Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

finish. Sanders held third, but Randy Goss (Wiseco/ Klotz H -D) was hot after him . As they took the white flag , Goss nudged slightly ahead, but Sanders had position on him going into turn one. It was Sanders, shaking his fist with apparent glee, half a bike length ahead at the fin ish. The fourth heat saw another fast starter, rookie Eddie Lawson (Shell Racing Specialties Yam) grab the lead over Alex Jorgensen , factory Harley riders Corky Keener and Springsteen. Lawson , who came to San Jose tied for leading rookie with Don Bailey, led nearly wire to wire. Jorgensen got insid e position on Lawson going into turn one at the midway point but Lawson got him back in the next turn. The order remained the same to the flag , with Lawson and Jorgfbecoming the only non -Harley riders to make the field , .and Springsteen the only factory rider who hadn't - yet. Junio r Invi tat ion al The Junior Invitational started with all ·the front row starters except Richa rd DeLacy on the penalty lin e . The th ird row start didn't seem to bot her Shell Racing Specialties' Wayne Rainey, who was in second after one lap . On the next lap he passed Don Grigsby and took off. leaving the pack to swap around . Mike Kunsman (H ·D ) took second on the second lap, followed by DeLacy. Buddy Robinson (H ·D ) moved up to challenge DeLacy and passed him on the last lap going into the first turn. DeLacy got back in front and was assured of his position when Robinson slipped high in turns three and four . Rainey's 12-lap time of 5:22 .21 was less th a n a second off Kidd's trophy race time of 5 :21.41. Semis Chuck Palmgren read the starter very well and was underway first. Mike Kidd and Frank Word (S.O.S. Electric! H ·D of Douglas Co . H -D) were after him a t the end of lap one. While Kidd pressured Palmgren. Jim Mertens was after Word , passsing him on the third lap . At the halfway point , Kidd and Palmgren were side by side, and after a couple of passes and re-passes , Kidd made it stick. Mertens m ad e it past Pa lmgren with less than two laps remaining and moved on Kidd 's rear wheel. Then, going into turn three, Mertens went high - the groove was wider going off the straight into turn three than it was going off the front straight into turn one - a nd managed to ho ld his momentum all the way through the corners and edge Kidd by less than a bike length for the single transfer to the National. Palmgren was third ahead of Frank Gillespie. Drag racing star Pe e Wee Gleason pushed his Chris Armstrong Harley into the second semi lead with Jay Springsteen and Gene Romero (Ocea n Pacific/Dan Murrell H -D) following. In fourth was Terry Poovey, whose own bike had dropped a valve before the race . riding Mike Kidd's back· up Harley. Gleason was riding a . smart race and all Springer could do during the first six laps or so was to stay with him . Randy Goss moved up to third and Romero slowly moved back, being passed by Poovey and Don Bailey. On the eighth lap , Springer made his move and got by Gleason going into turn three . Gleason , who 'd already turned in a helluva ride, tried to regain the lead , but Springer wanted into the National to protect his point lead . Trophy race Mike Kidd found himself in th e position of following his spare bik e around the San Jose oval at the end of one lap . Poovey had th e lead ahead of Kidd , Romero and Palmgren . Don Bailey (Concord Yamaha/Lilli e Racing/ND/D .LD . Yam) , who had been tied wit h Ed die La wson as the lead ing rookie , zapped Palmgr en on la p two and Romero the next time around . Kidd worked his way around Poovey on lap eight , and t hough Poovey briefly got past two laps later, Kidd was out front at the checkered flag . Bailey spoiled a Texas 1-2 by passing Poove y in the last corner of th e last lap . Palmgren was fourth ahead of Gillespie. . National Scott Pearson left the rest of the field staring at their steel shoes as his clutch hit full engagement within microseconds of starter Bob Malley's green light : Garth Brow, Eddie Lawson , Steve Eklund and Alex Jorgensen followed the fast-starting Pearson. Brow pressured Pearson for th ree laps before getting by on the fourth , with Eklund following a lap later. Behind them were Morehead . Springsteen, Boody, Mertens and Hank Scott. W it h the first two positions set until the 19th lap, a tuss le for third evolved. Morehead passed Pearson and Pearson was very close when h is front wheel hit Morehead 's bike . T he contact nearly pitched Pearson off, but he saved it , though he went very high through the turn and lost a couple of places. With 13 laps over, Hank Scott started to make his move . He 'd passed Mertens before , and he passed Boody to challenge Springer on lap 15. One lap later, Hank was in fourth and he started to move up on Morehead . Brow and Eklund were well ahead of the pack by this point with Eklund trying everything and accomplishing very little as. far as getting around Brow. With a couple of laps remaining, Hank Scott was pressuring Morehead , only to lose two places to Springer and Boody when he had to go high to miss Morehead as Steve out -braked him going into a corner. When the white flag was shown, Brow still had the lead , but Eklund , with plenty of space over third -place Mo rehead, gambled and went by on the outside of turn three. " I said it was gonna be do or die. 1 got by him on the outside and hoped he didn't get by me on the inside," said Steve in the winner's circle. Eklund managed to hold th e Ha rley on the outside of the groove and exited turn fou r with the lead. Brow , on the insi de , got more power to the ground going out of the corner , but it wasn't enough and he was leSsthan half a bike length short at the checkered flag. Morehead held off Springer in a close ra ce for third , just as he had done in the May San Jose mile. Boody, Hank Scott, Alex Jorgensen, Jim Mertens and ' Scott Pearson followed . Later, Eklund said of the last lap pass, "I didn't think I was going to get away with it. I thought he was going to pass me back on the inside." Asked by a reporter if it was the most important pass of his career, Eklund replied , " It was the hairiest. Yeah , I guess in terms of money - the $4 ,000 it was one of the most important. " • 1T0~) M ike Kidd (72). Jim Mertens 110Y) and Chuck Palmgren in.the f irst semi. Mertens won with a last lap pass. IAbove) Ek lund closes In on Brow pr ior to his breathtak ing last lap outside pass. (Be low) Wayne Rainey won t he Junior Invitational after starting on the penalty line. He took the lead . w ithin two laps of t he start. Results . NA TIONA L: 1. St eve Eklund IH·O!; 2. Garth Brow IH· 0 ); 3 . Steve M orehead (H·D); 4. Ja y Spr ingst een (H-D); 5. Ted Boody IH·O); 6. Hank Scott IH·D!; 7. Al e' Jorgensen INor); 8. Jim Merten s (H-D); 9. Scan Pearson (H-D); 10. Gary Scan (H-D); 11. Eddie lawson (Yam l; 12. Corky Keener (H·D); 13. Bill Schaef er (H-D); 14. Bob Sanders (H-D), Winning time 8 :47.27. TROPHY RACE: 1. Mik e Kidd IH·D); 2. Don Bailey (Yam); 3 . Ted Poov ey (H-D); 4. Chuck Palmgren IHD1 : 5. Frank Gill espi e (H·OI; 6 . Don Goss (H-D); 7. Gene Romero l H-O); 8. Sonny Burres (K-DI; 9. Frank Word (H· 01; 10. Pee Wee Gleason IH-D! . JUNIOR INVITATIONAL: 1. Wayne Rainey IYam! ; 2 . Mike Kunsman (H-DI; 3. Richard Delacy (Yaml ; 4. Buddy Robinson (H·Ot 5. Mike Minnig (Yam); 6. St eve Carrillo (H·D); 7. Dann y Perkins (Yam) ; 8. Steve Brandt (Yam); 9. Oon Grisgsby (Yaml; 10. Ma rk Murray (Yaml ; 11. Rod Spen cer (Yam ); 12. Mike Inderbitzin (Yam); UNOFFICIAL AMA GRAND NA OONAl CHAMPION SHIP/CAMEL PRO SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. ; St eve Eklund 11471 2. Jay Springsteen 1146); 3. Sk ip Ak sJand 1 95!; 4. Garth Brow 183 : 5. Ted Bood y 1801 6 . 1 : Hank Scott (66); 6 . Gary Sco tt (66 ); 7. Alex Jorgensen (4 7 1; 8 . M ike Kidd 1 44); 8 . Cork y Keener 1 441. 7

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