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/141011
" .. '" o CL .... Cl N , .....,,-,... ~ "' ... .... . ' ,' .,. Smith Tops 1320 Meet at Lions :;; ::;: ~ w Z W ..J U >- U Smoking up the 1320. By Keith Arnold WILMINGTON, CAL., Mar . 4 & 5, 1972 - The action was incredib le at the Hog Bike/NHRA National Drag races with records b ein g smashed right and left. Top fuel couldn't get t he traction but the gas, mo di fied , and street classes . w ere rewriting the record book on every ru n . Biggest upset of th e meet was in the Top Gas final, when the '2 by 4' was b eat en after lo werin g the national record fro m 9.99 at 13 9, to 9.54 an d 14 6 -p lus m ph. Ha rley riders are talking about p utting two big-inch Sportsters in o ne fra me . and having a go at the great Action Fo ur twi n-e ngined Ho nda. The top fuel class eas ily had the best an d w ild est racin g ever seen o n the West Co ast. T he q u ickest q ualifier was the little Idaho p otato farmer Leo Payn e with a very good 9 . 18 . T he first rou nd of com petitio n p itted Leo Payn e against D anny J o hnson. Payne took the win wi th a 9.25-14 1.28 bl as t. Next u p was Boris Murray against H ·D·m ount ed St ad ler w it h Murray taking the win at : a slow 9 .81 and 16 6 .9 7. O n th at ru n , Murray smoked it the way he is k nown for but it was a was t ed effort as his compet it ion broke. Fi rst UIJ in the second rou nd was Iairin g-equipp ed Dave Camp os versu s Larry Welch. Welch go t the early lead and held it all the way, lo o kin g b ack tw ice to mak e sure th at Campos st ayed in p lace. Two go od friends were out to do each other in next. Payne and his 84-inch H·D and Boris Murray and the fairing-fitted 90·inch Triumph. Leo came out of the hole with very little smoke and lots of traction while Murray smoked it. At the end it was Payne with a quick 9 .25-141.28 to Boris' less timely but much faster 168.22, fast time of the meet. Joe Smith came to do battle with a man named Culp. Smith set low ET of the meet at 9 .08 as Culp went up in smoke. Clem J ohnson's man Jim Lienweber was p aired up with Bill Chambers. Bo th bikes went wild and Jim crossed th e ce n ter line. Lienw eb er bl ew a ho le in the h eads of the Vin c ent. Both o f them! Ch am b er s had a brand new bik e and misalign ed a slick. T he semi-final round of Top Fuel was now on the lin e and ready to go for the eight-second barrier. Leo Pay ne and his H·D vs. the Triumph of Larry Welch. Welc h came out of the hole strong but was a little behind when Payne d id a giant wheelie number and h ad to shut off. Welch went right on b ut Leo had n 't quit yet. Back on th e th ro ttle and u p came the fro nt w heel again ! Larry then took the win at 9.65 and 152 .28 , t o Le o's 10 .52-11 3.49. Second h alf of th e semi pi tted Sm ith against Ch ambers. Smith had his usual smooth and sm o k less run but Chambers finall y had his b ik e di aled in. Bill was driving h ard when his slick wore through to the co rds and there went his traction. Smith-9.21, Chambers-11.06 and 148 .76. The fin al round of Top Gas was up and it was to be the '2 by 4 ' against Heidt. Bill Hahne bogged the Honda down, leavin g Heidt to lead all the way down the 1320. The final of Top Fuel would take home at least $1000. Would "King Rat" Joe .Smith take it or would the twin Triumph with Larry Welch on board co me th rough for the win? On the line, the lights went down and Smith went through alone . A fme run at 9.35-166 .66. But why the cake walk? The chain on the rear engine of Routt's do uble broke along with Larry Welch 's heart. There . was mo re to the racing than Top Fuel and Gas . In the Competition Eliminator category Ron Teason took the Lo ng Beach Honda to an 11.32-125.52 win ove r J oh n Hawley (Suz) who ran 12.95 and 104. 16 but red-lighted. Street Eliminator fe ll to Grant Hannah on h is Triump h th ree wi th a 11.39 and 11 7.8 0 to Dave Mishko's 11.67 -1 17 .9 5. To name all th e new records set wo uld take all d ay but so me Pat Mi ll ers three-engined Yama ha 750 . of the lo cal peop le that se t them are: Tom Gorman (Kaw), Terry Van ce (Honda 4 ), Actio n 4's Ron Teason o n th e Long Beach Ho nda drag b ike , an d winning a class bu t not se tting a re cord , wa s the To m G orm an ' s w ife "Bake rsfi eld" Millie Gorman (Re sult s o n page 32)