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/126037
DALLAS, TEX., MAR. 19-20 "I hope we can still be friends when the series is over," said Jimmy Ellis before the _Texas Stadium round of the AMA Supercross series. 'Ellis picked up the overall win after four motos that exhibited either rock 'emsock 'em ' action or follow the leader boredom. The rock 'em-sock 'em style of riding was the -ingredient that Ellis feared would cost friendships. And _ it did. The Texas Stadium motocross , track was - a one-half mile long, hard packed serpentine that encircled itself under the dome-with-the-hole in the roof. Track design was excellent. but the composition of the soil made short -track talent and tactics a valuable commodity. Going into Texas Stadium Tonv DiStefano and Jim Weinert were dueling for the overall series points lead that will even tually be decided several months from now in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Tony D. narrowly escaped serious injury in the second moto of-the two n igh t MX circus when the front fork st em on his factory Suz uki 250 snapped go ing over a ju mp catapault ing America's hottest rider into a t umbling ' • rag do ll. DiStefano, like teammates Roger ' DeCoster and Danny LaPorte who earlier suffered the same malfunction, was lucky to stand up and walk away with facial lacerations. Team Suzuki, in an admirable, but p ain ful decision withdrew their team of DiStefano and Steve Stackable from the Dallas event. The 500 Support class continues to be a one rider rout, except this week it was a different rider. Gary Chaplin took his RM-370 Suzuki . to three straight moto wins and a second in the fourth moto to effectively stop Honda's Rich Eierstedt. Eierstedt took second overall with a 7"2:3-3 score. The challenges to Chaplin, who rode like the Gary Chaplin of two years ago, came from Pat Richter (KTM) and Wayne Boyer. Boyer moved up in the final mo to to pass Eierstedt and Chaplin for the lead and went on to break Chaplin's streak even though the pipe on his 400 CZ bro ke in half with five laps to go. Neither Boyer nor Richter were consistent enough over the two nights to threaten and finished fifth and seventh respectively. Third place went to Bob Harris (CZ) although a center punch ill the las t corner by Trey Jorski almost allowed young Texas star Bobby Pickard to grab third away on his Penton. Friday'under the hole T he Friday nigh t program sh ould have been labeled the "Ken t Howerton , Show" as he ' dominated the night's action with stylish handlebar dragging, high flying r unaways in both motes: Yet, as much as it was Kent's night to be in the spotlight it was also a night for crashing. ' Marty Smith holeshot the first moto and came over the IlTSt jump totally .vertical . The red bike looped onto its back fender and stood perfectly still as the pack squirmed by the statuesque Honda. Jim WeineI'!. charged too hard trying to make up for a bad start and went over a berm, lost ten places, charged again. went down, charged back up only to play yo-yo some more. "I rode like a Junior," said a disgusted Jammin' Jimmy and vowed to do better. The first moto ended with Texan Kent Howerton way out front , Pierre Karsrnakers, Jimmy Ellis and Tony D. tightly bunched in second, third and fourth . The second mot was more of the first as Karsmakers succumbed to Howerton after leader Martv Smith 's ignition went snap, crackle, pop. Howerton's lead was short-lived as Tony D. flew by to take the poin t and m ove away. Suddenly past the finish lin e jump the Suzuki sp layed out on lan ding as bi ke an d rider went in t hree pi eces . Luckily two of the pieces were th e bike. The crowd of 20,000 gasp as DiStefano slid to a stop on his hands and knees. The 'Big D' stood up , banged his fist on the ground and groggily walked away . Track physician Charles Winters cleaned and stitched immediately DiStefano while the .race continued. Do n Kudalski, crashed 100 yards away fr om DiStefano and suffered a fractured pelvis one lap later. Howerton passed the ruined Suzuki and walked away again with 'Veinert, true to his word, in ,second. Karsmakers, Ellis and Mosier were sandwiched in again. At night's end Kent Howerton was I-I and in firm command over Karsmakers 2-3 and Ellis 3-4. Behind the leaders came Gaylon Mosier (6-5), Bob Hannah (8-7) and Jimmy Weine~t (16-2). Saturday's parade and sock hop The first moto of Saturday night was an Easter parade as the riders tentatively tested the hard surface that had formed overnight. Ellis provi ded the fireworks early as he q uickly dispatched the leaders an d disappeared: Marty Smith ran second, Weinert third an d t he only battle with any excite ment in it ca me Gaylon Mosier and Kent fro m Howerton. On the last lap Howerton blitzed by Mosier after the two banged fenders for the preceeding three laps. The final moto was mayhe m as ,Wernert quic kly garnered the lead with Howerton chasing. Kent had the overall win and the series points lead if he had held his position, but he chose to go for it all. Weinert and Howerton would pull side by side down the short straights and then J am m in ' would shut the door. Finally Weinert not only shut the door, but Howerton got his front wheel caught in it and high-sided. Meanwhile, on the other side of the track Jimmy Ellis was working harder than anyone else on the track. Ellis was riding to make up ground, not merely to hold it . Ellis' Can-Am hit a haybale and flipped Jimmy off. He lost five p laces, remounted and go t them back. Ellis was trying to catch Howerton, but Kent was circulating slowly an d falling down often. Howerton came in to the mech an ics' area to get his bars fixed as the pack streamed by . Ems was up to fourth place with Gaylon Mosier, Pit:rre Kars makers, and Jammin' Jimmy in front of hi m while Howerton lolled back in 12th. When it was all over that is how they finished. Jimmy Ellis drove off the track and up to the pits thinking he had lost it all, unaware that his fourth place was go od enough to give him the win. Jimmy 'Captain Cobalt' Ellis deserved the win because he kept on cookin' even though he didn't think he could win. Karsmakers was second overall and Kent Howerton finished a disappointed and angry third. • Hesufts' ... . 25 0: 1. Jim Ellis 3-4-1--4. 2. Pierre Karsmakers 2-3-7· 2. 3. Ke nt H owert on 1-1-4-12. 4. Gayl on Mosler 6-5-5-3. S. Jim We in e rt 16 -2-3· 1. 6. Bo b Hannah 8-7-6 -5. 7. To m Cr oll 17-8·9·6. 8 . T erry Cl ar k 11·9-11·9. 9. Mart y Smi t h 13-20·2·7. 1 0. A r lo Englund , 12 -10- 12·8. 11. Tim Hart 1 0-15·1 0- 11. , 12. Mike Kessle r 1 5·13-1 3-1 0. 1 3. Ste ve St ackab le 5'-6 -2 0- 2 0 . 14. 'St eve W ise 7-11-2 0-2 0 . 15. M arty _T r i p es 1 8-2 0·8-15. 16. Dou g Ra in es 19·1 6 -1 4 · 13. 1 7. Jo hn Savltskl 2 0-1 4 · 15· 14. 1 8 . - Tony DIStefano 4- 20-20-20. 19 . Gary Jo ne s 14- 12 -20· 20. 2 0. Don Kud a'ls kl 9-20-20-2 0 . r 500 : 1. Gar y ChaP lin 1·1-1-2. 2. R ich Ele rsted t 7·2-3-3 . 3. Bob Harris 6-5-4-4. 4 . BObby Pic ka rd 3-' -5-6. 5. Wayne Boyer 13-4·9-1. 6 . Trey Jorsk l 2-6-25·5. 7. Pat Richter 15 · 9-2·13. 8. John Ayers 16·3-8·15 . 9 . Ricky K ld d 10-11-10- 12 . 10. D an ny W eir 4-12· 14-14. SE RI ES OV E RAL.L., 1. J i m Wolnort 215. 2. Kent Howe rton 2 01 .. 3. Ji m Ellis 1 71 . 4 . Pie rre Karsmakers 17 0 . 5. Tony DISte fan o 169. 7