Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Pa't M • . . , (1' . . . . a_Dad .'. CI ......, ar.nner..,.. .......... 800~_ .. Jen:y Herman route to ... IfrontI .... ,,1m KevIn 8NwI) (cemerl ...u at ....... ........... ..--. built Team Champagne 1937 Norton while, in the same race, Hap's Cycle Sales-backed Dennis Poneleit won the 200cc GP division for the second consecutive year. McLean was the class of the field, bringing home the overall race win by 25 seconds on what Rogers calls "a mixture of bits of prewar overhead camshaft Norton" after his primary competition, Ralph Auer, pulled his '39 BMW off in the infield with mechanical problems. McLean's win was also the 11th Daytona race win for the Rogers Norton. "It's fun for once to have some rain," McLean said. "I have been racing with AHRMA for five years, and this is the first time that I have ever raced in the rain. It was a new challenge. Ralph was sitting in turn one and showing me with his hands how big a gap I had on second place. He's a good sport." Defending class champion Will Harding finished second aboard his handshift 1936 Indian Scout, while 1937 Indian Scout rider Art Farley was third. The 55-year-old Poneleit had almost as easy a time in winning the 200cc GP class, as he stretched the legs on his Honda CB 175 and put 19.16 seconds between himself and runner-up James Swartout, who rode a rare 1966 Bridgestone in the race. Mike Parker was third, on a 1966 Honda. "Even though it's a little wet, victory is great," Poneleit said. "You can't beat victory." McLean also repeated his Class C Footshift victory of a year ago, racing in the event that combines the Class C Footshift, Class C Handshift and Formula 250 divisions. Harding was victorious in the Handshift division, while Jerry Herman won the Formula 250 division aboard a 1972 Yamaha. Although he has racked up several class wins during AHRMA Classics Days at Daytona over the years, Hicksville, New York's David Roper had never taken a shot at winning the 250cc GP class. That changed this year, when Roper entered the event aboard his own 1966 Aermacchi 250. From the start it appeared as though Roper would be out-gunned on the banking by the high-winding '67 Ducati of John Stephens. But Roper more than made up for his top speed deficiency by slicing through the infield with precision. Third after the first lap, Roper soon caught the flying Stephens, and the pair pulled away from third-placed Gary Smith, who was riding a '68 Suzuki X-6. Roper used a lapper to put a sly move on Stephens and emerge onto the West Banking with a 40 bikelength lead. He was able to hold Stephens off for the win. "It was a great race," the 54-yearold Roper said. "I don't recall ever racing at Daytona in the rain, so I wanted to be cautious in the beginning, and that proved wise. Then it was a matter of being smooth. He [Stephens] definitely had motor on me, but it takes more than just horsepower to win. I want to give everybody a little tip: Those overhead cams are just a fad. Push rods are the answer." Jim Struke won the Formula 750cc feature, the last of race of the day and one that was expected to include former AMA Grand National Champions Gary Nixon and Jay Springsteen. Neither rider showed, nor did about half the field. Struke had a fairly easy time of it aboard his 1972 Norton twin, finishing about 30 lengths ahead of Tokyo, Japan's Ken Nemoto and Middleville, Michigan's John Ellis. Nemoto, aboard a '72 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport, outran the Yamaha 750 of Ellis at the stripe to take second place. Honda MR 125s finished one-twothree in the Formula 125 race. Greg Steinbeck of Little Rock, Arkansas, outran last year's fourth-place man, Sakis Vasilopoulos, for the win. Leon Cortes of Miami, Florida, was third. The Production Single race was a match-up of motocrosser vs. road racer. Bruce Brown got the jump on his 1997 MZ Skorpion, Joe Lanza in pursuit on his Honda XR-650 off-road "No I didn't," he said. "I didn't have a clue. I was just riding around, going as fast I could. It was a great surprise, especially after the start I had. I obviously thought the lead gang were out of sight and I'd passed all the backmarkers. It's good to even finish. I usually run out of gas." Hurst said the chicane and the inside of the corners were heavily puddled. "The banks are fine," he said. "The slow parts are treacherous. I was flat out on the banks. When I first started, I was going slow on the banks waiting for it to slide, and it didn't, so I kept going faster." "It's one big puddle out there, the infield," Goodpaster said. "I think that's the slowest I've ever gone." The fastest rider on the track was Jim Neuenberg. Starting with the rest of the 350 GP class in a second wave, the Californian moved all the way through the BEARS field to take second overall on his 1968 Bultaco, despite vision problems. "Every time a raindrop went down over my helmet, then I could see through that raindrop," Neuenberger said. "Everything else was no way. That was the toughest thing I ever did, was staying up." Second, at some distance, was Stuart Carter (1967 Seeley) who, after passing him on the third of six laps, raced Steve Mahanes (1968 Ducati) to the end. Kris Jepsen gated badly in the combined BOT Two-Stroke/SOS race, the Chicagoan taking a few laps to move the front. Once there, the 1990 Yamaha TZ-250 rider's lead in the BOT Two-Stroke division quickly ballooned on his way to an unchallenged win. "I really think that worked out to my advantage," Jepsen said of his balky start. "I was trying to get out front and then just take it easy, but then the bad holeshot gave me a chance to follow everybody and see what kind of pace we had to set out there and then just kind of make it around to the end. Just try to take it careful in the corners out there. It was bike. On the second lap Lanza went straight in the dogleg, but the bike's motocross heritage paid off, with Lanza able to keep it under control and re-join the race without losing too many places. Trent Thomas took over second on his MZ Skorpion, only to fall victim to the wet track in the International Horseshoe. By then Lanza was catching up, with Kevin Brown (MZ) tailing along. Lanza made a run at Bruce Brown on the final lap, taking the low line on the banking while Bruce went high to victory. Kevin Brown was third. "It was a lot of concentration trying not to slip a wheel," Bruce said. "Just trying to get in the power as early as possible, but not enough to get it sideways and scare myself. The chicane had a puddle, and you had to be careful. I tried to get it as straight up and down as I could going through the water. We had rain tires, but we thought with this much rain they'd call it, but they didn't, so we stuck with DOTs." "I tell you, that's the scariest race I've ever been in, and Bruce Brown's got some really big cojones," Lanza said. "It's like riding on ice." "It was really, really wet, really slippery," Kevin Brown said. "Every time I tried to give it any gas at all, the rear end would step out. There was a big old puddle in the chicane. You go flying through there trying to get a gap, the rear end would step out about a foot." The combined BEARS/350 GP race was run in a pounding rain. Early leader Craig Murray sped away to a big lead before dropping out on the third lap. That handed the lead to Greg Nichols, who lasted another lap before his 1969 Rickman Triumph coasted to a stop. Finally, Peter Hurst was in the lead ahead of Robert Goodpaster, and that's how they finished, both aboard 1968 Norton Atlases. Hurst said he didn't know that he was in the lead. cycll!! n I!! _ S • MARCH 19, 2003 53

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