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•
By' James Brammer
CHULA VISTA, CA L. , MA RCH 28
Eight national numbers challenged
the Cal Rayborn Memorial race at
South Bay Park Speedway, but
Rick ' Hocking's (H-D) most serious
,
12 .
competition came from rookie Expert
Steve Eklund (Yam) , who finished a
n
close second in the 15·lap fi al.
E klund broke Hocking's previous one
lap record on the South Bay oval,
lowering it one full second to 25.92
seconds on the half-mile. Hocking
qu alifie d with 25 .98. Eklund went on to
win the first Expert q ual ifying heat with
a time of 2.12 .65 . Hocking won the
other heat with a faster ti me, and ran
away with the th ree- lap trophy dash in
1.20.18. Mark Smith ran second with
Ekl u nd p assing Terry Dorsch fo r. third
in the da sh .
In the ' 15 lap feature, Mar k Sm it h
tried to pu t the pass on Hock ing-in the
second turn, bu t wen t wide an d slipped
back to fourth . Hocking was hol din g off
Eklund, Eddie Wirth, Gene Ro mero ,
Sonny Burres, Chuck Palm gren , and
steady Eddie Mulder. The riders
separated,
with
Ek lund
chasing
Hocking, Romero and Smith trying for
third. Romero got third and Smith took
fourth on the final straigh t before the
challenge for the final half of the race.
Their time at the finish was four
minutes, 26 .75 seconds.
It was ditto fro m San Jose for th e.
Novi ce winner Steve Carrillo running
wire to wire , taking the first of five
Novice qu alify in g heats . Eddie Lawson
and TIm McWhorter held second an d
third to the flnish,
Steve Eklund wasn't the only record
setter at the Cal . Rayborn Memorial
'races. Winner Rick Hocking's ti me of six
minutes, 29.97 seconds, for the 15-lap
Expert final, is a South Bay Speedway
record for the half-mile traSk.
•
Results
EX PERT FINAL, ! . Rick Hocking (H-D);
2 . St ev e Eklu nd (Vam); 3. Gene Ro m « o
H' D ); 4 . M ark Smith ( Vam); 5. Eddie Wirth
Trl) ; JUNIOR FIN AL, 1. Scott Pear so n
H-O) ; 2. Ted O.Jv ld son (V.. m); 3 . R o bert
urray (Yam) ; 4. Craig A r m st ron g (H-C) : 5.
B rad N icks (Vam) . 6 . Laney Wright (H-D);
~
NOVI CE F IN AL: 1. S te ve Carrill o (Y a m); 2.
Ed Lawson ( Bul ); 3 . Ti m McW h orter ( Kaw).
The out "to lunch bunch te sting haybales at South Bay.
