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/126005
A forest of fast milers waits for the starter to tum them loose for practice. Springsteen instructions on the finer points of the mile. Only the Kawasaki multi of Scott Brelsford bro ke up the Harley string of Beauchamp , LawwiJI, Springsteen, Keener, Bostrom and Gary Scott on the front row. Aldana had the pole for the second row , with H an k Scott, Kidd, Campbell, Berry, Doug Sehl , Aksland, and Ed Wirth a1ongisde. On the third row of the eigh t-eigh t-four grid sat Morehead, Roberts, Bob Deiss and Steve Droste. , Jay Springsteen blasted out with the , lead and held it for the opening two laps as Beauchamp and Keener trailed close behind. Gary Scott led a second pack with LawwiJI , Roberts, Bostrom and Brelsford trailing. Roberts had gotten a good start, but was sorting out the track before making his move. The red (B e auchamp) , yellow (Springsteen ) and white (Keener ) helm ets of the lead trio were the only identification visible along the back stretch as th e early laps blurred with, place changing everywhere. Beauchamp held the lead where it counted Jar lap money (the startjfinish -Iine], but it was see-saw everywhere else . Aldana found himself with "one big neutral " on the fourth lap and retired; ignition problems on Scott Brelsford's Kaw led to motor bothers; dirt stuck ' Aksland's throttle slides, and the rest of the field kept on truckin ', By the eigh th lap Keener had drafted close enough to playa side by side game with Beauchamp on the front straight, giving the fans a real show. Springsteen was still within bike lengths and Scott and Lawwill were feeling the pressure from Roberts. After playing safe in the opening laps, Roberts had taken the high line (ticking haybales here and there) around traffic and was screaming. Roberts picked off both LawwiJI and Scott on the back straight on lap 10 with an in-out-around-and-between pass that left Kenny a little shaken. One lap a What a finish! What race! Roberts (1) gets the stands on tiptoes. later Springsteen blitzed Keener in front of the grandstands for second and the three-way draft was on. Brelsford went to the pits while lying eighth . In seventh was Hank Scott, now followed by Romero, Bostrom, Campbell, Wirth, Morehead and Kidd on lap 15. Steve Morehead, after terrible start, was cutting through traffic while his battery was getting ready to stop his charge two laps later. The blanket was out with Springsteen, Beauchamp and Keener battling hard as ever on lap 17 . One lap la ter Beauchamp was back in the lead; one more and he rolled to a halt on the back stretch with a de ad motor. While Spr ingsteen and Keener dueled, Roberts took advantage of their in tense figh t to creep ever closer as the late laps sped away at a record pace. a Keener took the lead for the final lap with Springsteen getting it back via a draft on the back straight and Corky, once again, had the lead as they swooped into tum three. Meanwhile, Roberts had gotten an explosive drive from tum two and closed as the Harleys stayed on the groove. Ken's Ya maha. went high, hooking up enough to catch their draft as the pair - now a trio exited the last tum. With a piercing howl, 120 horses bit the track and Kenny's Yamaha pulled out of the draft in the final feet to shoot past the asto nish ed Keener and Springsteen for the win by no more than half-a-bike. Pandemonium reigned. One old-timer commented that the Indy show rivaled the late and great Springfield mile. Others mumbled "Tan tas ti c" while one individual summed it all up with, "That Roberts never fails to amaze. If anybody could have done it, he could. And he did." How did Roberts like the bike? "They don't pay me enough to ride the thing. I didn't ride it anyway. It rode me ." - Results 25 0 M ILE N ATIONAL' 1. Ke nn y Roberts (Y am ). 2. Co r k y Ke ener ( Ho-D). 3 . Ja y Springsteen (H- D ). 4. G ary Sc ott IH'D). 5. M er t La w wlll (H· O) . 6 . Henry Seo t t Y am). 7. Ricky Campbell ( H -D) . 8 . Paul Bostr om (H- D) . 9. Gene Romero (Yam). 10 . Eddie Wirth (H· D ). 11. Mike Kl d d (H· D ). 12. T om Berry (H -D ) . 13. Steve Droste (H · D ). 14. Bob Deiss (H-D). 15 . D oug Sehl (H · D). 16. Steve Morehead (Trl). 17. Rex Beauchamp (H-D). 18. Ski P Aksland (Yam). 19. Scott Brelsford (Kaw). 20. Oave Aldana (H-D). . Time: 1 6 :15.56 (new track recor d) TROPHY D ASH-1 2 LAPS,!. David SOhl (H-D). Time, 7 ,56.23. 2. Donald castro KaW). 3. Pat r i ck Marlnaeel (H·D). 4 . Seott rake (Ho D). - 5. James Ziegler (H·O). 6 . Dennis Palmgren (H-D) . g 9