Sears Point Camel Pro Series Road Race
Sears Point Camel Pro Series Road Race
Mike Baldwin starts last, runs over Aksland's debris, brushes the walland wins
John Ulrich
Skip's carbs were tumbling down the track and I hit them. went about six feet into the air. It cracked the wheel. Lucky I had a tube." Mike Baldwin, a privateer riding his own bought-and-paid-for TZ750 Yamaha. had just won the AMA Grand National/ Camel Pro Series road race at Sears Point Raceway, near San Francisco. Baldwin started dead last on the grid, because he didn't finish his heat race-his bike threw its drive chain while leading.
In the final, Baldwin passed half the field of 36 riders before the first turn, was fourth on the second lap, and took the lead on the fifth lap. In the process he survived a front-rim-cracking ride over the carburetors off Skip Aksland's crashed bike. For unexplained reasons, Baldwin had chosen to run an inner tube inside his front tire, even though the cast Campagnolo wheel and Goodyear tire were meant to run tubeless. That decision saved Baldwin's victory.
Even though Baldwin survived the leap over crash debris and was never challenged
for the lead, that doesn't mean everything went smoothly from that point on. Baldwin's bike ran on three cylinders during the last seven laps, and he had brushed the three-foot-high concrete crash wall outside the second-gear, hairpin turn 11 about halfway through the race.
"I must have had my foot on the shift lever, because it popped into neutral," said Baldwin of the near miss that had the announcer screaming into the microphone and spectators gasping. "First thing I thought was that I lost another chain. 1 looked back for the chain and next thing I knew I was up against the wall."
Up against the wall isn't the same as hitting the wall; Baldwin survived again and carried on to win by about 15 seconds, with Gene Romero second and Dale "Pig Farmer" Singleton third. Few people could have predicted the finish order.
Who would have thought that Skip Aksland. who had beaten Baldwin on Baldwin's home track at Loudon, New Hampshire a month earlier, would crash while leading on the second lap? Or that David
Aldana, then running a close second, would ram the wreckage and also crash? And who would have predicted that Baldwin, who as recently as last year crashed himself out of all three classes at a national road race, would survive two excellent opportunities to bail and would instead finish the race in first place?
Aksland had planned on a victory at Sears Point to restore his Camel Pro Series points chances, which were set back by a three-week layoff due to injuries suffered at the Santa Fe TT. Aksland needed the win and shot into the lead right away, but crashed in the tricky, downhill left-hander known as the carousel on the second lap. His reward: aggravation of his injuries (broken collarbone, separated shoulder) and another three-or-four-week forced vacation from competition.
With Aksland and Aldana out, Richard Schlacter (RJ Builders/Kevin Cameron Yam) led Gary Nixon (KK Supply/Erv Kanemoto Yam), Gene Romero (Ocean Paeific/Don Vesco Yam), and Baldwin. Baldwin took the lead on the fifth lap and> left. By the halfway point of the 30-lap. 75mile race, Romero and Singleton were set in second and third, ahead of Schlacter, Nixon. John Long ( Longevity Yam ). David Emde (Mel Dinesen Yam), Wes Cooley and Mike Cone. Gary Nixon crashed while running fifth shortly thereafter; "Front wheel just went away," Nixon said. Schlater's bike wouldn't shut off entering turns a few laps from the finish, and when he pitted, mechanic Kevin Cameron grabbed a rock out of one carb. But overcome by the heat, Schlacter didn't return to the race.
There had already been other casualties. Cooley retired with heat exhaustion while running about seventh. Randy Mamola pitted while eighth because "everytime I gassed it up, it vibrated so badly 1 couldn't hold on." Mike Baeder went out with ignition problems. Cone, who was second into the first turn behind Aksland and ahead of Romero and Aldana, limped in seventh on three cylinders—a carburetor needle had worked loose early on.
Some casualties occurred even before the start of the final. Ron Pierce crashed in a heat race, breaking two ribs just three days before he was scheduled to leave for Japan to ride an endurance race on a CBX. (He ended up going anyway.) Steve Eklund, who hoped to pad his Camel Pro Series lead with road racing points, bumped into Wes Cooley in a heat race and crashed. Who was at fault in the collision became a great topic of debate, with relatives of one rider screaming in the pits and threatening official protests. It
would appear that veteran road racer Cooley, high and outside in the carousel, had a wheel length or more on Eklund, who was slightly inside. Cooley turned in. Eklund hit Cooley, Cooley backed off, Eklund's front wheel washed out and Eklund crashed.
Gary Scott desperately needed points to keep his flagging Camel Pro effort alive, but he never made it to the track. Scott had a falling-out with tuner Stuart Toomey the week before the race, which resulted in Toomey declining to work on Scott's bikes. Without enough time to assemble the machines. Scott spared himself the long drive from the Ascot TT (Saturday night) to the Sears Point final race (Sunday). (Most of the entrants at Sears Point didn't ride at Ascot. The few who did flew up Saturday night, having earlier left their road racers at the track.)
RITTER WINS SUPERBIKE PRODUCTION
Wes Cooley controlled the Superbike Production final for 13 of 16 laps. That's when the Yoshimura R&D of America Suzuki GS1000 pulled the sprocket bolts out of its magnesium rear wheel. "I downshifted once at the entrance of turn seven, then downshifted again and it just freewheeled." said Cooley.
With the Yoshimura Suzuki out, Paul Ritter took and held the lead on his Dale Newton /Aero-Un ion /Eu rom art 883cc Ducati. Reg Pridmore was second on the Vetter/Yoshimura Kawasaki tuned by Pierre desRoches, with Harry Klinzmann and the San Jose BMW third.
Cooley accomplished under pressure what even he doubted was possible after the short, five-lap heat race the day before the final. Cooley won that heat by the barest of margins, harassed all the way by Ritter. "He was pushing me all around," said Cooley at the time. "I knew he was there, and I admit I played block whenever I could. The final will be a good race. It'll be hard throwing around the Suzuki. I'm sure he'll have an advantage with the lighter Ducati, and I don't know if I can hold him off for the whole race."
Ron Pierce led the heat race on another Yoshimura GS 1000, but ran off the track in less than half a lap; the clutch broke on the start and wouldn't disengage, and Pierce missed a critical downshift. (Pierce didn't start the Superbike final due to injuries suffered in a 750 heat race.)
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The same heat race problem befell Billy Addington. Reg Pridmore popped a straight-up wheelie on the heat race start. and his bike's front wheel came down as Addington charged past, knocking Ad dington's Kawasaki's clutch adjuster out of the lever bracket. That left Addington without a disengaging clutch. In the last turn on the last lap of the heat. Addington tried to go underneath Dennis Smith (Del Amo/Yoshirnura 944cc Suzuki GS750) and couldn't downshift. Addington hit Smith, breaking off Smith's bike's front brake lever and sending Smith straight into
the tire-lined crash wall. Smith suffered broken ribs.
Mike Baldwin had already retired from the heat when his Reno Leoni Moto Guzzi's ignition went flat-someone had accidentally turned it on when loading the bike into Leoni's van the night before, and a quick charge at the track hadn't com pletely restored the battery.
In the final it was Cooley at the halfway point by 10 seconds, with Ritter. Pridmore. Baldwin (who had come from the back of the grid). Klinzmann, John Long (on a BMW borrowed from Johnny Kokinos with cylinder heads from Long's usual sponsors. GS Group). and Keith Code (Vetter/Number One Products Kaw). By the time Cooley was out. Baldwin had pitted. lacking a megaphone and a steering damper. and Code had passed Long for fourth place.
After the heat race. Ritter was asked if be thought he could pull off the win in the final. Ritter replied. `Oh yeah." Which. even though it didn't quite happen as anticipated. is exactly what he did.
EMDE TOPS 250 EXPERTS
David Emde led the 250 Expert final off the grid and led at the finish, but in between the order was anything but static. The first lap saw Emde (Floyd Emde/ND/Mack Kambayashi Yam) lead. get passed by Mike Baeder (Fritz Baeder Yam). and reclaim the lead, while Bruce Sass (Woody's Wheel Works Yam). John Long (Longevity Yam) and Randy Mam ola (Jim Doyle/George Vukmonovich Yam) followed closely and Miles Baldwin (SKF/Diamond Yam) made up ground from a mediocre start. Sass faded as his tires started slipping (a classic shoestring privateer. Sass couldn't afford to buy better tires before the race), but Baeder and Long hung on Emde's tail. Mamola and Long passed Baeder and Emde. Long crashed on oil in slow turn seven without ever killing the engine, and rejoined the fight in fourth. Baldwin passed Baeder, Baeder passed Baldwin, and the order was set until two laps from the finish.
Then Mamola slid off the track, gas from a ruptured tank spewing onto his bike's footpegs and rear tire. Mamola put ted slowl\ into the pits. leaving Emde home free. Baeder second and Baldwin third.
