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/126004
Why is this man (14) smiling? By Gary Van Voorhis CHICAGO, ILL., AUG. 15 Hank Scott, playing to a standingroom-only crowd of cheering fans, decisively sped to victory in the 25-lap AMA Grand National/ Cam el Pro Series short track Championship at San ta Fe Speedway. Aboard the Shell Racing Specialties Yamaha, Scott outdueled Steve Freeman's Sure ' Fire Distributing Yamaha for his second National win ' with Bubba Rush, on the Baytown Cycles Bul taco, working for a hard-earned third. TIghtening of the battle for the Grand National Championship was in the works as Kenny Roberts held his factory Yamaha in fifth place behind the Vista Sheen Bul taco of Jay Springsteen and barely ahead of the hard-charging K&K Insurance Yamaha of Steve Morehead. Curren t poin ts leader Gary Scott picked up a 12th placing that cut down his margin over Roberts to 204 points. The win vaulted Hank Scott from l l th to fourth in the standings. Santa Fe also marked . the return to National co mpe tition of Mike Kidd. After breaking his leg at Santa Fe last year and then re -breaking it prior to Houston, Kidd pu t in good rides all night with his drive to win the second semi bringing the fans to their feet, cheering hi m on. Hank Scott tripped the clocks for fast time in q ualifying, then proceeded to win the first heat, although he had a hard time doing it . The other heats were won by Jimmy Lee, Steve Freeman and Brent Lowe. The semis, in equally hard-charging fashion , were taken by Steve Morehead and Mike Kidd. The eight-six starting line for the National set three of the four rookies in the race on the front row with Freeman (on th e pole) joined by McClure and Rush. Hank Scott, Lee , Rick Hocking and Randy Cleek ' filled out the front . row while Gary Scott, Sp ringsteen, Roberts, Dave Aldana, Morehead and Kidd held court on the second line. Any questions about the right selection of tires, gearing or an y th ing else became academic once the green flag dropped and the field sped away from the line . . Steve Freeman led into the first tum with Hank Scott, McClure , Rush, Hocking and Lee bunched closely behind. Brent Lowe had already gone high in tum one, allowing five riders underneath, and Cleek was left dead last with a rear tire that wouldn't bite. On the third lap Scott go t a good ' drive out of tum four to blast past Freeman, while Roberts was in the midst of a battle fo r fou rth with Rush. Springsteen, bogged in traffic on the opening lap, was cutting through the competition. By the sixth lap the National had split into many individual races, with the Scott- Freeman battle opening space over 'the' six riders who were engaged in a duel for third. Further back, b ut racing as if for the lead, was a pack con taining Gary Scott, Hocking, Morehead, Aldana and Kidd. Handlebars rattled, but passing at Santa Fe is not easy . McClure, in third during the early laps, had dropped back to around eighth by the halfway flags. "It 's easier to go fr o m third to eighth at Santa Fe than it is from eigh th to third." A lesson learned the hard way. Rush and Roberts were still battling with Lee and Springsteen only a wheel away and the re st of the field strung itself out in small pockets of fighting. On the 19th lap White went wide in tum one while Rush broke free and got a secure hold on th ird. Tw o laps later Springsteen went underneath Roberts in tum four and the front five were set. Three laps before the checkers, Morehead gobbled-up everyone in sight and moved right onto Roberts' rear wheel; from there it was constant pressure to the flag. Scott 's key to the win was his running at Santa Fe on Wednesday and finding a line that suited him perfectly. "I won the race in tum four. Nobody was coming out quicker than I was. Shell (Thuet) set the bike up perfectly and everything worked. It was super. After the problems we had earlier this year this win is really good for the morale." "I think we had the same power, ' although his line was better than mine so I began to follow: him (Hank) !nthe later laps." Steve Freeman may have stage fright when a microphone is around, but without one he was a chatterbox . " With all the action going on behind me, I just tried to stay up and keep everyone behind," Bubba Rush was beaming, with an ear to ear grin . _ Results N AT IONAL: 1. Hank Scott ( Vam) . 2. Steve Freeman (Vam) . 3. Bubba Ru sh (Bu l ). 4 . Jay Sp rin gst ee n (B ul). 5. Kenny Ro be rt s (Vam ). 6. Steve Morehead (Ya m). 7. J im m y Lee (Yam). 8. Guy McClure (B ul). 9. Bren t Lowe (8 ul). 10. Rick Hocking (Yam).. 11. Dave A l dan a (Vam). 12. Gary Scott ( Ya m ). 13. M ike K idd (Yam) . 14. Randy Cl eek (Vam). TROPHY : 1. John Genna l (Bul ). 2. Skip A k slan d (Yam) . 3. Jim RawlS C PDV1. 4. M i k e Gera ld (Yam). 5 . Jay Ridgeway (Ka w). 6 . Corky Keener (H· D). 7. Ken Springsteen (Bul) . 8 . Darryl Hurst (Yaml' 9. Robert E. Lee (But}, 10. John Evers (Bul • 15