Dayton, Ohio Indoor Short
Track
January 19, 1974 at the Dayton Convention Center
| Click
here for the original Cycle News page. Click
here for unpublished photos. Click for CN cover. By
Joe Jordan |
| The Dayton area has been called the hub of professional racing in Ohio. Half mile dirt tracks in Troy, Springfield, Hamilton, and in Dayton would make that seem to be true. Dayton has fortified that claim with the addition of professional indoor short track racing at its new Convention Center. Coupled to the main program tonight was a free motorcycle display, featuring new models and accessories and a celebrity race during the intermission with local TV and radio personalities competing. Johnny Walker from TV22 in Dayton, and co-host of Motorcycling with KK won the event, (team KK chalks up another win.) Walker won the race at the finish after another TV22 personality, Malcolm McCleod careened off the retaining wall coming out of turn four. He crossed the finish line sliding on his back, feet first. Malcolm quickly retired to the V.I.P. Pit Area to revitalize his spirits. (Or was that with spirits?) A quick scan of the pits turned up a familiar sight, Bart Markel. Bart supposedly retired last year , but when asked about it he said, "Short Track is like retiring because anyone can win it, even a Novice!" This was Bart's second since his alleged retirement and he said would keep his No. 4 as long as possible. Approximately 90 rider representing nine states made the trip to Dayton. One rider towed what seemed to be an 80 gallon fuel trainer to the race in order to beat the no gas on Sunday rip-off. Larry Cooper a first year Junior topped the time trials with a 7.099 followed by Bart Markel with a 7.151 and Gary Nixon's 7.155. Riders had to finish in the top three in their heats in order to make on of the three semis. Heat winners Tom Cummings, Bart Markle, Jim Rawls, and Mark Kellner along with Dave Kolenda made up the front row of the first semi, and Steve Sherman, Jeff Purvis, Steve Witwer, Vert Trayor, and Jay Ridgeway topped of the back row. If there were a trophy for the sharpest leathers it would have to go to Steve Witwer. As starter Duke Pennell dropped the green, Cummings and Markle began bumping and shoving going into the turns. Markle came out of turn two in the No.1 spot with Cummings and Rawl in second and third by a hair. Lap four saw Dave Kolenda and his Suzuki bite the concrete. The race was re-started in single file with Markle still in the lead. On the first lap of the re-start, Novice Steve Witwer, now in fourth, unloaded in turn four and initiated his new leathers. Jay Ridgeway took over the fourth position. When Duke lowered the checkers it was Markle, Cummings, Rawls, and Ridgeway. In the second semi, Guy McClure took his cue on the green and took command of the race. Steve morehead, now riding for Wellings Sport Cycles of Richmond, Indiana, was in hot pursuit, while Mike Bechelli took up the third slot. McClure lengthened his lead on the fourth lap by four bike lengths over Morehead. By the white flag lap McClures lead was up to almost 15 bike lengths partly because of Morehead's difficulty in passing an unyielding Steve (Pee Wee) Anthony.. McClure took it in for the win followed by Morehead, Mike Bechelli, and Terry Pletch. Pletch made the final because of his fourth place finish in the fastest Semi, which was ten laps in 1:12:541. Larry Cooper, Scott Drake, and Bob Thorsey were involved in a pile up on the first go round in the first turn in the third Semi. On the re-start, (in the original order) Larry Cooper charged around Gary Nixon but Gary ducked back under and took over the No. 1 position in the second turn. Scott Drake and Mike Ladd were circulating in third and fourth. Greg Sassaman managed a fifth place while lst years No. 1 Ohio Novice decided to lay down in turn three. After four re-starts, the four lap Trophy Dash, made up of the four riders with the fastest time trials, was under way with Larry Cooper in the lead followed by Gary Nixon, Jim Rawls, and Bart Markle. Rawls fell on lap three and gave third to Markle. Cooper got the win followed by Nixon and Markle following behind. The ten man Consolation Race went six laps with Larence McComb coming out the winner followed by Tim Sheppard and Lealie Watson. Texas Aces Guy McClire and Larry Cooper took up positions one and two as the final got underway. Gary Nixon and Tom Cummings were very close behind at the end of lap two. About midway through the 20 lap event, front runner Larry Cooper was dropped to fifth after a run-in with Terry Pletch, who was in the nine spot. On lap 13, Bart Markle and Steve Morehead, running in sixth and seventh, went down in turn three. Morehead was up and gone before you could blink, but Bart's engine was dead. Markle pushed his bike into the infield and restarted spraying oil on the track in turns one and two. As Morehead came into turn one he cut the mustard on the oil and was broadsided by markle. Jim Rawls got into the dodge-em act as he also ran over Morehead. Terry Pletch, Larry Cooper, Gary Nixon, and God only knows who else ran into the pile-up. The scene in turn two resembled a de-railed freight train or an over-turned Georgia cordwood truck. In any event, it was a mess, better known as a scorer's nightmare. Riders argued about the line-up on the re-start. Steve Morehead, as it was later decided, was the only rider out of position. He was started in second, but was actually running in ninth. Cummings led the column on the 14th lap re-start, with Guy McClure, (behind Morehead) Larry Cooper, Jim Rawls, and Mike Bechelli. The next six laps saw the riders finish the same way. After the race several riders protested the line-up. The finish line of the race was being video-taped by the AMA for such mixups. District 11 Referee Bob Anthony, AMA Rep. Dave Welsh (who operates the video-tape equipment), and the numerous scorers retired to a separate room in the Convention Center to re-construct the race as accurately as possible. Dave Welsh explained that events such as short track, motocross, and road races are video-taped to help score them more accurately. It was decided that was indeed put out of order on the re-start. Several people were unhappy with the final decision, but it would stand ulness a formal protest was filed. Bart Markle explained his philosophy that in a mix-up like this the scorers do the best possible re-constructing the race, trying to be fair to all riders as possible. For Dayton's first Short Track event this was an exciting one. RESULTS FINAL: 1. TOM CUMMINGS (HD)
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| Reprinted with permission from "Cycle News". Originally published February 5, 1974 |
