Pole winner Jimmy Filice (17) leads the field at the start of the 1982 Daytona International Lightweight Road Race (later known as the Daytona 250 Grand Prix). Filice battled for the lead on the first lap with Sam McDonald (29) and Germany’s Martin Wimmer (318) before Filice crashed his factory Yamaha in turn two on the second lap.
Rich Schlachter (48) ran fifth early with new tires that weren’t scrubbed in. Once his tires came up to temperature Schlachter, from Old Lyme, Conn., started making his way to the front. In the end it was down to Schlachter and Wimmer. The two were familiar with one another having battled frequently in FIM 250 Grand Prix races the year before.
On the final lap Wimmer held back in the chicane and tried to draft past Schlachter coming down the front straight on the tri-oval, but the Schlachter’s Bob MacLean Yamaha TZ250J had just enough power to hold off Wimmer’s by about two feet at the checkered flag. It marked one of the closest Daytona 250 finishes in the history of the race.
Pole winner Jimmy Filice (17) leads the field coming into the International Horseshoe at the start of the 1982 Daytona International Lightweight Road Race. Behind Filice are Sam McDonald (29), Craig Morris (92), Martin Wimmer (318), Fred Merkel (3), Rich Schlachter (48) and Tony Head (315). Other riders visible in the shot are David Emde (10), Donny Greene (20), Antonio Neto (346), Bruce Maus (158) and Hugh Humble (4). (Courtesy DIS)
Rider Files 
Cool picture. Where did McDonald end up finishing, Larry? And Hugh Humble? I can’t remember – was 1982 the year he was killed?
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McDonald was third, Humble 10th. I think Hugh died, along with Mark Jones, at Brainerd late in ’83.
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Mark Jones had a bad crash at Pocono in 81 or 82 when his throttle on his TZ 750 Yamaha stuck wide open down the back straight. I met up with him at Ceaser’s Palace in Las Vegas in ’82 when they had a round of F-1, Can-Am cars and Superbikes and F-1 bikes racing in a concrete walled parking lot. What a race weekend! Mark Jones and Hugh Humble lost their lives at Brainerd the following year. What a tragedy!
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