Fim World Road Racing Championships

FIM WORLD ROAD RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS

RACE WATCH

Hennen,Baker 1-2 at Silverstone; Glover Becomes Youngest AMA MX Champ; Camel Pro Series Continues Hot

The final round of the world championships for solo classes and 500cc sidecar was held in England at the ex-airfield Silverstone circuit. It was the first time ever a world championship road race meeting of this nature had been held on the mainland as all previous rounds had been on the controversial 37.75-mi. mountain circuit on the Isle of Man, long considered the ultimate test of man and machine.

In fact all the solo class winners had been decided before the final round with Pier Paolo Bianchi riding Morbidelli taking the 125 class, Mario Lega, his teammate, winning the 250 title, and the popular Japanese rider Takazumi Katayama (Yamaha) took the first-ever title to Japan in the 350 class.

American interest centered on the 500 class, which Englishman Barry Sheene had thoroughly sewn up on his Suzuki but his teammate Pat Hennen and Yamahamounted Steve Baker were battling for the runner-up spot. Pat’s chances of finishing 2nd suffered as early as the fourth round, held in Italy, when a newly designed fairing he was using touched the ground causing him to crash. The tumble came just a week after finishing 2nd in the West German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. All hope for the runner-up spot was gone when in Finland Hennen’s clutch packed up. In fact Pat won at Silverstone with Baker 2nd and Tepi Lansivouri (Suzuki) 3rd. Hennen went to the start intent on beating Venezuelan ace Johnny Cecotto, who could have taken 3rd place in the standings with a win, but Cecotto never really figured.

In dull and damp racing conditions Hennen was the early leader but dropped back under pressure from Wil Hartog (Suzuki), Steve Parrish (Suzuki), John Williams and Sheene. After 17 of the 28 laps Hartog retired with a broken crankshaft but that was some eight laps after Sheene had retired with a blown cylinder head gasket, a problem that had plagued him throughout the weekend. It was all rather dull for the spectators and once Cecotto retired on the 16th lap, Hennen’s 3rd place in the title was assured so he just kept his cool and rode on steadily.

Then in the closing laps race leader Parrish dropped it, giving the lead to Williams. And on the very last lap Williams entered Becketts Corner too fast and the bike slid away under him. Hennen and Baker thus finished the race 1-2 and if we say that is the first time two Americans have finished that way in a world 500cc title fight you can bet the postbag will be full if we are wrong.

Both Hennen and Baker ran this year with one-year contracts but hope to renew for 1978. Both are anxious to improve their 1977 championship positions and if they do there is bound to be an American champion next year! Pat left his mark on a recent international meeting at Snetterton, England winning the top event of the day— the Race of the Aces—and in doing so he put in a record lap for the circuit at 107.68 mph. The old mark, co-held by Sheene and Mick Grant, was 104.67.

In the final race of the day the sidecar title was at stake between George O’Dell/ Cliff Holland and Rolf Biland/Ken Williams, both Yamaha mounted, a single point separating them before the race. The race was run on a soaking wet track in steady rain and Werner Schwarzel (Aro) gave a masterly display in winning ahead of Rolf Steinhausen (Yamaha) who had taken the title in 1975-6. Into 3rd place stormed O’Dell to take the title and really rub salt into the wound by lapping poor Biland in the process. —B.R. Nicholls