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/126318
Hank Scott 1141. Corky Keener (62) and Jay Springsteen make up a second-through-fourth freight train at Co lumbus. Charity Newsies Half Mile Tired minds and bodies rolled into Columbus, OH. For most the trip was a rushed one in order to have as much time as possible to convert TT machinery back to half mi le configura tion . Motel parking lots all over. the city resembled maintenance areas. Time trials The fact that Corky Keener set fast time in qualifying was somewhat overshadowed by the slow time of Gary Scott - so slow that Scott did not make the program and was listed as first alternate on the grid sheets. "I'm not happy about my time," said Scott. I know I didn't make any mistakes so maybe someone shou ld check the clocks. " Trailing Harley teamster Keener in qualifying were Mike Kidd, Jay Springsteen, Steve Eklund and Rex Beauchamp on the Tex Peel XR , 14 Heats As usual , the only real racing at Columbus took place in practice and the first heat when the track was still in good ridable condition on both the high and low lines. After that it began to groove and groove and groove until the National where it was follow-the - . leader time . A fired-up Chuck Palmgren led the first heat from start to finish on his Dan Gurney X R with Corky Keener and the Patrick Racing Harley of Hank Scott a good distance behind. Pa lmgren wowed the crowd around the track with a high line style that sprayed dirt at the fence hangers an? left him with enough margin when hIS engine went on one cylinder to still win. As hard fought as if it were a National , was Billy Schaeffer's fourth place finish over Steve Freeman and Rex Beauchamp. Bel -Ray -sponsored Jackie Mitchell surprised a lot of people with his charge in heat two . Mitchell led the opening eight laps until Mike Kidd and Garth Brow, on the Klotz/Wiseco Piston XR, dropped him to third . Steve Morehead was in the batt le in the early laps, but a wrong front tire choice cost him dearly. Kidd and Brow waged an epic battle of high and low and low and h igh line riding to the del ight of the fa ns . Marty Bush m a n was strong in the opening two laps of heat three waging a high line war against Jay Springsteen. Then his magneto failed . Exit Bushma n . Springer looked like an easy winner until the final la ps when Scott Pearson pulled alongside to challenge. Springer had the traction and drive from turn two on the final lap and outran ' Pearson to the flag. Meanwhile, a monumental four rider duel was going on for third . Eddie Lawson pulled it out at the flag over Guy McClure , Phil McDonald and Rickey Campbell. Gary Scott was still an alternate when heat four rolled to the line, but by some good fortune Larry Zumbrun failed to get his engine started and Scott was in . According to some, Zumbrum , wearing Scott's old Evel Knievel leathers , shou ld receive an Academy Award for his performance. Scott's luck was not with him . Even with half the starting field on the penalty line, Scott could manage only a sixth place finish . Stev e Eklund put in a l O-tap record breaking ride with Warren, OH, H -D rider Scott Dra ke turning in a follow the lead er performance for second . Third place went to a scrapping Terry Poovey who worked his way over, under and around a tight battle with Keith Ulicki and Ted Boody. Semis Crowd favorite Steve Morehead of Findlay, OH , was not to be denied his = spot in the National. Morehead dispatched Billy Schaeffer and then leader Steve Freeman ,on la p four of semi one to run away with the win on his KK Insurance/KK Supply XR. Freeman did not give up easi ly, but his high line tactics were Q9t the ticket. T he final ticket to the Nationa l belonged ' to Uke's Ha rley -Davidson sponsored Kei th Ulicki. Ted Bood y led the opening two laps, but was unab le to ho ld off Ulicki's cha llenges. T he pair ro lled as a twoso me for the midrace laps until Ul icki easily moved away . Trophy Race "It was the wrong race," said Ted Boody in the winner's circle. What hadn't clic ked for the Harley-Davidson teamster in previous races , did in the Trophy Race . Boody's challengers included Randy Goss , Steve Freeman and Gary Scott. Boody held them all off. Scott's ride was impressive as he came from eighth to second , but it was too little , too late. National The track was now in groove-y shape: Very narrow , very slick and very fast. Passing would be done by invitation only - to make a mistake and slip off the groove was to invite anyone and everyone to pass. In any follow the leader procession , the start is all important , but tires werethe guessing game tha t everyone was playing. Soft compound or hard on the rear was t he question asked throughout the pits. Some were firm in , their decision , some were not and some checked out the competition and figured it was good enough for them then it m ust be right. Compounding the rear tire gamble was what choice tire to put on the front . "Flip a coin ," said Springer's tuner Bill Werner. "You 're either right or wrong . There isn't any inbetween." Keener led the traffic jam out of turn one on the start as Eklund found himself shoved onto the cushion with the field going by . However ,Garth Brow and Jackie Mitchell went down in the back of the pack bringing out the red flag . Eklund , determined not to make the same mis take on the restart tha t he had on the initial one, darted into th e lead with Keener in tow. Sp ringston , Kidd, Palmgren, Drake , La wson . Hank Scott, Poovey, Brow, Ulick i, Moreh ead , Pearson a nd Mit chell followed in a close-packed bunch . Palmgren quickly found that he had guessed wrong on his tires as he began a slide to the back of the pack. "I t was like racing on ice," sa id Pa lmgren la ter. "The harder I tried the worse it was. Sp ri nger immediately began to challenge Keener as Kidd did the same to Springer while Scott was beginning to make his move toward the front of the pack. O n lap five Ulicki began to ' catch fire and take advantage of the mistakes of others. That strategy would move Ulicki to fifth by the end of the 20 laps. "Consistency," said Ulicki , "pays off. " Eklund was using consistency at the lead , running a smooth , steady pace designed to pull him away from the ruckus going on behind him. Springer was still breathing on Keener, but aware that his tire combination gamble was not going to payoff. Kidd, Scott, Drake, Lawson and Ulicki were engaged in a close battle by lap seven with Pearson leading the six rider group of tail-enders whose tire choices (hard compound) di dn't give the traction needed . Scott moved up to fourth by t he time the ha lfway flags were displayed and began hounding Springsteen. Kidd , in fifth, lamented his choice of gearing. "I tried to out-gear everyone," said Kidd . "But instead I fooled myself. I got tremendous drive off the comers , but couldn't get