Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Peoria TT Upper for Eklu By Gary Van Voorhis PEORIA, ILL., AUG. 22 ' oo kie of the West Steve Eklund, R aboard the Zanotti/Nye Yamaha, scored his second N atiohal victory in just over a week. The ' win moved Steve into fourth place in the point standings as the AMA Grand Nati onal · Championship/ Camel Pro Series TIed its way through Peoria. Charging to close-the gap in the final few laps was second pl ace finisher Gary Scott (Tri) with Castle Rock TT winner Chuck Joyner (Tri) third. Fourth or "Heartbreak City" as it should have been known today went to Jay Springsteen who led going away for 20 laps before fate, in the form of a shut off gas petcock, step ped in. It was then that J ay 's bike developed an unmistakable sputter. On the next lap Jay shrugged "damned if I know what's wrong" and plugged on as first Eklund and then Scott and Joyner slipped by before the checkers fluttered . Tuner Bill Werner took the break philosophically, "What a burner. Jay apparently. tapped one gas petcock shut with his knee co ming off the jump and the carb was bone dry wh en he pulled into the pits. It could have been worse though; like a crash." ~ Yamaha International rider Kenny Roberts finished sixth behind Mike Caves and his "Me and my Mom and a lot of friends" sponsored Harley and turned the points lead (195 to 189) back to Gary Scott. On an unhappy note Corky Keener, who earlier in the day had expressed unbounded enthusiasm about the upcoming Indy miles while wishing he were anywhere but at a TT, sustained a broken left ankle that will effectively . end his racing this season. Time Trials & Heats A handful of extra bucks was up for grabs by the rider who could break Kenny Roberts' one-lap track record of 28.37. Manytried, but none succeeded. Chuck Joyner, the first to time, was also the fastest. clocking 28.836 on the tricky Peoria course .follo wed by Roberts, Eklund, Sonny Burres and Randy Skiver. Rick Hocking TTed his way to eighth fastest. Ted -Boody crashed hard and re-injured his already painful left knee when the throttle stuck open entering the tum. leaving Bart Markel and the Vista Sheen crew a lot of work before the heats were called. The 49 rider field had depleted itsdf to 44 .by race ~~::. Mechanical pruoI~: ciaimed most of the riders 3Ithough Chuck Palmgren earned his sideline seat the hard way by crashing into another rider as he landed off the "j u mp . ' The first heat was in restart status as a medical evaculation helicopter left the track with Corky Keener. Chuck Joyner led the pack through the sweeping first tum, over ' the jump, through the quick right-left switchback and then blasting out of the wide tum four down the front straight with Randy Skiver, Steve Droste and Jay Springsteen following. Springer moved to third on the next go around and into second one lap later, setting his sights on Joyner. Chuck was having none of that and neither was Skiver as he re ained second a half I later, engaging Springer in a duel that lasted until the closing laps. Springer took over second for good while Joyner cast furtive glan ces over his shoulder all the way to the flag. • Rich Wascher and Mike Caves made Kenny Roberts work for his win in the second heat. Wascher led off the line. Kenny got by three laps later only to bobble and do a couple of magic trick saves before regaining the front. Meanwhile" " Mo ving Mike" Caves charged through the pack to breathe on the duo, bumping Wascher out of second. Gary Scott and Steve Eklund blasted down th e front straight side by side at the end of the first lap in heat three. Eklund took the lead as the pair took high and low lines through tum one.and kept up their fran tic figh t for the lead for another handful of laps before Eklund pulled out some breathing room. Last year's Peoria winner, Sonny Buress and Rick Hocking ("I've got to transfer from the heat and save the engine for the National.") made flag to' flag work of heat four while a real battle developed for third involving Randy Scott, Alex Jorgenson and Mark Smith. Scott finally took the nod after an almost ten lap hassle. Semis Steve Droste (His tuner Tex Peel says, "I'll make a respectable TT rider out of him yet.") worked his good start into the lead and five laps of holding off Paul Bostrom. Bostrom displaced Randy Cleek from second on lap two and then . tried every line in the book to get around Droste fmally doing it on a deep dive into tum one. The pair ran to the checkers for their transfer spots. Semi two, once restarted, proved to be one of the most exciting races of the day as Ted Boody and Rex Beauchamp went at it with vigor, with Alex .J o rgen son lurking close behind. The race boiled down to the last comer of the last lap when Boody went underneath Beauchamp and then high to lose the lead in a rooster tail of dirt and almost get nipped at the flag by Jorgy. Trophy Race Alex .uJ.orgy' · .J'J~;-'.F!!! ::iaae quick ~':::;r':,: the Trophy Race leading light to flag on his self-sponsored BSA. Jorgy hotdogged it a couple of times in tum four bringing cheers from the crowds, but doing nothing too rash to cost him the win. Guy McClure, Terry Sage, Gene Romero and Randy Cleek battled throughout the race with Buddy Powell coming up to challenge before mechanicals sent him to the pits. Romero slowly worked his way through the pack to take second from McClure on the jump and follow Jorgy home. v. National , Sonny Burres had been pumped about this National for a week. "In my mind I already have it won (for the second time). There's nobody who can ride the last ten laps here as fast as I can and that is where the race is going to be won: Onl time will te II if I'm ri r,"

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