Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

aDi MeDonal Staron the ho · on o '" .........-I Number One - tuner Phil McDonald (left) with brother Sam. By Gary Van Voorhis Sam McDonald realized one 9£ the goals he set for himself at the beginning of the '82, season when he clinched the AMA Formula Two Road Race Series Championship title at the September Daytona International Speedway Pro-Am. , k I h W One wee ater, at t e est Palm Beach Pro-Am, McDonald 14 realized a major portion of another goal. !:Ie was offered, and readily accepted, a ride on one of Team Honda's Superbikes. It ,was his first ride on a Superb~ke and McDonald made the,most of it, showing instant adaptability which led to a fourth place finish. He had hoped, at the beginning of the year, to establish himself enough in the Superbike ranks to make the transition from 250cc lightweight bikes and land a solid sponsorship package. McDonald's clinching of the title at Daytona, via a fourth place finish, was done in the fashion he had raced all year. "We figured at the beginning of the season that winning races w.asn't ~>ur goal, winning the champlOnshlp was. The p.la~ was to work on c:onslstency and fImsh every race. That's exactly what we did and it paid off in the long run although I would've liked to have won one race. Once we had the points lead bU,ilt up,· the plan was to not take any chances and protect the lead. That meant riding a bit conservatively at times." 'The Daytona event was a family affair because that's the way it is with the McDonald's. Sam's father and mother, Norm and Lucy, plus brothers Pat and Phil, who does all the wrenching on Sam's bikes, and Sam's , fiancee Pokey, a short nickname for Pocahontas, were all on hand. Phil had T-shirts and posters made up. When the tide was cliehed, posters suddenly appeared on Phil's van proclaiming "Sam McDonald Formula Two Champion." Norm used to compete on two wheels and now he does it on four in modified midget racing. He's been a tuner, sponsor and everything in between. Team K&N, in one form or another, has been around for a long time. If the initials K&N sound familiar, they should. K&N Yamaha, the family business of the McDonald's, and K&N Air Filters share the same origin. Kenny Johnson and Norm McDonald began a partnership in 1955 to manufacture survey equipment. "The top business in that line was K&E," said Norm, "so we took the initials of our first names and called ours K&N. The partnership evolved through California motorcycle shops, the air filter manufacturing and such. Finally, I got tired of California and moved back to Tulsa and opened a motorcycle shop. In 1976 I sold out my interest in K&N Air Filters to Kenny-we had already sold off the California motorcycle dealerships. I use the K&N name and so does Kenny. We worked all that time as partners' with nothing ever in writing. We were businessmen in the days when.a handshake was all that was needed to seal a deal." "If our mom wasn't into racing, then my dad would've stopped a long time ago," said Phil of his mother's involvement. "She used to rebuild the gearboxes on the BSAs my dad was racing. He dldn't have the patience to fool with them. That's how he kept racing and that's how the family has run ever since. "The only family member who didn't get to see Sam win the ti tie was our sister Terri. She's married to Winston Pro Series rider Ted Boody so she goes to all the races he rides. If. there's one central theme in the family, it's racing," said Phil. With all this going on and the family owning two shops under the K&N Yamaha banner in Tulsa, Oklahoma, it was only natural for Sam to be into racing also. He has been going to races, in one form or another, for nearly 20 years and began racing at the age of five.- That wouldn't be unusual except that Sam is all of 20 years old, having celebrated his most recent birthday on june 22. At 5'8", McDonald is. about average in height for a racer. However, he gives the bike's power to weight ratio a boost since he carries only 125 to 128 pounds on his frame. . The only rider who comes close to " having an edge in the weight department is jimmy Filice," says McDonald. "Jimmy weighs about 110 pounds, so I might be giving away about 15 to 18 pounds there. However, I figure I gain nearly that much back because my bike is lighter. His uses a stock frame while I use a Britishmade Spondon frame for both lightness and handling. Phil has also changed a number of other things to cut the weight like the front brake assembly which is a Lockheed with a Kosman rotor disc and the rear brake unit which was specially made." This was Sam's second season in Formula Two. Last year, he and Wes Cash, an employee at K&N Yamaha, hit the trail. When the start of this season approached, Cash said he didn't really want to go on the road for another year. Phil McDonald had earlier hung up his road racing and dirt tracking leathers al)d "volunteered to help Sam at Daytona." One race turned into' a full season and Phil was am'azed that he enjoyed himself. , "A lot of people probably wonder how a team runs when one brother does the tuning and one rides," noted Phil. "Actually, quite well. Sam and I never really had a close brother relationship. We never really did anything together. This season has brought us closer together. I do think it's harder to work together when you're brothers because there can be a lot of anxiety and tension on a race weekend. I probably rode two races,mentally-to everyone Sam rode physically. I was exhausted at the end of every race, but it was worth it. As the season went on things seemed to get easier and I really tried to make the bike.a little bit better and a little faster for every race." Sam got a boost before the season began when Kenny Clark, Yamaha's racing team manager, invited him to a special practice session at Daytona International Speedway just before Daytona Cycle Week. "Kenny Clark was just super. The practice session went well and Clark and Kenny Roberts were really a big help. The help continued through Cycle Week and I finished third in the Formula Two event. That really gave me the push and confidence that let me see I could have a good season and, peIhaps, win the title. Yamaha continued to give me help during the season which amounted to team support on parts and advice. "The biggest problem in Formula, Two is that you can't make any money, even if you win. Daytona pays well and I picked up $1,000 for my third place finish, but overall I only made $3,200 all year. Winning the Formula Two event at a Pro-Am pays a whopping $275. Without the help we received, we could have spent upwards of $25,000. Between Phil and I, the out of pocket money which we begged, borrowed and collected any way we could-and which has to be paid back-amounts to $10,200. That kept us going. The winnings were also spent. The bikes, a Yamaha TZ250H and 250j, are owned by K&N Yamaha." , "Our dad had a commitment to us for this season," said PhiL "He said he would help us through the season and for us to do the best we possibly could so that Sam might land some strong sponsorship [or 1983. The money I put into the program came from an engine preparation business I have working on modified midget racers, This paid the money so [ could go to the races and pay my bills at home. I enjoyed the season so much I'd actually like to get a job with one of the factory teams and get paid for doing the work rather than paying to do it as was the case this season." Although Phil never had the thrill of winning a Winston Pro Series National, he was a strong competitor in both dirt and road racing. He passed up a chance to drive sprint cars this season to work with Sam. Phil made some very strong showings on the modified midget circuit, thlls the sprint car offer. Sam learned how to handle the limelight a number of years ago when he made his first appearance on Roxy Rockwood's radio show during Daytmia Cycle Week. Sam was a hit with his down-home bumor and a perfect foil for Rockwood's style of interviewing. He appeared four times, but now he says the time of the comic is over. "It was fun working with Roxy," said Sam. '.'1 think that's over, though. The only time to do a radio show now at Daytona is for promotional purposes only." ' If you were to look at Sam's driver's license you would see that his real name is Gary, not Sam. "My dad wanted to name me Sam when I was born, but my mother didn't. When they brought me home from the hospital my dad started calling me Sam anyway. He got his way. Everybody calls me Sam. Maybe I should change my name." McDonald fully believes that Formula Two racing is some of the closest

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