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/126300
Kim Jorgensen leads Ron Sullivan 1139Y) and John McBroom in a semi. Sullivan was never headed in the Pioneer Novice main: • With more rain coming through the clouds, the storming on the rac e track was getting more intense as Open NoviceJohn Welch was giving th e Experts a bad tiI!!.e and staying ahead of th e Junior field. Nineteen-year-old Mark Mayer showed no respect to his peers when he finished on the same lap with the leaders and doing it OIi a stock 500cc Yamaha . Greg Leopold was third and Don Cameron fourth . Gunther Gmel in took time off from his new motorcycle business to come out and lap the Junior field for a win over Bob Tornai and Len Perham. Marvin Helzer was cooking in that class until his gearbox sounded like it ate some metal marbles. Phil Jacobson took the winner's flag ah ead of Vanderpool, whose charge was cut short by chain problems. Chris Carter overcame mechanical difficulties to cop third ahead of Dave Czech . Results in Results Section. A pair of Rods win Oakdale Pro ST By W. H. Spencer OAKDALE, CA , FEB. 19 It was the first-ever Pro Short Track at the Pioneer Arena and despite having to delay the race from a pre-Houston date, due to . 34 wet grounds, to this Sunday: it was termed a mild success and will be repeated. That was the most positive step in the reinforcement of dirt track racing ,in Northern California in the past five years . A pair of Rodneys were the main event winners, Junior Rod Spencer was the man in the main to hold off a last lap charge from Alex Jorgensen and Rick Graham , while the reigning I25cc National Amateur Champion Rod Sullivan easily took the Novice main. Qualifying for Novices , separate from the Junior/Expert, saw newNo vice Ken Robicheaux take his Warren H -D to the fast time while Scott Pearson was the man on the Harley West 250 for his group. Robicheaux held off a good charge from Steve Adkins in the first Novice heat while Jeff Haney was waiting for Ron Day to leave a little opening in the second heat. When Day lost his grip on the handlebar, Haney and the KR Racing Yamaha were long gone with the fastest heat. Ryan Seidel took the third heat over John McBroom with John Burnett winning the fourth over Ben Zakarian's Bultaco. In the semis, the rookie Novices who were so fast in the heats must have gotten nervous. In the first turn Robicheaux got bumped to the ground, and in the fourth turn Haney stepped off and out of the main. He remounted and rode the fastest lap of any but it was futile. The other semi went to John Burnett, over Seidel and Sullivan. Junior/Expert heats were smooth and quick with Pearson easily winning his over Geoff Lowe and Spencer, on the Martin Cycle Ossa. Jorgy had little problem winning the second over Dan Hougue on the Braquet Cycle Yamaha. Skip Aksland and the Dad Adksland Racing Team (DART) were up to snuff in the third with Rick Graham easily in for second while Rusty Davis came up fast Junior for the day and won the fourth heat over Don Bailey and Dennis Huff. In their semis, Skipper had the fastest time overJO'K}' and Graham, with Spencer winning the other over Bailey and Mertens. This put all four rookie Experts in the mains while Scott Pearson was the alternate, after falling in the second semi and missing the transfer by one in a spirited comeback. The 15 lap main for Novices was an easy one for Rod Sullivan after one restart which put Datan outfor afew weeks after a triple pile-up on the second lap. Sullivan got the quick restart and never relinquished it with Seidel holding close for second over Mike Delacy, Burnett and Steve Harvey. Lining up the 20 lap main got everyone stirred up with two National numbers, four rookie Experts and four Juniors. It was the Martin-tuned Ossa that got the holeshot and it works so well on and off the comers that it was good _night from the leader. Jim Mertens got off in the first corner but got right back into it, while Lowe got off in the third and did likewise, at the end of the pack. As Spencer circuited the ~ mile, it was smoothness and grace that kept him past Rick Graham , riding the close line over Jorgy and Mike Kunsman. After the halfway point Don Bailey got by Kunsman and they started a duel that brought back the memory of two weeks ago when Bailey took the lead in the Rookie of the Year contest, Rod Spencer (84Y) held off the fast-closing AlexJorgensen for the Pioneer Pro short track win. - taking fifth in the Houston short track . Baile y wound up fourth for his effort. On the white flag lap, Jorgensen pulled out all th e stops on his Can-Am and got by Graham, who was also making his move to tt-y on the Ossa , but Spencer dialed up the engine room for one more big one and held it . Results in Results Section. Ferraro, Douglas split muddy Plymouth By Melinda Williams PLYMOUTH, CA, FEB. 12 Nearly 400 riders braved the cold winds and rode a muddy track at Plymouth Raceway this Sunday although several didn't race the second moto; just gave up and decided to head home from the wet foothills. Dana Waxmann got the holeshot in the first of the I25cc Expert races with Don Ferraro following him and staying ahead of Chalma Roberts. Going into the second moto Don Ferraro led the first two laps, then Danny "Magoo" Chandler took the lead to go on to first place with Ferraro finishing second and Chalma Roberts taking his second third placing for the day . In the 250cc Expert race, Jim Lesn iewski pulled out and led all the way with a battle going on behind him with Dave Wood , Don Ferraro and Phil Douglas. The race for second ended up Ferraro, Douglas and Wood . In the second moto, Jim Inglebright led the first two laps but Ferraro came up from seventh position to take over first in just fou r laps. Lesniewski developed trouble and didn't finish. Glen Woods did a great job of coming up from 12th to take a second place and Brian Jodry and Jim Inglebright were right behind. The Open Expert race saw Danny "Magoo" Chandler taking a first on the muddy track. Phil .Douglas and Delno Becker were trying to catch him all the way. Then, beginning the second moto, Magoo didn't come around on the first lap. Phil Douglas kept the lead, and Richard Buttner, Jim Inglebright and Delno Becker followed in the mud, trying to stay up on two wheels until they got the checkered flag : Results in Results Section. Denny doubles at Sand Hill Ranch 'By W. H. Spencer BRENTWOOD, CA, FEB. 17 Denny Spence doubled through both 250 and 500cc Expert main events at Sand Hill Ranch to re gain the point lead in the race foi Black Plate Number One. Spence los out by a few points last year but il every bit in control for another try at the elusive digit . Friday night racing is becoming a natural thing, despite cool weather and about as far out as one can get without leaving the Bay Area. But with each week the turnout gets better and the track stays good, so Tommy Anderson can look forward to an even better year under the auspices of D-56 and the AMA . The Houser boys continue to dominate much of the racing with Denniswinning the IOOcc Min i class while older brother Dave took the 250cc Novice over John Silva . Jim Hartbauer took home two hunks of brass for winning the Old T imer/Vets class but got nipped at the checkered by Gary Johnson in the Open Junior. Joey Schlag and Wes Morrell had a good go in the I25 /250cc combined Junior class with Schlag the winner over the marathon Penton rider. Two Expert classes were the biggies with the 500s running 10 riders and lots of talent. Denny Spence took the jump and never relinquished it leaving the rest. of the spots up for. grabs between John Proto, Kirk King, Jim Foley ' and Danny Castlehano. Proto hit a hole in the first turn and dropped back , giving King and Foley a shot at Castlehano, who was trying to hang on to Spence. It was no go as Denny had his YZ dialed in and Foley looked like he was making a Black Plate comeback. In the 250cc class Spence had it all his way at the top , but it was Alex Jorgensen the early leader. But as i the heat , he fell and even after remounting to take second back, he fell again and nearly got run over b} J imbo Filice and the Jensen Suzuki. Once again the Jorgy's Can-Am gal into action and regained third from Filice, and just as the checkered appeared he robbed Castlehano of second. Results in Results Section. •