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/128154
"The real stars are the Romero brothers," said Jim Neuenburg, a familiar face in the winner's circle in 250cc Vintage events at Sears Point who norma Ily races the 250cc Bultaco Metralla he bought new in 1970. For the second year in a row, Hub Zemke brought his 350cc, aircooled Bultaco TSS (one of only 55 made) to the Sears Point event and invited the Romero brothers, formerly with the Bultaco factory race team, out from Barcelona to tune it and Neuenburg to ride it. Neuenburg won Saturday's 250cc GP race, edging out Jeff Elings on a 1962 Aermacchi, and, riding the TSS, the 350cc GP event. Elings, riding a 1972 Yamaha, returned the favor, topping Neuenburg in the Formula 250cc race. The Motorcyclelndustry.com Battle of the Twins returned for the fifth race. Battle of the Twins Formula One and Formula Three attract a lot of the Sears Point regulars, members of the AFM. Sears Point is a very technical track, and there is definitely a home-court advantage. "The weekend is what it's all about," enthused Kelly Winkelbauer, riding his 1998 748cc Ducati. "I had a chance to ride with AI Knapp for a few corners. I've been wanting to ride with that guy." Winkel bauer was edged out in Formula One by Suzuki GSX-RI000 rider Jonathan Bawden. The Formula Three race turned into a hammerand-tong fight between Mark Woodward, on a 2001 Suzuki 650, Dale Palmer, also Suzuki-mounted, and Thomas Dorsey, riding an A-N-D custom-framed Suzuki, which sparked a lot of interest in the pits. Woodward fended off Palmer and Dorsey long enough to take the checkered flag. Palmer was back in the Battle of the Twins Formula Two contest, and his bright green leathers were easy to spot coming down the esses from turn seven ahead of the pack. Riding a 1999 Suzuki 700, he opened up an Fred Mort< finished third on Saturday and second on Sunday In the Class C Footshlft events. embarrassing lead over secondplaced Ducati rider Jan Svensen, who was too busy dicing with Jonathan Forman, on a 1999 Suzuki, to notice where Palmer had gone. Meanwhile, TZ426-mounted Benjamin Welch, racing in the Super Mono class, the second wave in this event, was carving through the pack. By the fifth lap he was fifth overall, followed by Sears Point regular Russ Meagher, on a Yamaha. Forman caught Svensen in tum seven on the sixth lap, but Svensen returned the favor just before turn 11 on the seventh lap and hung on to take second behind the long-gone Palmer, while Welch finished just behind Forman to take first in his class and fourth overall. The 500cc Premier class was designed by AHRMA to feature the 500cc factory racers that ruled international racing until the arrival of the two-strokes in the '70s. Brothers Bernardo and Alberto Fernandez arrived from Nuevo Leon, Mexico, with a trailer full of Manx Nortons and Matchless G50s. These bikes are collector's items - but they make the most wonderful noise on the track. BMW-mounted Ralph Auer dominated at the start, but toward the end of the race he developed transmission problems and fell back slightly. New York rider Larry Poons, on a Matchless-engined Seeley Condor, saw an opening, closed in and took the lead. Auer hung on behind him, twisted up the wick, and passed Poons in the esses before turn 11, taking the win. The Formula 750cc class was another outing for the AFM crowd, and the weekend's first showcase for the racing talents of Brian Filo. Riding a 1972 Yamaha resurrected from a salvage yard, he started badly, but he made up time through the corners and closed in on race leader Steve Pugsley, on a 1970 Honda, taking the lead on the white-flag lap and holding it. Third and fourth place went to a pair of BMW riders, Ivan Messina and Glenn Campbell. Messina's ride started out as a 1971 R 75/5, not known for its sterling ability on the track. "The first year, I raced stock," Messina said. "It has slowly changed - it's faster, lighter - more fun! We've made some ground-clearance mods. I know the track - it's a rider's track. There's lots of fast guys - I love to duke it out with Brian Filo." Craig Murray, last year's BEARSclass champion, likes riding Triumphs. "I started Vintage racing four years ago," Murray said. "It looked like fun. I had success off the bat and became more enthused. I love everything about old bikes." The weatherman predicted showers for both Saturday and Sunday, but the weather gods cooperated and not a sprinkle hit the track. After Sunday's lap of honor, the AHRMA officials gridded the first event of the day, again the Pre-1940 and 200cc GP classes. Saturday's racing had been red-flag-free, but Kansan Norbert Nickel, racing a 1939 BMW, got into a massive tankslapper in turn one on the third lap and was catapulted into the hay bales. The wait while the track was cleared led the officials to shorten each of the next 11 events to six laps each. Nickel suffered a concussion and a badly fractured ankle but was alert and talking as he was flown by helicopter to Sonoma Medical Center. Al Knapp fixed his Harley on Saturday night and circulated the track in his usual style in Sunday's third event, featuring the 250cc GP bikes, Class C foot-shift and the Class C hand-shift classes. Neuenburg again showed his rear tire to the rest of the 250cc class, while Ralph Auer rode his 1939 BMW to 10th place overall and first place in Class C in a large field of 250cc GP bikes. Fred Mork, chairman of the AHRMA board of trustees, came in second on a 1938 Norton single, and Florida's Will Harding proved that an Indian Sport Scout, despite the hand shift, is competitive with a foot-shift BMW. He ducked under the checkers just behind Glenn Campbell for third place in the foot-shift class. Jeff Elings, on a 1972 Yamaha, got the jump on Neuenburg in race four - featuring Formula 250cc, Sportsman 350cc and Production Lightweight machines - but Neuenburg kept up the pressure, with Steve Brown, last year's Sportsman 350cc champion, breathing down both their necks. Neuenburg took over first halfway through the event, but Elings stayed in his wake, challenging. but unable to retake the lead. Honda-mounted Brown, first in the Sportsman 350cc class, outpaced the rest of the Formula 250cc field to take third overall. Elings switched to a 1956 Matchless for the Classic '60s class but stalled at the start of race 10, putting him a quarter of a lap down on the field. Meanwhile, Ivan Messina, racing the Formula 750cc class, took the lead, ahead of Brian Filo. Filo was all over Messina's tailpipe, as Craig Echols, on a 750cc Ducati, looked for an opening. Messina was a monster on the brakes as the two front-runners screamed through the back of the track, slowed for the turn-II hairpin and got on the gas for the front straight. Elings had made up time in a hurry, and by the third lap he was in sixth place overall and gaining. On the white-flag lap, Filo missed a gear, giving Messina a few precious inches. On the last lap, Filo went to the outside of turn 11, while Messina went to the inside and shut him out, and the Jim Stone rode this beautfful Yamaha In the Super Mono competitions.