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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126311
took it b ack on the fourth la p and the two were side- by-side the rest of the way with Keener winning. Phil Mc Donald (Team K&N / Bel·Ray/ C P. D .l R&W Racing Wheels H·D) held third from lap one on. Semis Rookie Lance Jones leads the second semi fre ight train of Springsteen (1) and Bubba Rush. Jones won the sem i and Springer was second . Bubba Rush shot into the lead of the first semi. but Rex Beauchamp took it away and rookie Lance Jones (Sure-Fire Distr. H -D) followed Beauchamp into second. Springsteen ran about fourth . Rush nabbed the lead back but Springsteen made a neat move on lap three to move from fourth to first . followed by Beauchamp. Rush and Jones. Jones then made his neat move the following lap to take the lead ahead of Springer and Rush. At the end of six , despite some jostling. Jones held the lead in front of Springer and Ru sh. The first three, still tight. traded about some more with Springer lead ing on the white flag lap. Jon es d ucked u nderneat h in the th ir d corner and led Sp ringer a nd Ru sh to th e flag wit h t he first two goi ng to the Na tional. Canadian Dou g Seh l took the seco nd semi lea d wit h J im Mertens (BOSS Fr a me H -D) in second at the en d of on e la p. Mert ens took the lea d for a co uple of la ps. but Seh l reclai med it b ack and Mertens found himself behind H a nk Scott (Carl Patrick H ·D). John Hateley (Hateledy Enterprises H ·D) and Scott Pea rson (H· D W est). Scott and Hateley moved u p on Sehl , and on the sixth lap Hateley had the lea d. Scott took it on t he seventh but the race was brought to a halt when Pea rson slid into the turn one alfalfa bales, with no apparent injury. On the single-file restart. Scott and H a teley took off first . but Sehl grabbed the lead . He held it for two more as Hateley went high in turns three-four and went to fifth. Scott moved to first and held it , while Bobby Sanders (H -D) passed Sehl. Sehl passed him back and was t he last man to make the National. Junior Invitational Prob a bly the Nation's fastest Ju nior , W ayne R ainey, propelled his Shell Racing Specialt ies Yama ha into the lead at the start. Soon he was go ne, a straightaway a head of the pack. Just past the halfway point , however. he was gone for good . coasting to a stop out of turn four. As sponsor Shell Thuet explained later , the clutch lever wasn 't tightened down securely and it vibrated around on the handlebar, finally shorting out the kill button. Rod Spencer (Yam) , who'd worked his way through the pack, settled into second upon Ra iney's demise and held off a last -lap challenge by Bud dy Robinson (H-D) for the win . Mike Minnig (Yam) was third. Trophy race (A bove) Rod Spencer (84Y) took the Junior win over Buddy Robinson (64Z). (Below) Jorgensen (44). Morehead (42) and Eklund during heat three. Ra ndy Scott (Davis Ra ce Spec. H -D) had the holeshot , but Bu bb a Rush took the lead away and was pursued by Scott and Ha teley. Scott regained first a nd shortly afterward, Rush was out with engine problems. H a teley passed Scott and proceeded to build a lead wh ile roo kie Jim Mertens worked up to fou rth just before midway. Mertens moved into second a nd then too k the lead a few la ps lat er whe n Ha te ley slowed and dropped ou t with engine trou bles . Mike Caves (Movin' Mike H D) took second; Sco tt was third . National 8 The entire 16· rider Na tiona I field was Harley-mounted . Garth Bro w, a little p remature in his start . rolled.ov er the line and was sent back to the penalty line . Gene R omero took the lead with Ted Bood y and Skip Aksla nd challenging. Romero held the lea d until he hit a soft spot in turn fou r th e second time a ro und , lost the front end and crashed. Gene was back up and in the race , but well behind the pack. Aks land picked up the lead with Bood y and Eklund second and third . Eklund picked off Bood y down th e back straight on lap four. Beh ind Bood y were Gary Scott, R andy Coss , Mike Kid d and Corky Keener. Boody slowed momentarily going into turn three and was passed by Scott and Goss . Eklund poked his front wheel around Aksland for a few moments on lap six. but Skip held him off. The pack behind them was tightly bunched with Kidd up to third ahead of Gary Scott , Sp ringsteen (who'd started 15th ), Brow, Goss and Hank Scott. Eklund again got in front of Aks land on turn one b ut Skip used the draft to re -pass heading into th ree. Eklund made a pass stick for about a lap when he sho t ou t of Aksland's d raft on la p eight. Aks la nd repeated the procedu re a lap la ter to regain first . Sp ri ngsteen passed Scott a nd Kidd (Ki dd , d ue to th e wro ng fro nt tire compound cho ice, wou ld slow in the la ter laps) a nd m oved on Eklund , passi ng him in the fou rt h corner on la p 11. Eklund moved back to Sp ri nger's side a nd rep assed hi m a lap later. A la p after that , Eklund moved ba ck int o the lead in turn th ree . T he very sa me lap , Brow nosed into the lea d er boa rd by passi ng Springsteen. Aksland got by Eklund down the back straight on la p 14. The next lap, two things happened: Brow passed Aksland, as did Eklund , but then Eklund slowed when his battery started going sour unt il he finally dropped out. Steve Morehead. whose clutch _ dragged at the start and he was forced to slip the clutch off the line in second with tall mile gearing, had moved to fourth by la p 17. Two laps la ter he pulled a longside Springer and passed. Meanwhile. Aksland went around Brow in turn one, but the Mic higan rider ca me right back in turn th ree. Two laps la ter - two la ps before the finis h - Aksland tried again go ing do wn the back straight. Bu t Br ow shot past in turn t hree a nd he ld the lead to t he finish , 10 feet in fro nt of Aksland at the flag . Springsteen ha d fall en slightly off Morehead's pace but ca me roaring back and ducked underneath in turn three of the final lap. " I wasn't getting too good of a drive off the fina l turn ," said Springer later. He hoped to have position on Morehead out of the turn, but Steve used the draft to shoot in front by a half bike length at the finish. Behind the front four were Boody, Ga ry Scott (both of who m spent much "of the race trading p laces), Kid d , Phil ·McDona ld , La nce Jones (who takes over leading rookie honors) and Hank Scott • Results JUNIOR INVIT ATIONAL : 1. Rod Spencer IYam!. 2. Buddy Robinson (H·Dl. 3. M ike M inning rverm. 4. Russ Davis(Yam). 5. Charlie Summers (Yaml. 6. Rich DeLacv (Yam). 7. Keith Oay IH·O!. 8. Oon Grigsby IYaml . 9. Steve Monger (Yaml. 10. Stevie Brandt (Yam). 1' . Mike Kunsman (H·D), 12. Wayne Rainey IYaml . W inning time 7.54 .68-9 1.836 mph. TROPHY RACE: 1. Jim M erlins IYam). 2. M ike Caves IH·DI. 3. Rand y Scott IH·DI. 4. Tom Berry IH·DI. 5. Bob Sanders (H-D). 6. Rex Beauchamp {H-Dt 7 . Lowell M ourac fTril. 8. Joe W ilson (H·DI. 9. John Hatelev (H0 ).10. Bubba Rush (H·DI. Winning time 7.46.10·92 .685 mph. 25-MI LE NATIONAL CHA M PIONSHIP: 1. Garth Brow IH·D). 2. Skip Aksland (H·DI. 3. Steve M orehead IH·DI. 4. J ay Springsteen IH·DI. 5. Ted Bood y IH·DJ. 6. Gary Scott (H·D ). 7. M ike Kidd (H·DI. 8 . Phil M cDonald IH·DI. 9. Lance J ones IH·DJ. 10. Hank Scott IH·DJ. 11. Corky Keener IH·DI. 12. Terry Poovey IH·OI. 13:Gene Rom ero IH-DI. 14. Steve Eklund IH·DJ. 15. DJug Sehl IH·DI. 16. Don Goss IH·DJ. Winning time 15.49 .2894 .808 mph. UNOFFICIAL CAMEL PRO SERIES STAN DINGS: i , Steve Eklund 41. 2. Jay Springsteen 40. 3. Ski", AksJand38. 4. Gary Scott 31. 5. Garth Brow 20. 5. Ken Roberts 20. 6. Terry Poovey 17. 6. Ted Bood y 17. 7. John Geannai 16. 8 . Steve Morehead 13.