Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

EVENTS Edned by Keith Bush (Left) Two of the most dominant riders at USCRA's 1996 U.S. Vintage GP were Todd Henning (454) and Greg Nichols (15). Henning won seven of the eight races he en~ered, while Nichols topped the three classes he entered, inclUding the Heavyweight Supervlntage race (pictured) where he narrowly defeated Henning. (Below left) Jim Lester (38) leads Peter IIllch (1) in Middleweight GP racing at round four of the Loudon Road Race Series. Lester took the win. Loudon Road Race Series: Round 4 Unned States Classic Racing Association 1996 U.S, Vintage GP Trial by fire, oil and antifreeze Henning, Nichols, Wood master the classics By John Flory LOUDON, NH, JUNE s-9 LOUDON, NH, JUNE 10 U 40 his weekend will not be forgotten soon by certain racers and race officials - or by Loudon's crack U.S. Marshall comerworker outfit. First a racer left antifreeze in his Ducati and' distributed it in the turn 4/5 area on Sat: urday. Then a small oil spill right on the racing line led to an instantaneous eightbike smashup in turn 12 on Sunday. Next, Doug Cook slid his Ducati into the speedway wall outside tum 12, smash." ing the tank and spraying burning gas down the front straight. Fortunately Cook was not burned, but the pyrotechnics prompted "roast Duc" comments on the radio net. If that were not enough, a front stalled over the area caused a solid low overcast with scattered light drizzle both days. The previously seemingly invincible Eric Wood/Richard Alexander Jr. combine struggled this weekend. Sean Sweeney obviously had ALexander's measure in Solo GTO, sitting on Alexander's tailsection for the first half of the race as the duo Left behind a scrap for third between Charles Small Jr., Brett Metzger and David Fett. After borrowing his neighbor's street Ducati 916 for the first few race weekends, Sweeney was now aboard his own 955-powered 916 (whicl:t had arrived Friday night). His plan to make a move five laps after 'halfway was foiled when the race was red-flagged and declared final three laps past halfway, and Alexander escaped with the win. Alexander was not so lucky in the next race, Heavyweight Supersport, as Metzger pared away ALexander's early two-second lead, passed him in tum 12 on the next-to-last lap, held him off with nice moves through lapped traffic and collected the tot> Suzuki contingency money. Alexan- T By John Flory SCRA's Vintage GP is developing into a mirror image of AHRMA's vintage races at Daytona at the beginning of Bike Week. As such, it was no surprise that this event was dominated by Todd Henning and his stable of Hondas plus Bob Coy's TD1 Yamaha, Gregg Nichols and the very quick Seppo Kuovo-prepared Norton, and Jerry Wood and his collection of Triumphs. " After the,opening sidecar event, the races that followed were almost exclusively dominated by Henning, Nicb.ols, and Wood, overall winners in all but two of the next 14 races. The two exceptions were in the Oassic '60s race, where Rick Patrolia and his Triumph ran away after David Wilson crashed out of second place; and Masters, where John Larson beat event honoree Kurt Liebmann, who ran down Thane Gillies and George Gramlich on the last lap for second. Most of the other races were runaways by Henning, Nichols, or Wood. In all, Henning won seven of the eight races he entered, incl uding every GP class but one and every Supervintage class but one. And this was despite the fact that Henning's fastest bike, hi~ Drixton-framed I:Ionda, had dropped a valve during practice, forcing him to switch bikes. "I was using my (500) Sportsman bike, which is dose in horsepower but nowhere near the lap times that the Drixton turns," Henning said. "It's basically the same (450 Honda) motor, wheels, and suspension that's on the Drixton but it doesn't have the Drixton S/VINT SDCAR: 1. Verville/Courts (BMW); 2. Fairbank/Fairbank (BMW); 3. Hanitchak/Sargent (BMW); 4. Raetliffe/MeKinstry (BMW); S. Desmarais/Bruce (Nor). CLSSC SDCAR: 1. Wilson/Bouza (Tri); 2. Gramlieh/Unk. (BMW). MSTR: 1. John Larson (Hon); 2. Kurt liebmann (Hon); 3. George Gramlich (BMW); 4. Thane Gillies (Nor); 5. Russ Mowry (Due). BRITISH ONLY: 1. Greg Nichols (Nor); 2. David Wilson (Tri); 3. Thane Gillies (Nor); 4. Douglas Boughton (Tri); S. Riek Patrolia (Tri). AM·CAN 200: 1. Abbott Lahti (Hon). AM·CAN 250: 1. Tom Leaeh (Suz); 2. John Strempfer (Due); 3. Larry Somma (Due); 4. Erie Pritehard (Tri); S. Robert Brangaecio (Due). AM-CAN 350: 1. Russ Mowry (Due); 2. Henry Syphers (Hon); 3. David Evans (Hon); 4. Harry McConnick (unk); S. Oiff Godfrey (Hon). AM-CAN 500: 1. Todd Henning (Hon); 2. Paul Danilowicz (Tri); 3. Tim Courts (BMW); 4. Jim Hendershot (Due); S. Ross Greaves (Nor). AM-CAN LlW S/VINT: 1. Stanley Lipert (Hon); 2. Rieh Barger (Yam); 3. Wayne MacAllister (Hon); 4. Glen McKinnon (Hon). AM·CAN MIW S/VINT: 1. Steve DeCamp (Hon); 2. Wayne Bishop (Kaw); 3. George DeCamp (Hon); 4. Chris Stein (Yam); s. Chris Minks (Yam). AM-CAN HIW S/VI T: 1. Greg Niehols (Nor); 2. John Larson (Hon); 3. Bill Blythe (Yam); 4. Peter Furkey (Yam); S. Steve Hayslip (Suz). AM-CAN OPEN S/VlNT: 1. Jerry Wood "(Tri); 2. Thane Gillies (Nor); 3. George Gramlich (BMW); 4. Robert Wilson (Tri); S. Mike Tomany (Nor). frame. It weighs 25 pounds more, it sits several inches higher, it has different steering geometry - it's just a lot slower in a road race than the Drixton." Henning also had shift linkage problems on his 350cc Sportsman Honda, forcing him to reach down and shift by hand during the Lightweight Supervintage race. Paul Danilowicz and his Triumph pressed Henning hard in the 500cc AmericanCanadian race, and David Evans had a good run at Henning at the end of the 350cc GP race. The 500cc GP was shaping up as a dogfight between Liebmann, Henning, and Wood until Liebmann's motor let go on the third lap, leaving Wood and Henning dicing for the lead. On the final jap, the two dived side-byside into turn one, Wood temporarily taking the point, but Henning got a better drive to ultimately pull away for the win. Despite gearing and handling problems, Nichols rode Seppo Kuovo's Atlas SJimline-framed 750 short-stroke Norton to wins in all three races he entered, with runaways in 'British Only and American-Canadian Heavyweight Supervintage. Wood won going away in AmericanCanadian Open GP but had to settle for second behind Henning in 500cc GP and Open GP. Also noteworthy was the hard riding of Abbott Lahti, as he won 200cc GP and American-Canadian 200cc GP. Nichols and Henning had not faced each other yet, so it was fitting that a showdown between them should come in the final race, Heavyweight Supervintage. The two immediately left the rest of the field well behind, trading the lead several times before ichols took over for good on the next to last lap. After following Henning for over a lap, Nichols went by in the back section of the track on the next to last lap and put in a fast lap leaving Henning no chance to respond. "Once [ got by, I knew he wasn't going to get back by me because [ opened it up a little bit more, pushed it a little bit harder," Nichols said. C\" Results PRE-50: 1. C. Palmer (Vin); 2. Buteh Baer (Ind). CLSC 60: 1. Rick Patrolia (Tri); 2. John Strempfer (Due); 3. Ross Greaves (Nor); 4. Robert Wilson (Tri); S. Tom Hiekey (Yam). 200 GP: 1. Abbott Lahti (Hon); 2. Steve DeCamp (Hon). 250 GP: 1. Todd Henning (Yam); 2. Martin Yannerilla (H-D); 3. John Strempfer (Due); 4. Larry Somma (Due); S. Erie Pritchard (Tri). 350 GP: 1. Todd Henning (Yam); 2. David Evans (Hon); 3. Russ Mowry (Due); 4. Henry Syphers (Hon); S. Robert Breyette (Hon). 500 GP:" 1. Todd Henning (Hon); 2. Jerry Wood (Tri); 3. Tom Verville (BMW); 4. Rick Pamola (Tri); S. Tim Courts (BMW). OPEN GP: 1. Todd Henning (Hon); 2. Jerry Wood (Tri); 3. Riek Patriola (T.ri); 4. Thane Gillies (Nor); S. George Gramlich (BMW). L1W S/VINT: 1. Todd Henning (Hon); 2. John Seymour (Hon); 3. Pete Furkey (Yam); 4. Abbott Lahti (Hon); S. Stanley Lipert (Hon). MIW S/VINT: 1. Todd Henning (Hon); 2. Tom Verville (BMW); 3. Stanley Lipert (Hon); 4. Steve DeCamp (Hon); S. Rick Frost (Yam). HIW S/VlNT: 1. Greg Nichols (Nor); 2. Todd Henning (Hon); 3. John Larson (Hon); 4. Peter Furkey (Yam); S. Bill Blythe (Yam).

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