 |
|
|
 |
|
Ron Pierce, POP, Wes Cooley, mechanic Oya, Yumiko, mechanic Asakawa were all waiting to start.
Although they had won the previous year's 8 hours durability race, there was no guarantee that they would do the same.
They were facing various difficulties caused by new changes.
They were not ready for a race.
The machine they were using was the same as the year before, GS1000, with a minor change in the drawn back up-handle and order-made frame.
In the preliminary rounds, they suffered trouble in the brakes.
They blew the engine and were forced to retire.
Racers such as Graham Crosby of Moriwaki and Hideo Kanaya with his TZ made the race exciting.
On the other hand, there were many retirements too.
The favorites were almost all gone by the end.
The winner was Tony Hutton and Mike Cole of Honda Australia.
Hutton had finished third place on Moriwaki the previous year.
Honda's team had sprinters as opposed to those with stamina.
Cooley's steering form appeared to become compact with the machine.
They were able to meet POP's expectations even while setting up a off-tuned machine.
The relationship between Yoshimura and the riders seemed to be by far stronger than Japanese sense of duty.
They had a strong bond of faith between them.
In proof, Pierce had pushed in a machine with a blown-up engine back to the pit.
The riders also loved Yoshimura and Yoshimura's machines.
|
 |
 |
|
|
