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/127807
VI'NTAGE .Bike Week West. . Team Obsolete Vintage Road Race short work of the competition on his WCBR Ducati 250, taking the Lead just after the opening lap and never losing it. In the 350cc GP class, Green battled with Roper before pulling ahead to victory on the IS-turn, 1.5-miJe course. l~ Del Mar Fairgrounds Del Mar, California Rasults: October 11, 1996 SOC) .(Left) The Del Mar Fairgrounds provided the backdrop for the Team Obsolete vintage road race during the second day of motorcycle competition on the Bike Week West racing schedule. Here, Englishman John Cronshaw (1) gets off the line In fourth place during the 500cc Premier event. Cronshaw won the race. (Below) Dr. Rob Tulule (59) and Paul Lima (900) battled tooth and nail for the 750cc Sportsman victory In the early going of that race, but Lima was able to cruise to the win after Tulule dropped out with mechanical woes. (Bottom) Six-time World Champion Jim Redman demonstrated the awesome factory Honda slx-cylinder on two separate occasions during the day. By Scott Rousseau \0 0\ 0\ ...... a Cf') I-< Q) .g ..... u o 32 DEL MAR, CA, ocr. 11 intage road racing was the main attraction Friday as Team Obsolete laid out an "old style" course through the parking lots and thoroughfares of the Del Mar Fairgrounds to bring a new dimension to Bike Week West. The 500cc Premier event was the main show of the day and, not surprisingly, was dominated by Team Obsolete entries. Team Obsolete's Dave Roper grabbed the lead on the first circuit of the eight-lap race and managed to head a four-rider lead pack that included Mike Green for two laps on his 1962 AJS 7R. But multi-time British road racing champion John Cronshaw was on the move aboard his Team Obsolete 1968 BSA Gold Star. Cronshaw attempted a brilliant two-rider pass up the front straightaway to move to second and nearly got away with it, but he was quickly relegated to fourth place again when he missed the chicane that slowed the riders halfway down the front chute before the course sent them into the east parking lot. "1 forgot it was there," Cronshaw said. "1 blew right through it, but there was really no advantage to that because I actually lost a place." Roper held on as long as he could on the 350cc AJS before surrendering the point to Mclean Racing's Craig McLean and his Motorcycles Unlintited 1962 Matchless G50. McLean rode a steady race while up front, but Cronshaw came battling back and made a pass on the back side of the course between the parking lots to grab the lead from McLean with three laps to go. "1 got going, and then my forearm pumped up, and John went by me," Mclean said. "I would have crashed trying to get him back. But it was a good race. Vintage racing is just for fun anyway." Once in the lead, Cronshaw steadily pulled away from Mclean, who held on for second ahead of Roper and Green. Roper was pleased with his performance despite giving up a pony or two. "I was on a 350, and they were on SODs," Roper said. "But maybe that isn't the whole story, because they both ran very well. That's about it." Cronshaw was practically able to cruise to the flag, and the Englishman took the win after building up a lead of several bike lengths. "I got a terrible start," Cronshaw said. ''1 found the course to be very slippery, so I took it steady for a few laps and got the feel for it." One of the best races of the day came in the SOD / 750cc Sportsman race as Paul Lima and Dr. Rob Tuluie put up a tremendous fight for the lead. Tuluie kept his Big 0 Triumph ahead of the '66 Norton Atlas 750cc-mounted Lima in the opening stages of the race, and the two riders pulled far ahead of the rest of the pack to settle matters between themselves. But the red flag flew after Dino Bartolin crashed his '71 BMW R/5, and the field had to be restarted. Things turned sour for Tuluie on the restart as his Triumph suffered mechanical ills, allowing Lima to inherit th.e point, which he had to defend from Paul Laubach on another Big 0 Triumph entry. But then Laubach crashed on the front straight, and the race was halted short of the eight scheduled laps and declared official. "I downshifted and let the clutch out," Laubach said. "It just started bouncing, and I didn't dare try to turn it. I just ran out of room. I was too eager." Lima was credited with the win, but voiced a bit of frustration over the fact that the race had to be halted. "I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get to finish," Lima said. "This is a fun track, but it's kind of like an MX track in that it pumps you up. I didn't think much of him (Tuluie) in practice, but right off the bat he was fast. He got a good holeshot, but then he broke. I hadn't gqtten around him yet. After he broke, I . just cruised basically." Green w.as the man to beat in the 250cc GP and 350cc GP classes. Green made PREM: 1. John Cranshaw (BSA); 2. Craig Mclean (Mat); 3. David Roper (AJS); 4. Michael Green (Tn); S. Swiss Neiderberger (BSA). 350 GP: 1. Michael Green (Duc); 2. David Roper (AjS); 3. Eric Green (A)S); 4. Steve Cocking (Suz); 5. . Robert Borg (CZ) 250 GP: 1. Michael Green '(Duc); 2. Harold Parks (Due); 3. O>arles Sexton (Bul); 4. Robert Borg (CZ); 5. Scott McAdam (Yam). 750 SPTSMN: 1. Paul Lima (Nor); 2. Daryl Foster (Hon); 3. Jamie Luxwiler (Tn); 4. Matt Carroll (Duc); 5. John MacMillan (Nor). 500 SPTSMN; 1. Paul Shoen (BSA); 2. Tim Sheedy (Hon); 3. Steve Stone (BSA); 4. Sw;ss Niedcd>erger (BSA); 5. Bob Sindair (M-M) F-SOO: 1. Steve Cocking (Suz); 2. Steve Ottinger; 3. Scott Fabbro (Yam); 4. Terry Oark (Tn). SPTSMN 350: 1. Tim Sheedy (Hon); 2. Gary Swan (Hon); 3. Bob Sindair (M-M); 4. Peter f,lipp (Hon); 5. Scott MiJler(Hon). F-750: 1. Rob Tuluie (Tn); 2. Richard Haas (Tri); 3. Scott Fabbro (Nor); 4. Jerry Liggett (Tn); 5. Peter Hipp (Hon). PRE·'S:!; 1. Gordon Menzie (Tn); 2. Gary Davis (BSA). CLASSIC'60: 1. Don Vesco (Nor); 2. Gordon Menzie (Tn); 3. Rob Tuluie (AjS); 4. Gerald jessup (AjS); 5. Lon McCroskey (AjS). BEARS; 1. Don Canet (Bue); 2. Paul Urna (Due); 3. Elliott Iv",,",n (W·R). 4. Ben Welch (Tn); 5. Ray Ross (W. R). srrw; 1.·Don Canet (Bue); 2. lGyo Watanabe (Hon); 3, Eric Rattan (Suz); 4. Jacques Largorue (Ouc); 5. James Traroma (Duc). SIMONO: 1. Don Canet Q-Ion); 2. Elliott Iverson 0/'1- R); 3. Ray Rossi (W-R); 4. Gary Georges (Yam); 5. Mark Kruse (W·R). 883: 1. Ben Bostrom; 2. Dave Estok; 3. Eric Bostrom; 4. Lance Jones; 5. Jody Hendley. KING OF DEL MAR; 1. Don Cane' (Hon); 2. Ben Bostom (H·D); 3. Paul Urna (Due).