secon d-place finish by a mere ha lf a bike length. "I knew that he was going to be right there," the Honda CR750-mounted Liebmann sa id of fellow vet er an DuHamel. "But I was able to get through (some backmarkers) quick enough and ho ld it open on the ba nking." The strategy gave Liebmann the drive he needed to h old off Tea m Obsolete's ex-wo rks 1973 Ducati 750. IN Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida Resuhs: March 6-7, 1995 (Round 2 of 11) PRE· '40: 1. Stewart Rogers (No r); 2. Rusty Lowry (Ind); 3. Blake Wilson (Ind); 4. Butch Beer (lnd ); 5. Doc Batsleer (ln d ). · . CLASS C: 1. Stewart Rogers (Nor ); 2. Ozzte Auer (BMW); 3. Gordo n Men zi e (Tri); 4. N or ma n Nelson (Nort 5. Rusty Low ry (lnd ). CLSSC '60: 1. St ephe n Math ew s (Ma t ); 2. John Cronshaw (Mat ); 3. Stewa rt Roge rs (Nor ); 4. Dick Mikos (Nor); 5. Rusty Lowry (H-D). 200 GP : 1. David Fabia n (Yam); 2. Chris LaCruze (Bu l); 3. Bob Barker (H-D); 4. George DeCamp (Han); 5. Mike Kirby (Bri ), 250 GP: 1. Stew art Rogers (Du e); 2. Michae l Green (Du e); 3. Charles Sexton (Bul); 4. Ed ward Sensenig (Due); 5. John Stephens (Du e). 350 GP : 1. Jim Red ma n (MV); 2. Johnny DeMoise y (Tri); 3. Stewart Rogers (Du c); 4. Chuck Huneycutt (Han ); 5. Charle Sexton (Bul), s . 500 PRE M : 1. Todd He n ni ng (Ho n); 2 . C h uc k Huneycutt (See) 3. Mitch Boeh m (Hon); 4. Larry Poons ; (See); 5. Ralp h Auer (BMW). F-2S0: 1. Rich a rd Merba r (Ya m) ; 2. Fra nk Sm it h (Han): 3. Steve Can ellos (Han); 4. Ge org e Pcd zin sk i (Yam); 5. Rich Barger (Yam) . F-500: 1. John Long (Yam ); 2. Todd Henning (Yam); 3.-Richard Mc rhar (Ya m ); 4. Cal vin Rayborn (Ya m); 5. George Oiega r (Yam). F·7S0 : 1. Ala n Ca thca rt (Du e); 2. Ku rt Lieb mann (Ha n); 3. Yvc n Duhamel (Du e); 4. Rich ard Moore (Tn); 5. Jerry Wood (Du e). S PT S M N 350: 1. Todd He nn ing (Han ); 2. Fra nk Smith (Ha n); 3. Peter She ppa rd (Hon); 4. John Lightfoot (Hon); 5. Ha rold Page Jr. (Ha n). SPTSMN 500: 1. Patrick Moon ey (Due); 2. Ra lp h Auer (BMW ); 3. Gary Sm ith (Him ); 4. Jeff rey Caiazzo (D ue): 5. Peter Sheppard (Ha n). SPTM N 750: 1. Rob Tulu ie (No r); 2. Larry Kir by (Yam); 3. Michael Eiland (Yam); 4. Jason Bessey (Tri ): 5. Chip Terre ll (Tri) . F-VINT: 1. Kurt Liebmann (Hon); 2. John Long (Tri ); 3. Richa rd Moo re (Tri); 4. Richa rd Mc rh a r (Ya m); 5. Vanni Blcgi (Tri).

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