Daytona 72
200 MILER
Would You Believe That:
a. A non-factory rider could win Daytona?
b. Daytona was won on a 350 competing against 750s?
c. Daytona was won with consistent 2:12snot even close to the 2:06s turned in by the factory backed multis?
d. A rider could win by taking it easy?
e. The 200 miler was won on last year's model?
DON EMDE DID ALL FIVE!
FACTORY DINOSAURS dominated race week, but not the 200 miler. It was ironical watching a tiny 350 inch up in the standings and finally take the win after all the really fast two-stroke 750s expired.
It isn't that the big strokers are all that unreliable. It's just that no one-tire and accessory manufacturers included-realized the implications of 2 to 3 G forces and 170 plus mph speeds on Daytona's high banks.
Fast qualifier Art Baumann and teammate Jody Nicholas on Suzukis, and Kawasaki's Yvon DuHamel were the first to find out. They pulled away from everyone else immediately, but the pace was too much. Du Hamel's Kawasaki packed up. Baumann pulled out with igni tion problems. A broken gear box ended Gary Nixon's bid on the other Team Hansen Kawa saki.
Ron Grant on the third wa ter-cooled Suzuki tried some thing different. He took it easy. But even that isn't enough when you have 100 bhp on tap.
As the pack neared the 75mile mark, Nicholas was the only factory behemoth left. He led until the 100-mile mark, but it was futile, as his tires weren't capable of going the distance.
Factory entries dwindled and Yamaha privateers like Don Emde, Ray Hempstead and Dave Smith moved up, along with Norton ace Phil Read. That's how they finished after a broken chain sidelined Geof Perry on an ill-fated 500 Suzuki Twin one lap from the end.
DAYTONA 72
BOB ATKINSON
EMDE: "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT"
DON couldn’t EMDE believe (NO. he’d won 25) the 200 miler and he had good reason. For one thing, he almost didn’t ride! Don got off Saturday in the lightweight race and injured his shoulder. The attending physician told him to rest for 48 hours. Fortunately, the 21-year-old from San Diego didn’t take the doctor’s advice literally.
Emde started the grind on his Mel Dinesen-tuned Yamaha in the fifth row and played it cool. He drafted faster bikes whenever possible and finally settled into 10th place.
Then came an engine seizure on the banking. It looked like it was all over. “I pulled the clutch in,” said Emde, “then let it out for the hell of it. It ran...ran faster. It was kinda slow coming off corners so I rode around taking it easy.”
Just riding around taking it easy, Emde eased his way up in the standings. Pretty soon his pit crew flashed a number 2. “I knew the guys in the pits blew it,” he laughed. Then, a couple of laps later, the track scoreboard showed him in 2nd, behind Ray Hempstead.
Geof Perry (500 Suzuki) came flying by. So did Dick Mann on the previously ailing BSA Three. Emde tucked in behind Mann and caught a tow that carried him past Yamaha mounted Ray Hempstead. This dropped Hempstead (pictured trailing Emde, left ) from 1st to 3rd. Perry was firmly in the lead.
One lap from the end, a surprised Emde saw the New Zealander’s factory Suzuki coasting to a stop. Emde “gassed it up” as he put it, and Ray Hempstead could only watch him pull away. The stinger had fallen off one of his Yamaha’s expansion chambers and the power just wasn’t there.
Hempstead, an ardent privateer from Florida, has been a bridesmaid several times. If the sharks keep eating each other in the next few years, he may be a bride.
YAMAHA
I (AMAHA WILL no doubt be billed a giant killer for the rest of the season, but when race day dawned, they were definite underdogs. Yama ha's biggest road racer, the TR3, is a mere 350. That's less than half the displacement of the big multis. And, prior to this year's 1, 2, 3 sweep by the air-cooled Twins, no stroker has ever a chieved victory on the 3.8 1-mile track.
TR3s do have some advan tages, though. They are light, easy on tires and chains, and have six-speed gearboxes with dry clutches. The extra cog is now legal for formula 750 events due to a rule change prompted by the recent AMA/FIM affiliation.
Kenny Roberts, shown dicing with Cliff Carr (Kawasaki), powered his machine to an incredible 106.103 mph qualifying lap on the road race course. That was the 5 th fastest average turned in and gave the first-year Expert from Modesto, Calif., a front row starting position.
Teammate Kel Carruthers was equally impressive with a 105 mph average. Both riders, incidentally, were exceeding 106 mph on the banking.
Like the rest of the big buck factory efforts, the Yamaha team was not destined to succeed. Kel, in fact, was one of the first to experience difficulty. In turn two, on the 3rd lap, Eric Offenstadt (Kawasaki) spilled and Carruthers could not avoid a collision.
Roberts pressed on and, when the majority of big Suzukis and Kawasakis fell by the wayside, even led for a lap. He probably would have stayed on top, too, had fate not dealt out a flat front tire. A disappointed Roberts rode his bike back to the pits, and resumed the chase until a holed right piston ended his bid for good.
That left Jim Odom and Keith Mashburn to save it for the factory. Odom, on an A&A Motors-tuned bike, rode steadily to 7th overall. Mashburn finished 19th. Neither, however, proved to be a match for the numerous privateers that turned the 200 into a formula Y race.
A MULTITUDE OF FLATS
T HE BIG FACTORY mul tis had a new problem this year. Tires. Suzukis, as might be expected because of the awesome power produced, had the most trouble.
At the beginning of speed week, the water-cooled Threes were getting 4 laps to a set of tires. That's only 15 miles.
Goodyear flew down a lot of tires with special compounds on 24-hr. notice. These improved the situation, but not nearly enough. Jody Nicholas outlasted his teammates in the race. His rear tire let go at the 1 00-mile marque while he was leading.
Art Baumann and Ron Grant didn't quit because of tires, but it's a good thing they pulled out when they did, because both of their rear tires were shot and a blowout at 170 mph is no laugh ing matter!
Gene Romero was another victim. His rear tire went flat at the 45-mile mark. And, as men tioned earlier, Roberts lost the lead when his front tire went flat.
One of Goodyear's solutions was the "slick." These are spe cially compounded, specially faced, smooth tires which are designed to put maximum rub ber on the ground if the bike can't get enough life with the standard brand. Frustrated by Suzuki's overwhelming horse power, they jocularly conceived a special tire for the water cooled 750, too.
BSA/TRI UMPH: A DISAPPOINTMENT
A FLAT TOOK Gene Ro mero out of the race, but he was far from being in contention. The howl ing Threes that dominated Day tona last year were disappoint ingly slow. Instead of breaking lap records, both Romero and Dick Mann had trouble getting qualified.
Romero had the faster bike. His went an average of 99.499 mph. Alternately furious and philosophical, Mann finally qual ified at 99.104 after wrestling with ignition problems.
Atone point, he said the bike was going slow merely because it was too new. In the race, it got old very fast, cutting out on one and two cylinders. Bugs didn't get the bike going properly until the last laps and then the only function it served was towing Don Emde past Ray Hempstead for the win.
SUZUKI: AWESOME BUT LUCKLESS
SUZUKI’S Threes were water clearly - cooled the fastest bikes to ever run at Daytona. Testing revealed the engines to be dead reliable, too. But there was one flaw. Tires. Their only hope lay in the tire company’s ability to find the right tread design and compound. They even had considered withdrawing for safety’s sake after qualifying 1-2-3.
In the meantime, Art Baumann, Jody Nicholas and Ron Grant practiced and hoped. Most of the people watching the proceedings could only shake their heads in disbelief as the blue racers roared by. Even before qualifying, Nicholas (No. 58) was clocked at 169.8 mph. It was mind-blowing.
Qualifying was equally impressive. Baumann (No. 30) grabbed the pole with a sizzling 110.363 mph average. He was doing well over 170 on the banking, too. Then came Nicholas at 108.658. Grant turned a conservative 104.232.
It was as expected. All but New Zealander Geof Perry. Perry brought over his own 500cc air-cooled Twin engines, stuffed one in a year-old factory racer, and grabbed third fastest qualifying time at 107.517.
When the flag was dropped, there were few surprises. Baumann jetted out front, followed by Yvon DuHamel (750 Kawasaki Three) and Nicholas. Baumann was the rabbit. His job was to wear the Kawasaki down. He did so in short order with an opening 5-lap pace of 112.634 mph.
On lap 15, Baumann was in command, but it was short-lived. His bike rolled to a stop on the backstretch. The cause: a demagnitized rotor. This rotor failure, though, made little difference as his rear tire was completely worn out. A blowout was forthcoming.
At this point, Jody made a rapid 8-sec. stop for fuel and began closing on the lead. Ron Grant, who had been holding back, also pitted, but burned up the clutch and retired shortly afterward. Again, it was a fortunate breakdown, as his rear tire was also worn out. “One more lap and I would have had it,” he said.
Jody, in the meantime, had regained the lead and held on for 11 laps. It was hopeless, though, and on lap 27 (exactly halfway) his rear tire blew while he exited the 110-mph infield dogleg. Jody’s retirement no doubt left a bitter taste in the Suzuki pits. If the tires had only held out....
GEOF PERRY: IRONY AND HEARTBREAK
WHEN Suzuki NICHOLAS had one retired, hope. Geof Perry. But, Perry (No. 96) was not having what you could call an ideal day.
In fact, Perry’s troubles began before the race even started. His bike failed to fire and he lost a lap getting started. From then on it was a matter of catching everyone—something Perry does really well.
By lap 30, the sole surviving Suzuki team entry was a solid 3rd and closing. By lap 45, he was in the lead and pulling away. Victory seemed sure—a victory on a bike American Suzuki couldn’t get the bugs out of last year.
With one lap left, and a 15sec. lead over 2nd place Don Emde, fate took over. Coming out of turn two, Perry’s chain snapped and the bike slowed to a halt, right in front of a couple of Suzuki mechanics who had been giving riders pit signals. Ironically, worn-out chains and sprockets were the first problems encountered on the early racing 500 Twins.
ANATOMY OF A PIT STOP
GONE the funnel ARE and THE 5-gal. days can. of Now, refueling is a split second affair and the equipment used is sophisticated.
Tanks feature side couplings. Gas containers are mounted high above pit walls and large-diameter hoses deliver the fuel under pressure to a quick disconnect nozzle.
The accompanying photo sequence shows a practice run with Ron Grant. Grant screeches to a halt in front of the board held by one pit crew member. The hose is inserted into the side of the tank, then withdrawn. Grant then wails on after a brief 8-sec. pause.
Other factory teams use similar systems. >
KAWASAKI
KAWASAKI’S 750 belonged FASTEST to Yvon DuHamel, who accompanied Baumann in the role of jackrabbit during the early stages of the 200. The opening pace, some 2 mph faster than Baumann’s record qualifying speed just proved too much for the team Hansen Threes.
From lap 10 to 14 though, DuHamel (No. 17) held off the Suzuki challenge. Then, on the 14th lap, the Canadian made his first stop for fuel. One lap later, it was all over, as mechanical problems sidelined the big Three in turn two.
Another Kawasaki hopeful was Gary Nixon. Gary was hanging back, conserving his mount, but the gearbox failed anyway.
The 3rd Team Hansen entrant was Paul Smart, who ran away from everyone in the early stages last year. This year, luck was not with him. His Three failed to fire on the grid after a change to racing plugs and he did not compete.
NORTON
NEAT lap in AS the A mid pin, 2:12s, lap after Phil Read plied his way with a hastily (six weeks) prepared Norton 750 Twin. A few years ago, this bike, with its low-boy chassis, could have won Daytona, having averaged 102.008 mph around the road race course in qualifying.
With the demise of the factory sharks, he found himself in the lead at one point, while the others were stopping for gasoline. Then came his turn to pit. The present 250cc world champion finished 4th.
Read was teamed with Peter Williams on another John Player Norton. Williams fouled a plug on the line and got a late start. Shortly afterward, his Norton’s gearbox packed up. Like Read, Williams was turning in consistent 2:12 lap times.
(Continued on page 79)
HONDA
THE Hondas KRAUSE-sponsored of Gary Fisher and Roger Reiman (No. 5) put in a dismal appearance at Ontario Motor Speedway, but at Daytona, they were running strong.
Fisher was fourth fastest qualifier at 106.989 mph and that lap speed certainly needs no apology. He was equally impressive in the race, holding onto 2nd place from lap 20 to 25. His bike had been misfiring in the infield from the start, though, and mechanical problems finally ended his effort.
Roger Reiman also ran strong and was in the top 10 right up until the 45th lap, when mechanical problems sidelined him as well.
200 MILER RESULTS
JUNIOR/EXPERT 250
“Dare I look over?” Dave Smith could be saying, during his epic battle with Yamaha factory rider Kenny Roberts in the Expert/Junior 250 clash.
Smith, riding the ex-Carruthers Yamaha prepared by Don Vesco, had the steam on Roberts’ brand new factory model. Kenny would harass him in the infield and pass, only to be outpulled on the straight.
Roberts drafted him doggedly, and one time Smith zigzagged the full breadth of the Daytona banking twice in a row to get rid of Roberts. He needn’t have bothered, though, as he was always fast enough to pick up the lap money at the start/finish line.
JUNIOR/EXPERT 250 RESULTS
Continued from page 74
