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/143879
Dave A ldana leads Thad Wolff (37). Carry Andrew (17). Jon Woo (14). Rusty Sharp (9 9). Harry Klinz mann (31 ) and Doug Brauneck (63). Hail Baldwin, ruler at Caesars PalaeeF-! RR By Dale Brown LAS VEGA S, NV , SEP T. 26 Canadian privateer Yamaha pilot Miles Baldwin .led the way across the checkered flag to take the win in the Coors Motorcycle Grand Prix held as part of the Caesars Palace G ra nd P ri x wee ke nd. Bald win worked his way up from an eighth pl ace start to be in a position to take over the. top spot when N icky Ri ch ich i, the 10 leader for much of the race, crashed with two lap s to go. On h is way to th e fro nt, Ba ld win spent most of th e rac e battling with Jon Woo and Harry Klinzmann, both on Kawasaki Superbikes, with Woo closing at the end to take second just 2.442 seconds behind Baldwin. Klinzmann was third with ~Q.unh going tQ Pen ns ylvan ia rider Greg Smrz. " I didn't do anything fancy," grin ned Ba ld win after th e winner's circle ceremonies - and about half a jeroboam of champagne - were dispensed wi th . " I told m yself to be smooth and go back to Canada in one p iece and with some money." Ba ld win 's share of the .$20,000 purse was .$5000 plus start money. Woo and Klinzma nn both had relat ively smooth rides, with Woo's only troubles seeming to be a couple of . tankslappers around th e midwa y RqipJ; o/pile ,~lj1)~m~J;l1) .f~l t ..h.is *~ going a way in the la tter part of the race. T he motorcycle portion of the program , w h ich shared billing with Fo rmula O ne a n d Ca n -Am cars, was p ut on by AFM Pro. The race consisted o f 24 la p s around the 2.2-m ile co urse' co nstructed in the Caesars parking lot. Baldwin averaged 75.4 mph in taking the win. Qualifying Riders qualified under very hot conditions on Friday aft ernoon. Most of the pre-race favor ites were running in the mid one-minute, 50-second range until la te in the session. Klin zmann finally took the pole for the ma in even t, push ing hi s Racecraft erssponsored, Pi erre des Roches-tuned KZIOOOS around th e co urse for a time of 1:47.913. New York 's Ni cky Ri chichi 'was second fastest, garnering a 1:48.029 on his Yamaha TZ750. Team Escargot's Thad Wolff was third / q uickes t on a Suzuki Su pe r bi ke with a 1:49.064. Final After a parade lap by sp eed way champ Bruce Penhall and a wa rm -u p lap, the race was rea dy to get underway . Ba ld win missed th e warm-up lap a nd al most the race itself. " I seized the engine d uring p rac tice, " said Ba ld win , "and I had to repair it during th e 30-mi nute break. When the five-mi nute sign came ou t, the bi ke was still being gassed up a nd I was p utting my hel met and gloves on." Whe n the race did get u nderway it was Dave Aldana, ri di ng a n a luminum-framed T eam H onda mach ine, leading Wolff, Kerry Bryant a nd the rest of the gang into turn one. Wh en the order was a little more stable a t the end of a lap, it was Wolff in fron t of Klinzmann, Richichi, Woo and Aldana. . Richichi took over the lead mid: