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/126274
>w a: o :::E Vl ~ a: < :I: U >- '" s b 5: The 250 National Champ leads Gary Semics proving that he is pretty quick on an Open bike as well. Tony finsihed the day with a second overall and moved int o third place in the points raca for the 500 title. AMA/Mr. PiBB seeee National Championship MX Series - Round lour Burricane gets his "grand slam" By Charles Morey CHA RLOTTE, N .C ., AU G. 7 "That does it!" Team Yamaha 'm echanic Keith McCarty beamed after his rider Bob "H urricane" Hannah wrapped up the overall win at Metrolina Speedway Park, round four in th e six race AMA /Mr. Pi B B 500cc National Championship MX Series. " Bob has won one National in each class (125, 250 and 500cc) this year. Marty Smith's also won one of each, but not in one season." Indeed , the "Hurri cane" had struck, putting together a consistent 2 · I afternoon at an event plagued with first turn mass pile-ups and a general trend among the top runners to do well in one moto and fail in the next, National Champ in the 250cc cla ss Tony DiStefa no compi led the second best performance of the day. a 3-4 placing in th e two 40 -minute·plustwo -lap motes, on his Alan Hahn tuned works Su zu ki. Bu t the crowd pleaser of the who le show as Winston -Salem's nationally renowned privateer Mickey Boone . R a c in g in his hornest at es first National. th e soft-spoken Suzuki rider and his outspoken father were ecstatic when the long afternoon finally drew to a close lea ving them in a solid third plac e overall with a 5-3 score . " I got nervous!" the S&M Cycle sponsored rider admitted between motos. "I didn't know what to do up there (nea r the front) it' s been so longl" Mickey added with a happy grin. " We' re gonna win one of these days," h is dad vowed. Series points leader Marty' Smith had a d isappointing day placing seventh in both motos and letting Hannah whittle down the former 42 point margin to a less secure 25 point lead over the second place holder, now Bob Hannah. " 1 went right over the bars!" Smith exclaimed following his first moto rid e where the Honda's handleba rs had loosened d ue to a manu fac turing defect (no kn url on the b ars) and he'd lost control. Reigning 500cc Champ Kent Howerton , who had held down second p lace in the series standings befor e th e Charlotte event. watched his positi on fall to fifth wh en the Husky's gearbox · fa iled in th e firs t moto bestow ing a DNF on the disappointed T exan . Kent recovered in the seco nd moto after mechanic Eric Crippa replaced the motor. and put in a very impressive ride for second place The DNF-2 tally put the cham p in ninth overall. Moto one: No fun in the sun AMA st arter Carroll Chandler tipped the one minute sign sideways, three en dless seconds ticked by, and the starting gate sla mmed to the ground under the force of 40 anxious r id e r / m a ch i n e combinations. In another th ree seconds, at the end of the starting st raightaway , Ton y DiStefa no le d Frank Stacy, Ga ry Sernics and Gaylon Mosier th rough the lazy-S firs t tu rn. But behind them, confusion reigned supreme as the pack hit the loose mud /sawdust berm and start ed a ch ai n re a cti on that involved m an y riders bu t left Rex St a ten and R ick Bu rgett alone in the tum whe n eve r yo n e else had passed. R e x restarted and was fighting to regain ground as Ricky was trying to start his bike. Neither was able to overcome the crash-imposed handicap . Rex woul d be disqualified when mechanic Tom Volin came to his aid later in the race , and Burgett 's first tu rn spill which incl uded knobby track engraved in his b ack, proved to be insurmountable. DiStefano, Stacy and Mosier ran I2-3 at the completion of the opening la p. Semics had slipped to sixth , rep laced by Mickey Boone and Steve Stackable who ran fourth and fifth. Hannah was behind Wayne Boyer in eigh th ; Smith charged along in 11th and Howerton was way back around 19th place. Pierre Karsrnakers came a ro u nd in 29th place , already pressing fiercely in the start of his come-from behind fight up to an eventual sixth place in the moto. Bu t Maicos "Gassin' Gaylon " Mosier was the m an to watch. Mosier , enjoying one of those ra re days whe n no one can touch him , slipped past Frank Stacy into second pl ace by the end of lap tw o , t hen ove rtook DiStefano on the third time around . That's t he last any rider would see of Gaylon as he kept his Rocky Williams tuned Maico out in front for the remainder of the motol It was a highly satisfied Gayl on Mosier who rested in a folding lounge chair afterward , weary, yet very happy about his moto win . But he 'd paid dearly for his victory. He'd forgotten his gloves, not realizing it until on the line. and the to ugh Metrolina track had helped remove all the skin fro m between his thumbs and index fingers leaving b leeding one-inch circles. " I'm gonna tape 'em up : ' Mosier shrugged, " Hope I can do it again in the second m oto!" Bu t he was worried about H annah . While Ga ylon rode to the checkered flag, intense action followed in his wake . Mosie r 's mai n worry, "Hurric a ne" Hannah was blowin g up a sto!'" on his way up through the fro ntrunners. Hannah hounded Mickey Boone a nd later got a round the toug h privateer a nd into fift h p lace. Next to fall prey to the "H u rrica ne" was Ma ico's Steve Sta ckable , then on the (Continued on page 14) Bob Hannah explains why he has the fin on the top of his helmet to Keith McCarty his mechanic, When you go as fast as Bob does. it helps keep your head straight. 9