Dave Roper won a spectacular victory in the 500 GP Vintage race class at Daytona Speedway on March 2, 1998. When the Team Obsolete 1969 ex-Agostini MV Agusta 500 triple fired up, its mighty roar announced to the crowd that Roper was ready to show what the "fire engine" was made of. The race was not easily won, however. There was the Drixton Honda of Todd Henning, not a force to be lightly reckoned with. Also, UK rider John Cronshaw's ultra-trick BSA was in the fray, as well as the Barber Dairies Matchless G-50 piloted by Stephen Mathews. First lap was Henning all the way, he looked ready to spank the competition from the wave of the green flag. As the first lap turned into the second, Henning led the way but Roper was in close second, Cronshaw was at least six bike lengths behind with Mathews right on his tail. It looked as though the battle was going to be fought for first on the infield, as Henning seemed to have superior horsepower on the straights. As backmarkers got lapped by the two front runners on the front straight of lap four, Roper drafted Henning into turn one bringing his MV hot onto the tail of the Honda. Then...the red flag. #122, Stu Rogers from the UK went down in the chicane on his Norton and the race was stopped. Lap five was in the books, and as it was an eight lap race it looked like Henning might be awarded the victory since he crossed the line first in the final lap. Fortunately for Roper, however, a restart was called and the excitement was palpable. Fuel was brought out to the hot pit as the riders waited in the beating sun, already a bit worn from the battle thus far. Who would dare to hold off from going all out in the final four laps of this race? What bikes would make it through the ordeal? Not Cronshaw, not Mathews, both of whom retired with engine failure. Instead, a two man duel at the very brink was to be fought between Henning and Roper. At the second green flag they both took off like they'd been bitten. The crowd was tense and expectant. A repeat of the first five laps was played out as Roper followed Henning around the track. On the last lap, at the exit of the chicane, Roper tucked into Henning's draft and slingshot around and passed the Honda for a clear victory of several bike lengths. Said Roper, "the bike was a dream. Agostini was a lucky man to have such a machine".
This was the first MV Agusta victory in the 500 GP class at Daytona since Mike Hailwood won the US GP in 1965 on an MV 4. The very same trophy Mike won at that victory was recently acquired by Team Obsolete and will be presented to the top points holder at the upcoming Vanson Leathers / T/O Trans Atlantic Match RaceŠ at Laguna Seca April 18-19. Yvon Duhamel on a Team Obsolete ex-Dick Mann BSA "triple" was the man to watch in the Formula Vintage race. Again a battle for the lead emerged with Todd Henning as the top contender in the six lap race. Although it was the second to last race of the weekend, the spectators remained for what they knew was going to be a battle royal. The diminutive, fiery fifty-eight year old French Canadian Duhamel was who they wanted to see, and the show was unbelievable. His sons Mario and Miguel and wife Sophia were on hand to witness Yvon perform in what was to be the most exciting race of the entire weekend. Henning got the holeshot and Duhamel started from the fifth row, but pulled into third by the time the pack made its way to the east banking. On the fourth lap, Henning misjudged turn one and ran off the track, allowing Duhamel to pass him. Then, in the chicane, Duhamel was leading Henning and got in too hot. This forced him to go straight rather than through the chicane, subjecting himself to the "meatball flag" which resulted in a "stop and go" penalty at start / finish. Although he came to a complete stop, he did not lose his momentum and rocketed into turn one. Henning meanwhile, seeing that Duhamel was on pit row, eased up his charge and started to cruise. Said Henning, "I kept hearing a motor behind me and I assumed it was a backmarker, but it was Yvon". Duhamel rode like a man posessed and managed to tuck into Henning's draft and slingshot around, passing the Honda for a repeat of Roper's 500 GP victory the previous day. Announcer Richard Chambers said in all his years of announcing, he'd never seen someone come from a "stop and go" to take the win. The crowd went wild and Duhamel was elated. At age fifty-eight he still has the same will to win as two decades ago.
Team Obsolete is sponsored by Vanson Leathers, DomiRacer, Megacycle Cams, Red Line Synthetic Lubricants, Avon Tires, Works Performance, AirTech & R/D Springs.
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