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/126008
Gary Scott ate spray. still came up with a second place and a batch of crucial points. Triumph into the lead going in to turn one on the fifth lap with Billy Schaeffer dropping early leader Steve Droste to third a lap later. Trophy race Billy Schaeffer put the swoop on Steve Droste for the lead and the win in the "consolation." event two laps from the c h e c k e r e d fl ag : It w as the culmination of a long duel that chopped 14 seconds off the previous track record for a 12 lap event. Droste took the initial lead and appeared to have things well in hand until Sch aeffer broke loose from a four rider pack and began closing . Jay Ridgeway followed Schaeffer's example and bumped Droste to third with one lap to go. " If it could only have been the National," said Billy as he accepted his trophy. Nati onal "I walked the track and it looks like it 's setting up pretty good. I just might be able to do some business. " Corky Keener has never been known to be optimisti c before a race. The eight-six grid for the National had a lot of familiar and not so familiar faces lined up. Keener held the pole with Rader, Zeigler, Dave ' Sehl, Gary Scott, Freeman and Kidd holding front row slots. Beauchamp, Roberts, Chuck Palmgren, Rush , Eves and Morehead rounded out the field. " We 'll give her hell for awhile ," said Chuck Palmgren . He was right. "Gee, I was so nervous in my heat race th at I thought I was going to fall off every lap." Rookie Steve Freeman tells it like it is." Now I'm real ly nervous. " " Th is is it," was how Jimmy Zeigler described the upcoming 25 lap race . "You don't get any more chances." Ziggy made the best of his chan ce elbow-to -elbow, a n d handlebar-to-handlebar banged his way ' out of turn two and into the lead with Keener , Osborne , Scott, Kidd and Palmgren right behind him. Keener got by two laps later with Scott then hounding Ziggy until he p assed on the eighth lap. A deje cted Bubba Rush was already a spectator by the third lap with Kenny Roberts bringing up the rear of the field, playing catch-up in the dust and spray. The front-running trio beg-an to ease th ird placing, putted around on his cool off lap. A dejected Ziggy pushed across the line quietly as cheers and moans filled the air. Kenny Roberts, in a last lap duel with Dave Sehl, slipped into sixth by inches at the flag . Corky "Mr. Dirt" Keener had plenty of reasons to smile; two National wins in a row; a top spot in the fight for Camel's second-leg $5,000 point lea der check; and a win near home with his parents on hand. For Gary Scott, the second place poin ts would certainly make the lo ng trek to San Jose a little easier. • ou t some breathing room by the eighth lap ' over a very tight battle between Osborne, Morehead, Kidd, Palmgren, Eves , Sehl and Beauchamp. These seven ran in tigh r . formation with Rader, Freeman and Roberts a notch back. By the lOth lap Scott, on a pass two laps earlier, was in second with Ziggy in third and Keener holding an almost . h alf-straigh t lead . Osborne and Morehead were having a heads-up battle for fourth. Morehead bumped Osborne for fourth two laps later only to have a battery w ire connection break in another four laps; Osborne began to feel his tires go ing away; Kidd lost his brake ; and Eves, Beau champ and Roberts began to charge. Eves closed on Osborne with . two laps to go and then drove past · a lap later, heading for the checkers out of turn four. N AT ION AL-25 laps) : 1. Corky Keener (H-Ol . 2. G ary Sc ott (H-D). 3. Billy Eyes (Trl). 4 . Jim Os borne (H- D). 5. Rex Beauchamp (HoO) . 6 . Kenny Roberts (Yam) . Suddenly, Ziggy , who had third place in his hip pocket, rolled to a sputtering stop on the front straight just y ards short of the finish line as the rest of the field dashed by. · Eves' tuner, Larry Mehan, did a double take while heading towards the pits and then began a dash to winner's circle; Eves , unaware of his Ste ve Freeman (H·D) . 10 . Ch uck Palm gren (Yam) . 11. Mike Kldd (H-D) . 12 . Jim Zei gler (H-D) . 13. Steve Morehead (T r l) . 14. Bubb a Rush (H-D) . TROPHY RACE-12 l ap s) , 1. Billy scneetrer (H-D). 2. Jay Ri dgeway (H- D) . 3. Steve D ro ste (H- O) . 4. Scott D rake (H -O ) . 5 . Keith Ulicki (H-Dl . 6. Rick Hocking (Yam). 7. Ed Wirth (H-D). B. Hank SCott (Vam). 9. Tom Cummings (H-D). 10. Ricky Campbell (H-D ). Results 7. Dave Sehl (H-O ). 8. Scott Rader (H- D ). 9 . 7