Boote, McCleary share grand prix honours

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34131, 19 April 1976, Page 3

Boote, McCleary share grand prix honours

( By

ROD DEW)

The hitter memories of recent set-backs were thrust into the background for the 21-year-okl Christchurch international, John Boote (RGSOO Suzuki), when he won hoth the senior and open title in the thirty-third New Zealand motor-cycle grand prix at Ruapuna Park yesterday. Boote. who had to pax $BOO for the return of two machines after the financial collapse of the Australian T.T. and then had the frame and wheels of one of them i stolen from his home a forti night ago, won the senior event (up to 500 cu. cm) by j nearly Bsec. But he had to I call on all his considerable skill to head off a deferI mined Pau! McLachlan I <TZ7SO Yamaha), also of Christchurch, in the 15-mile

c open (up to 1050 cu. cm.) . race. It was a superb finish to a great race, shortened from ■ 20 laps because of the dan-! ger presented by the sinking >. sun shining directly into the \ eyes of the riders down the main straght. Boote took the chequered flag just fivef tenths of a second ahead of . McLachlan in the outI standing time of llmin 38.2 sec. Outstanding rider , But for Boote the most , important race of the weekI end was against time in his , garage. He damaged his oil e pump while reassembling u the Suzuki on Friday night _ .and it was not until 2.30 on r 'the morning of the race that he and his manager3. mechanic, Ron Grant, got Jthe machine running. “Things couldn’t have tl turned out better today, f Winning the two big races e made the work all worth

while,’’ Boote said afterwards.

But if Boote was the star i of the big capacity events,!' the honour of being the out-1, standing rider of the dayL had to be shared with the! talented 39-year-old Chris*--church rider, Kevin! McCleary. McCleary, riding; in his twenty-first New Zea-1 land grand prix meeting,: won the ultra light-weight title for the second succes-i sive time with an impec- > cable ride on his TAI2S Yamaha. It was a fitting finish to: the national 125 series, which he had won even be-! fore the grand prix. Last appearaiwe Then a short time later he gained an equally impressive win in the light-weight! grand prix on the TZ2SO; Yamaha brought to New 1 ■Zealand by the American teenage racer, Randy Mamola. It was his sixth win, in this event, a record ! achieved by no other rider jin the sport. McCleary also finished fourth in the junior, sixth in the senior, and; ninth in the < gr...xd prix: — all on the same 250 Yamaha — and also rode in the classic machine event on a; Joyce Velocette. However, at the end of it all the top small-machinej rider in the country was still adamant that the grand; prix marked his last racing! appearance. “I am really enjoying the. racing and this has probably' been my most successful! season. But it costs a lot to! igo racing and I would be; I selfish if I carried on. 1 I would rather spend the: money on my family. My. I kids all need new shoes,” he joked. Engine failure ! The light-weight grand prix was almost a carbon icopy. McCleary took the lead lon the first lap and after an iearly battle with Barry! ; Wylie (Christchurch), who! •rode exceptionally well on an I [old air-cooled Yamaha, went lon to win handsomely. Wylie; was second, after at one! Istage being as low as fourth,! land Gwyn Avenill (Auck-I land) overtook the national; 1250 champion. Brent Wylie; (Christchurch), to claim third; place. Mike Vinsen (Auckland)! completely dominated the! junior (up to 350 cu. cm) grand prix. lan Disney (Wellington) was his nearest chai-1 lenger until he retired on the 1 fifteenth lap with engine failure, leaving Lindsay Me-1 Leod (Christchurch) to come; through in the runner-up; position. Barry Wylie, having; altered his Yamaha to 350 cu. cm in the pits, was a fine I third. I At the start of the senior igrand prix, there was a spec-1 Itacular pile-up in the hairpin: (bend which eliminated both! Vinsen and Barry Wylie. |Boote went straight into the! (lead, ignored the close pres-1 ence of Paul Goodyer (Lower! Hutt) for five laps and then stepped up his tempo. Nose in front Nobody could then stay l with him and he cruised to; the easiest of victories. AI former winner. Jim Land-1 rebe (Dunedin), was third and McLeod, after recovering from a dreadful start, showed considerable ability in getting up to fourth. The open grand prix, the first to be held, was an enormous success. Boote again set the pace but he was under tremendous pressure from McLachlan for almost the entire distance. Third place went to Ken Fletcher (Auckland) on a TZ7SO Yamaha, just 2sec behind the two leaders. But if McLachlan missed his first grand prix title by a narrow margin, he had the satisfaction of recording the fastest lap — 45.45ec — and defeated Boote in the final A grade race with a ride of rare quality.

Although there were many crashes in the blustery wind, nobody was seriously hurt in ■the racing. However, R. Jamieson (Blenheim), was Treated at hospital for leg injuries in a crash while practising on Saturday. He was a spectator yesterday. Ivan Clarke (Timaru) was taken to [hospital yesterday with chest injuries after crashing his sidecar in practice. Results were:— N.Z. open (up to 3050 cu. cm) grand prix <l5 lapsi.—J. Boote • Chchi. RGSOO Suzuki. 11:38.2. 1; P. McLachlan (Chch). TZ7SO Yamaha, 11:38.8. 2; K. Fletcher iAuck.l. TZ7SO Yamaha. 11:40.3. 3; P. Goodyer < Wellington). TRSOO I Suzuki. 4; R. Haldane (Auck.), jTZ7SO Yamaha. 5. N.Z. senior (up to 500 cu. cm) ’grand prix (15 lapsi.—J. Boote (Chch), RGSOO Suzuki. 11:57. 1; P. Goodyer (Lower Hutt). 500 Suzuki. 12:4.6. 2; J. Landrobe j Dunedim, 370 C 3. 12:25.4, 3; L. ‘McLeod (Chch), 350 Yamaha. 4; B. Thompson (Wellington), 500 'Suzuki, 5. N.Z. junior (up to 350 cu. cm> grand prix (20 laps).—M. Vinsen (Auck.). 350 Yamaha. 16:34.2, 1; L. McLeod (Chph), 350 Yamaha. 16:44.6. 2: Barry Wylie (Chch). 1350 Yamaha. 16:54.9, 3; K. ,J. McCleary (Chch). 250 Yamaha. 4; Brent Wylie (Chch). 250 Yamaha. N.Z. lightweight (up to 250 cu. I cm) grand prix (12 laps).—K. J. McCleary (Chch), 250 Yamaha. 10:17.7. 1: Barry Wylie (Chch). 250 Yamaha, 10:22.5, 2; G, Avenill <Auck.i. 250 Yamaha. 10:23.5. 3; Brent Wylie (C hch), 250 Yamaha, 1 4; N. Hawker (Chch). 250 Yamaha, N.Z. ultra light-weight grand prix (10 laps).—K. J. McCleary (Chch). 125 Yamaha, 9:1.0, 1; N. • Hiscock (Lower Hutt), 125 Yamaha. 9:7.0, 2; M. Mantel) I (Chch), 125 Yamaha, 9:9.6. 3; N. Earrow (Auck.). 125 Yamaha, 4; P. McLeod (Chch), 125 Yamaha. N.Z. 50 cu. cm grand prix (4 lapsi.—N. Hawker (Chch). Yamaha, 1; P. De Geus (Chch), 'Yamaha. 2; D. O'Connor (New Plymouth), Suzuki, 3. N.Z. sidecar grand prix <lO laps).—L. Mu nay and R. Anderson (Timaru), Kawasaki 900, 9:19.6, 1; J. Pre)! and N. Prell (Chch), Kawasaki 900. 10:22.1, 2; 'C. Olsen (Chch) and J. Allan (Timaru), Yamaha 750. 3. ! Grade races.—A grade open (8 laps): P. McLachlan (Chch), 750 Yamaha, 6:11.1, I; J. Boote (Chch), RLSOO Suzuki. 6:12.4. 2; R. Haldane (Auck.). 750 Yamaha. 6:15.1, 3. B grade open (8 laps): P. Fleming (Lower Hutt). 750 Kawasaki. 6:50, 1; A. Frew (Chch), 500 Suzuki, 6:54.1, 2; G. Scott (Chch). Kawasaki 900, 3. Open and modified production race (15 Japs).—P. Fleming (Lower Hutt), Kawasaki 750, 112:56.6. 1; P. Waters (Timaru),: Kawasaki 900, 2; R. Freeth ;(Auck.), 750 Kawasaki, 3. Open production (420 cu. cm to ; 1050 cu. cm, 15 laps).—P. Waters (Timaru), Kawasaki 900. 12:47.9. !1; P. Fleming (Lower Hutt), [Kawasaki 750, 12:53.1. 2; L I Bradley (Invercargill), Kawasak.900. 13:3.7, 3. Production race for machines; up to 410 cu. cm (15 laps).—B.! i Hawker (Chch). 350 Yamaha. ! 13:23.1. 1; A. Sykes (Chch),! IVamaha, 13:29.8. 2; T. Hunt (Masterton), Yamaha, 13:30, 3. Classic machine race (6 laps;.— B. R. Lee (Blenheim). 650 'Triumph. 5:42.8, I: R. J. Harris (Chch), 7RAJS, 5:55.0. 2; P. A. ’Ansell (Chch). MV Agusta, 6:8.6, 3.