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/126324
(A bovel Mike Kidd 172!. Gary Scott lSI and Alex Jorgensen battled heavily in their heat.IBelowl Steve Morehead 1421. Garth Brow (15) and Corky Keener diced in their heat and in the National. , IAbove) Han k Scott led ev ery lap of the Nati onal; finished with a big lead . IBelowl Cam el Pro point leader Steve Eklund prepares for the race . yards, he never seriously challenged for the lead. Aldana. Frank Word (H D) and John Hateley (H -D) followed Poovey to th e flag . . The fourth heat was the swapfest of the night. with Mike Kidd (H -D). Alex Jorgensen and Ga ry Scott (KK Supply ,H· D) trading the first three positions 'lirou nd through corner and straight t or 10 laps. Behind them. Ocean Pacific/Dan Murrell-sponsored Gene Romero was mounted on Sk ip 'Aksla nd 's Harley for the evening and he held fourth all the way in front of Chuck Palmgren (Dan Gurney H-D). In front of them the swa p ping continued; Kidd and Scott trading the lead with Jorgy right in th e middle. Down the final straightaway, it was Kidd, Jorgensen and Scot t at the checkered flag . Semis b- Joe Wilson (H ·D) zoomed into the lead of the first sem i. but was quickly out of contention with a DNF. Pee Wee Gleason took over . chased by Lance Jones (Sure-Fire Dist . H ·D) and Eddie Lawson (Shell Racing Specialties ,Yam). . The trio became a six -wheeled . vehicle with Gleason leading the first fou r laps and Jones the last six. Try as he might. Lawson could not pass Gleason and it ended with Jones and Gleason Nationalbound. Phil McDonald a nd Tom Berry followed Lawson int o the trophy rac e. . The second semi sa w Gene Romer o and John Gennai battle for the lead off the sta rt. and Gennai took it. Dave Aldana , Chuck Palmgren and Scott Pearson (H· D West ) were th ird through fifth. On the fift h lap . Romero passed Gennai for the lead . which he didn't give up. Aldana dropped ou t on th e sevent h lap , which mo ved Pearson , wh o 'd pas sed Palmgren on th e thi rd lap . to third . With Romero way ou t in fron t , Pearson passed Gennai with two laps go and was the final rider into the National. to Trophy race A veteran of many racing seasons and a rooki e Expert led the trophy race through the first corn er - Chuck Palmgren and Eddie Lawson. But Lawson slipped slig htly off the groove in turn two and John Gennai moved to second and then to first. Gennai led for another lap as Lawson moved back up to challenge him , then dropped ou t with mechanical problems. Lawson took over , and had som e breathing room over Palmgren, Phil McDonald was working his way up from a bad start caused by a clutch that wouldn't dissengate - he had to jam it in gear when the green light went - and had moved to third b y lap five. Three laps later Palmgren was behind McDonald. who went after Lawson . McDonald passed Lawson down th e backstraight on la p 10 and held on to win , though he apparently missed the checkered flag and d id another lap a t speed . Lawson . Palmgren. Tom Berry., John Hateley and Bobby Sanders finished next. National )-lank Scott was on the pole , but he wasn 't sitting. "Half the race is a good start, and I haven't been getting any lately," Hank said after th e race . But this time he got a beautiful on e and was 15 yards clear of the pack into turn on e. Mike Kidd a nd T ed Boody were next through the first turn. but Garth Brow aced Boody for thi rd on the first lap . Harley teammates Springsteen and Keen er came through after Boody. On the next lap , Brow was in second , but Hank Scott had sta rte d to put some d ayligh t (moonligh t?) on th e pack. By th e fourth la p , th e top nin e were : H a nk Scott . Bro w, Kid d , Springsteen , Boody . Gary Scott . Keener, Steve Morehead and Steve Eklund . Behind Scott and Brow were a group of tightly bunched riders. Kidd , Bood y. Springer. and Keener were nose to tail with only a ' short d istance sepa rat ing them from Morehead . Scott. Romero (who'd moved up) and Eklund. Morehead moved up to join the battle for fourth as the halfway po int grew near, while Boody fell back a little. Springer passed Kidd for th ird at the ha lfway point and Kidd regained th e position a la p later. A lap or so la ter and they had both lost position . "Spri nger ran into me and knocked us both off th e groove ," said Kidd after the race , pointing to a dinged left-sid e number plate. The trip up 'int o th e sli ck part of the track ' dropped Sp ringer to fifth behind Hank Scott . Brow , Moreh ead , and Keener. Eklund fou nd himself behind Springsteen and ah ead of Ga ry Scott and Kidd . Brow was the next on e to slide off the groove through turns three a nd four, an d he d ropped to fourth . With only a few laps remain ing before the checker ed flag , th e orde r seemed set a t Ha nk Scott , Morehead , Keener, Brow , Springsteen, Eklund, Gary Scott, Kidd , Bill Schaeffer, Boody and Romero. The only change in that order o cc u rre d when Eklund p assed Springer for fifth. In doing so, Eklund, strengthened his lead in the Camel Pro Series . after being.back around ninth through th e early laps. "W hen I saw the checkered flag, I beat on the gas tank all the way down the straigh t," Hank related after the rac e. After finishing second by a few feet in three National miles in 1977 , Hank had won - by a big margin . • Results NATIONAL : 1. Hank Scon : 2, Steve Morehead IH-D); 3_Corky Keener IH-D); 4, Garth Brow IH·D): 5, Steve Eklund (H·D): 6. Jay Springsteen (H-DI; 7, Gary Scon (H·D); B. Mike Kidd (H-DI; 9. Bill Schaeffer IH-D); 10, Ted Boody IH-DI; 11. Gene Romero IH·D); 12_ Terry Poovev IH-D); 13, lance Jones (H-D); 14. Al ex Jorgensen (Nor); 15, Pee W ee Gleason (H·D); 16, Scon Pearson IH·D), TIME: 19:54.55, SPEED: 94.285 mph , TRDPHY RACE: 1. Phil McDonald (H-D); 2, Eddie lawson (Yaml; 3. Chuck Palmgren IH-D); 4, Torn Berry IH·D); 5, John Hateley (H·D); 6, Bobby Sanders (H-D); 7, Billy Oliver (H-D); 8, Frank Gillaspie IH·DI; 9, Steve Fanune (H-D); 10. Joh n Gennai (H-D)' TIME: 7:56.34, SPEED: 90,691 mph . AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP/CAMEL PRO SERIES POINT STANDINGS : 1. Steve Ekund (194); 2, Jay Springs. een 1175; 3, Ted Boody 1105 ; 4, 1 1 Henk Scon (991 5_ Skip Aksland 1 ; 6, Garth Brow ; 951 194; 7, Gary Scon (861; 8, Alex Jorgensen m ); 9, Cork y 1 Keener 1 ; 10, St eve M orehead 158 and Mike KIdd 671 1 158 , 1 7