Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125876
National motocross season finale at New Orleans By Richa rd Creed NEW ORLEANS, LA., SEPT. 2 Despite a no show by teams Honda and Yamaha the N ational moto cross season ended with a bang, not a whisper, on the banks of the mighty Mississippi. It was standing room only around the up and down sandy levee course as everyone waited to be blown o ff the face of the earth by Hurrican e Carm en or fro zen to death by an advancing Artic co ld front. The co ld fro nt won but n ot un til after th e racing was long over wit h. What n o one ex p ecte d was the surprise ap pearance of Wunderkind Marty T ripes on t he Can-Am. Tripes rejo ine d former Team Hon da teammate Gary J on es and fa th er Do n J ones and is upper quarter placing before his fro nt brake loc ked, off loading Brad in t he process. Brad was uninjured but th e Husky needed extra hands to get it back to the p its. In the second moto Lackey showed his stuff as he and Jimmy Ellis (e-A) shattered everyone's minds with tre mendous rides. Fans ran fr o m co mer to co rner waving shirts, beer cans, and ma ke shi ft flags at t he be rm blast ing duo . A t o ne corner a few half hearted sw ings were exc hanged bet ween Lackey and Ellis fans before the excitement of the rac e bro ught t he m up short. The situa tion looked bad for Ellis in t he latter stages as his rear tire went boosh and Lackey was p utting nicks in the decal on the Can-Am 's tanks. Then the rear spokes of Lackey's Husky started to part company with the hub and Lackey had to back off to finish second in the moto but out of the top 10 for the day. Behind all the excitement in the 250 class rode consistent Texan Kent Howerton who motored a Way with his first overall National win. Behind Howerton, Ellis took second place. Howerton wasn't the only surprise in the 250 class. Frank Stacy parlayed 4-4 finishes into third overall aboard an Ossa Phantom. First m ot o winner Gary Jones was sidelined in the second round c "' "' 0:: U c 0:: c( r o FOo·. ......"' ·' 0:: > III ~ I- o r 0. Kent Howerton's second·third placing gave him the Overall 250 win for the d ay . . . . new Can-Am t eam member Marty T ripes (16) was Nati onal Number Two t his yea r. Gary Semics j ust we nt WFO t h e w hole way to swe ep the 500 class. reported ly on a mult i year contrac t. This ma kes t he third factory team ride for young Marty since the season opened and hopefu lly things will start clicking again for him. It may just be an illusion but Tripes appeared to have lost some weight and his attitude was more open. Jim Weinert extended his lead over second place in the National points race held by Tony DiStefano and Gary Jones wrapped up an unprecedented third straight National 250 Championship. Gary Jones, brother DeWayne and father Don seem to be able to develop championship machinery in incredibly short times as this makes the third different brand. Jones had won previous championships on Yamaha and Honda motorcycles. The New Orleans track is a demanding one and Team Suzuki found out the hard way . Mike Runyard retired early in th e first 500 moto when his front down tube snapped in half just above the engine mount. Thorwaldson suffered mechan ical problems in the firs t 250 moto to put an en d to th e Suz uki challenge. Pit rumor had it that Thor snapped his frame also in the first 250 moto o n t he bac k side of the course. Jimmy Ellis lost a foot peg at the sta rt of the first 250 ro und but ro de hard enough to gain third spot briefly behind team mates Mart y Tripes and Gary Jones . J on es went on to win the first moto and T ripes dropped back to seventh by moto's end. Brad Lackey had gotten a bad start in t he first 250 moto b ut slashed thro ugh the field to an Ga ry J ones (1) is the National 250cc Mot o a oss Cha mpio n fo r the third straight year. His Ca n-A m teammate Jim Ellis (37) finished third in the stand ings on an other Can-Am, a nd ... with two flat tires and finished out the day in 10th place by way of a 1-20 placing. Gary Semics completely dominated the 500 class foll o wing an intense m ulti-lap tangle with new Na tional Champ Jim Weine rt in the firs t moto . Weinert faded bac k and later co mp lained of feeling ilL Semics went on to a runa way in the final moto. As Tony DiStefano said later, "Gary was just WFO all the way ." Tony ran with the leaders of the first moto until his front brake cable wound around and clamped itself shut. DiStefano continued on to finish sixth in the first moto. In the second round Semics held the throttle to the stops and Tony held off everyone else for second in the moto and fourth place overall. Steve Stackable rode one of his "ew effortless races and finished the day f second overall and third in National 500 points. - The Ellis-Lackey dice brought opposing groups of fans to fisti cuffs d uring the second 250 mota. Results 250: 1. Kent Howerton (Hus) 2·3 . 2. Jimmy Ellis (e-A) 5~1. 3. Frank S tacy (ass) 4-4. 4. Peter Lamppu (Mon) 3-5. 5 . Marty TriPes (C -A) 7-6 .6. Troy Jorskl (Kaw) 6·7. 1. Mike G Ulman (Ya m) 9~8. 8. To ny Wyn n (Nog) 8·10. 9. Bob B ayn e (Bu l) 10 -9. 10. Ga ry Jones (C-A ) 1-20. 500: 1. Gary serntcs ( H us) 1~1. 2. Steve Stackaole (Mai) 3-3. 3. Jim Weinert (Kaw) 2·5 . 4. Tony DiStefano (CZ) 6·2. 5 . B o o Martindale (Bu l) 5-.4. 6. Shan Moore (Bul) 7-6 . 7 . Steve Floyd (B ul) 9-8. 8. Scott Hares (Bul) 8~11. 9. Dave Beavers (Mal) 13-9.10. Dewayne Baehler (Yam) 17-7. 500 NATIONAL STANDINGS: 1. Jim Weinert (Kaw). 2_ Tony DiStefano (eZ). 3. Steve Stackabfe (Ma i). 250 N ATION A L STANOINGS: 1. Ga rv Jones (C-Al 600. 2. Marty Tripes (C· A) 576 . 3. Jim Elli s (C-A). 7