Baldus Leading at the GNF (1991)

• Larry Lawrence

I’m guessing this is a Suzuki GSXR Cup race, but I’m not sure. I do know that’s Bruce Baldus leading the way on the No. 36 bike at the GNF in 1991. Riders behind him include Tray Batey (No. 33), Todd Hoge, (directly behind Batey) and New Zealander Chris Haldane (No. 7x) on a Dutchman Racing Suzuki. I’m not sure who No. 12 is. It says Dean on his leathers so it could be Dean Mizdal. I also don’t recognize No. 95, although it looks like he’s wearing ex-Yoshimura leathers (I’ve found out No. 95 is Texas road racer James Schaefer). Maybe you can name some of the unidentified riders. Leave a comment below.

Bruce Baldus leading possibly a Suzuki GSXR Cup race at the WERA Grand National Finals in 1991. (Larry Lawrence photo)

Bruce Baldus leading possibly a Suzuki GSXR Cup race at the WERA Grand National Finals in 1991. (Larry Lawrence photo)

9 thoughts on “Baldus Leading at the GNF (1991)”

  2. Larry,

    I turned this picture on to James Schaeffer and he said, “Cool! Thanks! Those were the days!” James lives in San Antonio and still play rides now and again.

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  5. Larry,

    I have still yet to pin down James Scheaffer to answer *exactly* about the Yosh leathers, but I do know that James was a Yosh mechanic for a little while in, I think, the late 80s and into the early 1990s. My best guess is that he obtained some leftover leathers from someone on the team, possibly Britt Turkington as I know that Britt and he were friends. Incidentally, James owns and runs a shop in San Antonio called “Extreme Powersports” these days.

    On the topic of James, here’s a picture I took at the soon to be defunct Oak Hill Raceway on April 9, 1995. That’s Sam McDonald (29) leading Steve Isenhour (52) and Jeff Covington (5), with Scheaffer in the 4th spot (partially obscured). His blue and white helmet is clarly visible, though, and we can see that his leathers have changed. lol

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  6. Linz

    Cool photo. You know it’s weird, somewhere in the back of my mind I have this feeling that James rode for Yoshimura once. Maybe as a replacement rider or something. I could just be dreaming it.

    Thanks for the great shot.

    Larry

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  7. Larry,

    I took the long way home, I guess. I just got the answer from James about those leathers. He said Scott Russell gave him those leathers. James never raced for Yosh, but we do know that Mr. Daytona was a Yosh rider in the early years of his career.

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  8. Cool. Thanks for following up. Yosh has a long history of hiring replacement riders for a race of two. That’s where I got that James might have ridden for them in my mind.

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  9. Got to say how proud I am of #36. My best friend since i was born. We are a month and half a part in age and lived next door to each other in Chalfont PA for 25 years riding dirt bikes in the back yard for many of them then to street bikes. i only wish i could have gone on to race with Bruce instead of college first. who knows what our world would have looked like.

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