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/126314
Jay Springsteen and M iss Came l Pro Lynn Griffis right after Springer's victory. It was the f irst one in '78 for the National Champ. • Springsteen completely dominated his heat race, then caught Steve Eklund in the National, passed him and won. The start of the National. Steve Morehe. Boody (121 and Ricky Graham (19Y). ~ o Terry Poovey (181 and Alex Jorgensen battled for second and third in their M 911 heat. They finished sixth and ni nth in the National. AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series...;.".. Round five Springer do~y~=. !!i"~ ~~~~mPIY Chubby Armour By Dale Brown Time t rials ER IE , CO . MA Y 27' Jay Springsteen pushed his factory Harley-Davidson past Steve Eklund just after the halfway point to win the ShoeiHelmets Denver Gold Cup half mile on the American Motorcyclist Association Gra nd National Championship/ Camel Pro Series. Eklund finished second on the Zanotti Enterp rises Harley his . , . •. fi t return to t h e wmner s Circle smce irs Februa ry after scoring only one National point since his doub le win in the Houston Astrod om e . Skip Aksla nd (PJI L ubr ica n ts /Lectro n / Arai / h i D A R T Dev H -D) woe d t h e poin ts sta ndings goi ng into the race , finis hed t h ird . T he win boosted Springer into the points lead . four points over Aksland . Eklund remains in third . 14 down on the leader. • 6 0 • 0 • , Sp rin gst ee n 's vic to ry jubi lation q u ic k ly tu rn ed to a nger when priva teer Gary Scott claimed J ay's fac to ry H a rley. T eam manager Dick O 'B ri a n q u ick ly arrang e d fou r co un rer-cl airns , a nd o ne of t h e co unter-cla imees. Ra nd y Goss, won the bik e in the drawing and kep t it in the factory Harley tea m . " I can't buy parts." sa id Scott two days after the race when asked why he claimed th e bike , ''I'm not talking b ick ff W d nistons and a out trrc s~u . e nee P ISto~ an .. other par~s Just to keep ~~ racmg. Sc~tto s a.~ d h e would keep on clalm.mg. . Ra m, which forced the cancella tion f h . k' Okl h C· 0 t e prevIOus wee S a o,?a Ity half r:n lle , was on and off ~unng the day 10 Denver. T he National Ju st squea ked pa~t th e ~eath~r , matter of fa.ct. The r~m , whic h ~nbbled d own shghtly dunng t he Nationa l and th e Trophy race .run after it , started in earnest al most immediately a fter th e trophy presentatio n. ' Finishing behind Aks land in th e Na tiona l were Garth Brow, Ted Boody, Terry Poovey, Gary Scott, 0 . Despite waving off h is first q ualifying lap , and working with mech a nic T om Hastier to ge t the bike tu ned for the over-6,OOO foot eleva tion Steve Eklu nd posted th e fastest time on the banked Colorado N a tion al Speedway t ra ck wit h a time of 20. 17. Behind hi m , Sp ringsteen and Garth Brow (Klotz Oi llWiseco /Mert Lawwill H -D) tied at 20 .20, with Springer a cknow ledged as seco nd-fastest beh ind Ekl und because he did it first. Steve More head ( KK Supp ly /K&K Insurance H -D) was fourth fastest at 20.22 . Heats Aksland and Eklu nd went for the lead in the first hea t and Aks land took it. Fou r la ps la ter , Eklund was in 'the lead , which he worked int o a I O O-ya rd advantage a t th e chec kered flag . New Mexico's J oe Wil son (A lloy Sprocket h I H D h Id hi d Spec. / Ba rn es W ee s - ) e t ir unti l about the fift h la p. where Randy Goss (Wis eco P iston s /K lot z/Full House/ Vist a Sheen / Ba rt Markel H -D) took it and he ld it. The second h e a t b elo nged to Springsteen . Period. The defending National Champ ha d a big lead by the stretched It with his Bill Werner-tuned X R75 0. Roo kie Ji m Mertens (BOSS Fra mes H-D) held second early. but he fou led a plug and dropped back) Bobby Sa nders (H -D) had th e position for a bit, b ut was d ropped to fou rth whe n Bubba Ru sh (Edwards Mtr! Co/ j em co H -D) and Ricky Gra ha m ( R. G . R a c ing / ND / M&M A pparel Ya m) ca me up to take the , dire')! transfers to the Nationals . After a red -flagged start , Gartli Brow took the lead in the third hea t a nd raced straight to the checkers in the fastest heat of the evening, Terry Poovey ( Bel- R: { H -D) and Alex Jorgensen (Ron Wood Norton) were second and third from beginni ng to end . Gary Sco tt (KK Motorcycle Supply H -D) managed to dislodge Dave Aldana (Team Dahmen H-D from fourth but could not crack the top t hree. i Ch uck Pa lmgren (Dan Gu rney H oD) and P hil Mc Dona ld ( K &N / Bel o R a y/R. W . Whee ls /C.P . D . of Wichi ta H -D) led t he fourth heat into th e first tu rn , b ut Steve More head swept by bot h on the outside of turns one and two to lead th e rest of the way. At th e end of one la p , C hu b by Armo u r (Co lo . S hop & Go Ma rkets / Sun H -D) was in t hird be hind Mc Donald . A lap la ter , Ted Boody, . o n a fa ctory Harley, was challenging