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/126279
Reigning National Champion Jay Spri':'9steen got pushed back to third by the Scott Bros., but still holds a slim iead in the race to retain the rigid di~it.
Campbell. Schaeffer dropped ba ck to
sixth at the finish , just behind Keith
Ulicki's Uke's H -D-sponsored XR750.
Semis
With referee Duke Olliges calling
the riders for the first semi to the line ,
veteran tuner Sal Acosta tightened the
.last bolt after the , fast and furious
engine swap in Gary Scott's pit area,
and pushed Scott's bike to the line.
The race was on and there was Kenny
Roberts side-by-side with Scott at the
end oflap one.
Many on hand later said that the
opening lap of the sem i and the nine
that followed were the most impressive
ever turned in by Roberts. But to no
avail as KR went wide in turns 3·4
on the final lap and that was that for
the Yamaharider and for Yamaha at
Syracuse - ' period.
But the semi was Gary Scott's in a
gutsy display, both on his part and
Acosta's, of the never-say-die
approach to racing by its most
heralded privateer. He led Bubba
Rush into the National with a
disappointed last year's Syracuse
winner Rex Beauchamp finishing
third and" Trophy Race bound .
Roberts salvaged
fourth ,
but
instructed his tuners Nick Deligianis
and Babe DeMay to : 'load 'em up,"
scratching from the T rophy Race .
Semi number two turned into a
heartbreaker for Mich iganite Randy
Goss. He hooked up with Steve
Freeman and Rickey Campbell and
for six laps the trio of young riders
turned in one helluva race. Goss led
laps one and five; Campbell led two
and three; and Freema n led lap four.
But on the sevent h go-around , the ,
mag called it qu its in the Bart Ma rkel
prepped XR and the sudden slowdown
of Goss also balked Freeman, allowing
Campbell to scoot to a winning lead.
Freeman joined Campbell in moving
to the National and third place
finisher EdIngram led the remainder
of the field into the Trophy Race.
Trophy Race
The 12-lap consolation event saw
vet eran Terry Dorsch pull off the
holeshot and then immediately slow an
pull out of the race when "something
. was making some strange noises, SO I
pulled in the clutch and pulled off."
Lap' one through three were led by
Ray Legary, the New England Yankee
from Connecticut aboard the Burt Ives
Honda/Sal Scirpo H·D sponsored XR ,
but he dropped to fourth on the fourth
lap, as Maryland's John Johnson , who
was riding a H·D of Washington ,
D.C .!J. Sisemore Traveland XR ,
former Grand National Champion
Mert Lawwill, and Rex Beauchamp
got past.
Mert had the crowd Scream ing as he
took the lead from Johnson on the
back straight' on the next lap, but
Johnson got back by Mert and held
him off until the seventh' lap. Then
Lawwill and Beauchamp worked their
way by and on the next lap
Beauchamp took over th e lead for
good. Legary worked his way back up
to second but TC Racing sponsored
Beauchamp was long gone.
National
The year's fifth Mile National lined
up with Springsteen , Keener ,
Morehead , Kidd, Palmgren . Boody,
Eves, Ingram, Sehl , Drake, Eklund ,
Hank and Gary Scott, Campbell, Rush
and Freeman occupying two rows of
eight men each . .
Starter Ant hony flicked the switch
and Mike Kidd led the 16 Ha rleyDavidson riders off the line. Lost back
in the pack was pole sitter Springsteen.
At theend of the first lap the order
read:
Kidd,
Boody,
Keener ,
Morehead, Hank Scott, Ingram ,
Palmgren and Springer.
Keener worked his way past Boody
on the second lap and Palmgren, and
Springer dropped Ingram two
notches. .
Back in the pack ' all kinds of
position swapping racing were going
on but the crowd's attention was
riveted on the front spots and
Springsteen's charge.
Kidd led Keener around until Mr .
Dirt got by on the llth lap, but Kidd
moved back up front on the next go·
around and held the lead until "a
piston went" on the 18th lap
as he diced with the Scott
brothers. The brothers Scott had
dropped Keener back to fourth on the
14th lap , and when Kidd dropped out
the stage was set for a family affair.
But Springer was having none of that
and began to close. .
It' was too late and the defending
Grand National Champion had to
watch as first Hank and then Gary
would take the lead at different po ints
on the oval. For the record: Gary led
laps 17·19 ·22 - and most importantly
-:- 25 . The final lap and the winning
margin of victory was the distance
from the front of a wheel to the axle .
Springer was right there , but only as a
third place spectator.
And so the points battle continues.
Gary Scott's chances brightened when
the Peoria TT, which was rained out
and sup posed ly . dropped from the
sched ule, was re placed by a TT race at
Ascot the nigh t before the October 8
final Na tional of the year, a ha lf mile
race at the Gardena , Ca lifornia , track.
We hope Gary Scott still wears a
moustache, since this is a file
. photo. Film from Syracuse didn't
make our Monday deadline.
Results
NAnONAL: 1. Gary Scon IH-DI. 2. Hank Scon IH-DI.
3. Jay Sp