Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 54

ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE Sunday. July 9, 1978 3D 1 Auto Racing Mrs Glen workers rewarded 'Mi mm. wfi few thanks fatigue -1 4 Hf "tz But such publications as the Toronto Star newspaper and Formula published pictures of Strong being knocked down by Hunt. Ithaca's Whitey Bennett, Strong, works for a car dealership forv a living. Bennett has been working aU The Glen since 1961 and has involved in more than 225 events.

Strong has worked 75 events. He helps Bennett, Chief Fire Marshall this weekend, and other officials put together the corner teams each day, -trying to get the right blend of rience and energy. RCA. which was founded in 1951 by Fred German of Canandaigua, has 260 members. It consists of teachers, psy-s chiatrists, doctors, building contrao'; tors and even race drivers.

Roches- ter's Dr. Bill Coykendall, whose car did not make it to the starting grid for yesterday's race, will be the Flag Marshall for this fall's States Grand Prix. Strong said, "Obviously, not every- body can show up at every race. don't think we just have the two bigJ races (this weekend and the October Grand Prix) to work. We have 15, events on our own regional calendar this year.

And if RCA members want to go to other tracks, fine. It's almost like a second job. "Still, we've got almost 200 here this weekend. That's a real good turnout; A minimum to put on a pro race like this would be 125." Strong said, "We think we have th toughest job of any course workers in the country. At USAC (United States Auto Club) and NASCAR (National Association for, Stock Car Auto Racing), nearly everything is controlled mechanically.

Here, at a road course like this with 11 turns, the human factor controls the race." to work once Hunt started walking back because I was the corner captain." Hunt was fined $2,000 by the Canadian Auto Sports Club for his action. Some RCA members, remembering that Hunt had taken a walking tour of the course the day before and questioned the abilities of the RCA workers, wanted a stiffer fine, and perhaps a revocation of Hunt's international license. Strong, who has worked the Canadian Grand Prix eight times, needed four stitches to close a wound on his jaw. He said he had to make several visits to a chiropractor to have his jaw put back into place. Strong received a letter of apology from Hunt, but he feels that's not enough.

He is pursuing legal action. "We're out there to help these guys," Strong said. "I don't think we should be submitted to that kind of treatment. And I don't mean to sound like a crusader, either. "This kind of thing has happened too much.

Emerson Fittipaldi (of Brazil) knocked down a course mar-shall and a photographer this year at one of the Grand Prix races in South America. He was fined, too." RCA has been the target of potshots before. After Belgian driver Jackie Ickx was involved in a flaming wreck at the 1976 United States Grand Prix, an irate fan wrote "Autoweek," a weekly motorsports publication, contending that corner workers and emergency help were slow in responding. "We wrote a rebuttal to that letter," Strong said, "because we have television film clips to show the guy was way off base. We were right on top of Jackie after the incident.

But Autoweek never published our side. That's pretty frustrating." Shampine sets mark at Oswego Staff and Wire Services Jimmy Shampine of Clay set a track record with his eighth straight victory last night in the 45-lap Super-modified feature at Oswego International Speedway. Shampine, who averaged 121.695 miles per hour, earned $1,600 for the victory and $25 for the record. Gary Albritton finished second and Warren Coniam was third. LANCASTER SPEEDWAY: Mayn-ard Troyer of Rochester, starting from the 16th position, took the lead from Jim Rudolph of Ransomville on the 12th lap and posted a 3-length victory in the 40-lap Modified Sportsman feature.

Roger Treichler of Sanborn, a perennial contender at Lancaster, walked away from a crash apparently uninjured after the throttle stuck and his car went through a barrier at the end of the track and caught fire. Treichler was running his car between races when the accident occurred. SHANGRI-LA SPEEDWAY: Run-nerup Dean Hoag of Bath may be named the official winner of last night's 30-lap Modified Sportsman feature in Owego. George Kent of Horseheads, whose car was first across the finish line, may be ruled ineligible after track officials found allegedly illegal tires on his car. NEARA officials will make a ruling tomorrow.

HOLLAND SPEEDWAY: Art Clark of West Seneca protested the finish of the 25-lap Late Model Sportsman feature. Clark, who finished fourth, protested cars driven by apparent winner Ron Williams, of Buffalo, Bob Boyle of Middleport and Sonny Wittmeyer of Glenwood. Clark said those three cars used illegal manifolds. Mike Logsdon of Pavilion won the 20-lap Limited Modified feature and -Tim Ingels of West Valley won the 20-lap Charger division. WATSON ON POLE: Short track driver Dave Watson of Milton, who won the United States Auto Club 200-mile stock car race last summer, qualified in record time to win the pole position for today's Miller 200 in Milwaukee.

88- By RICK WHEELER Sportswriter WATKINS GLEN Ernie Strong doesn't celebrate Flag Day. Not when he has to stand out in the rain, heat and humidity from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. several weekends of the summer with a flag. Strong, from Scottsville, is one of the almost 200 members of the Race Communications Association.

This all-volunteer group is the life support system of any road race at the United States Grand Prix circuit. RCA members are the flagmen, the corner workers, the rescue workers in the white jumpsuits, red hats and red scarves, and sometimes raincoats who can't come in off the course, regardless of the reason. In a rare occurrence yesterday, the Six Hours of Endurance for the World Championship of Makes was delayed 59 minutes by rain. But Strong, working at station 16, one of almost 30 RCA stations located around the 3.377-mile circuit, couldn't leave his post. His corner had to help advise the main control tower on the condition of the course.

Strong and the rest of the RCA members are accustomed to such hardships. When they go to their posts, they are equipped with backpack and necessities for the day. "Once we're there at our posts," Strong said during a break in yesterday morning's schedule, "we're there. Sometimes, if there are enough RCA people to go around, the crucial corners get relief. But most of the time we're there for the duration, prepared for just about anything." One thing Strong couldn't prepare himself-for short of taking a course in self defense was a hard punch to the jaw by England's James Hunt at last October's Canadian Grand Prix in Mosport, Ont.

Hunt was forced off the track at Strong's corner and quickly got out of the car and waited for the driver so he could wave his fist in anger. According to track Strong tried to get Hunt to move back because he was a possible hazard so close to the track. "I was merely trying to do my job," Strong recalled. "Hunt actually started to cross the racing surface, so I tried to grab him. He turned around and hit me with a roundhouse.

I don't recall if I got up by, myself or he helped me up. But I had to get back Specia to the Ernie Strong of Scottsville, one of about 200 track workers at Glen this weekend, was punched last year by James Hunt. PORSCHES end. Honolulu Star-Bulletin associated publisher Paul Miller II, formerly of Rochester, and co-driver Ludwig Heimrath finished 14th, completing 121 laps. Earlier in the day, Geneva's Lou Gigliotti qualified 10th on the grid for today's Super Vee race.

Allan Jones, the Can-Am Challenge Cup series leader, shaved almost one second off his qualifying speeds in yesterday's final sessions with his Chaparral Lola and won the pole position for today's 300-kilometer race. Jones, a native of Australia living in London, is seeking his third victory in five races in the Jim Hall-prepared car that won the series last year with French driver Patrick Tambay. Jones' qualifying speed was 116.75 mph. From Page ID first in Trans-Am "Category I in their Jaguar. Hal Shaw of Colorado and Monte Shelton, who finished fourth overall in their Porsche, finished first in Trans-Am Category II.

Fitzpatrick and Stommelen were the only drivers on the same lap of the 496.419-mile race. The 3rd-place car, a BMW driven by Hans Stuck of Germany and Dieter Quester of Austria, was six laps back. Rochester drivers didn't fare well. Dr. Bill Coykendall of Greece and Jim Mancuso of Syracuse (formerly of Hilton), weren't comfortable with an overnight engine change and didn't start their Corvette.

Pittsford's Gene Miller, the owner of another Corvette, saw his drivers John Orr and Bill Jobe have constant fuel pickup problems and the car finally quit 15 minutes before the HELP WANTED MANAGERS I SALES PERSGNMEL for expanding hi-fi sound electronics department. Experience necessary, salary open, all fringe benefits. Call AA.E. Schi-fino ROCHESTER RADIO SUPPLY 454-7800 WANT jiT ADS CALL 454-4200 Zeniths sweep pair with Carmen's hits 7th-inning rallies down Milwaukee II ra LI LTLi lr LA.3 Igaf lil mm DONT WAIT 'til OCTOBER FOR THAT BEST DEAL-WE'LL GIVE YOU OCTOBER PRICING NOW! FANTASTIC SAVINGS FANTASTIC SELECTIONS By JOHN KOLOMIC Sportswriter The Rochester Zeniths set the stage twice last night for their biggest showman. And twice Cal Carmen delivered.

The flamboyant first baseman hit a lst-pitch, pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the seventh inning of the first game to give the Zeniths an 8-7 victory over the Milwaukee Schlitz. Carmen came back in the second game of the doubleheader at Harris-Whalen Park for an encore. This time it was a 2-out triple in the bottom of the seventh that capped a 3-run rally and gave Rochester a 6-5 win and a sweep before a crowd of 983. For the first time in their first American Professional Slo-Pitch League season, the Zeniths (11-23) have won three straight. And they did against a powerhouse Schlitz team (15-11) that was bottled up by the long left field fence (320 feet to left center) and the Zeniths' defense.

Carmen, mobbed after the sweep by players and spectators, said he wasn't surprised. "That's the way it is," he said. "One day I'm a hero, and the next day I'm a bum. But for now, Ei '77 GRAN FURY LIKE NEW, 6862M, FULLY EQUIP. SAVE ARROWS IB! YORKERS "it AS LOW AS AS LOW AS 77 V0URE WAG.

SAVE 6 POW. CCtiMf 11,000 mi. p3kp this feels nice." Carmen entered last night's doubleheader hitting only .295, with two home runs. The last two games he was pulled for a pinch hitter in crucial situations. The key may have been his move to Rochester from Detroit Friday to get more practice time.

The right move definitely was made by Manager John Warren, who sent up Carmen to hit for Jim Adams in the seventh inning of the first game with the score tied at 7-7. "I was a little hot from sitting," said Carmen, not accustomed to sitting on the bench. "I had to travel 10 hours to get here (with his possessions) and then had to sit on the bench. I felt bad but I feel pretty good now." Carmen homered again in the third inning of the second game to tie the Schlitz at 3-3. But Milwaukee scored two runs in the fourth, and the score remained 5-3 until the bottom of the seventh.

The first two Zeniths' batters went out routinely to lead off the seventh, before Doug Farrell singled up the middle. Mike Decillis (9-10), the winning pitcher in both games, helped himself with another single, and took second base as the throw from the outfield went to third to try and cut down Farrell. That brought up Andy Santillo, the Zeniths leading hitter, who was 0-for-3 in the game. Santillo skidded a hit to right field to score both runners and tie the game. Again the Zeniths counted on Carmen and again he didn't disappoint.

Carmen ripped a 2-2 pitch down the right field line, about three feet inside the foul line. Milwaukee outfielder Jim Dillard made a lunge for the ball, caught it in his webbing, then dropped it. Santillo, off with the pitch, scored the winner as Dillard's throw sailed over catcher Jeff Mittlestadt's head. "That's the one we needed," said Santillo with a heavy emphasis on "At first I thought his (Carmen's) hit was going foul, but with two outs I was gone. When I came into home I saw the throw coming out of the corner of my eye, and I knew I was in." Carmen thought he had made the last out.

"I thought he had it," he said. "With my luck I fugured he'd catch it for sure. I guess the ball just kind of died on him." Besides winning both games, Decillis made some key fielding plays that left Milwaukee batters shaking their heads. He stabbed several line drives up the middle. Bill Rouse and Dick Rogers crashed lst-game home runs.

Rouse's solo shot to right was the first Zeniths home run in five games, and two batters later Rogers hit a 3-run blast to center. Shortstop Santillo, besides delivering the clutch single in the second game, started two doublcplays. Rick Page, the team leader with 15 home runs, hit one in the second game, and third baseman Theo Dorsey made a stellar diving grab of a line drive. '76 KEW YORKER FULLY EQUIPPED, AIR, MANY EXTRAS $4998 $1 AS LOW AS AS LOW AS 73 LINCOLR FULLY EQUIPPED, AIR 1S35 COR DOB AS )V0LARES (50 '72 BUICX ELECTRA FULLY EQUIPPED, AIR '495 AS LOW AS AS LOW AS 372)8 75 DODGE DIRT 6, AUTO, P.S., LOW MILEAGE '2695 (22) LE BARCliS FURYS BRAND HEW 1977 LEFTOVERS 0 VOLARES AS LOW AS AS LOW AS 0 VOYAGER AT TREMENDOUS rminwTTJT) SAVINGS! CHRYSLER PLYMOUTH "NOBODY CAN AFFORD TO SELL YOU A CAR FOR LESS!" photo by Burr Lewis ON YOUR WAY TO WEBSTER AND SAVING b2111 EMPIRE BLVD. 671-1660c Dick Rogers is congratulated after his 3-run home run in opener.

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