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/126326
Semis Brad Hurst and Rick Campbell . engaged in a two-way skirmish for the lead in semi one.Each semi would send two riders to the National. Eight laps into the race, it was stopped after crashes involving Preston W~m and Willie Crabbe. Both riders took flights to the hospital for check ups. On the restart, Campbell put his KK Motorcycle Supply/Kennedy's Triumph-sponsored Triumph ~uardy in the lead and didn't let go. Rick Hocking took' second leaving a frustrated Hurst to see his ride to the National go up in smoke. Steve Wund's ride to victory in the final semi was a show of just how good a rider Eklund really is. Billy Schaeffer held command of the rau for nine of the 10 laps with Eklund taking the lead and the win on tJie final goaround. The Schaeffer/Eklund duel was a wheel-to-wheel affair in the final five laps with Schaeffer using power to negate Eklund's apparent superior handling. However, Eklund was not to' be denied. Trophy Race Rick Graham, aboard his NO Spark Plug~sponsored Yamaha, put in a ~2 lap romp in the Trophy Race leadmg Steve Morehead and Corky Keener to the checkers. Keener challenged Morehead and his KK Motorcycle Supply/K&K Ins~ance ~arley at mid-race, but got sIdeways' m a turn two rut where he had broken his leg two years ago and took it easy from there on out. "I didn't really have any problems," said Graham, "except that the tranny poppped out of gear a couple of times on the line. I was worried, but everything went alright." National - The 25-lap, 16·rider National was set to go. Relaxi~g in the pits. while waiting for the bIkes to be gndded, Joyner had a confident smile. "Sonny (Burres) asked me, how broke I was so that he would know how bad 1 wanted and needed to win," said Joyner. "I told him that I had money only I wasn't g~ing to finish se.cond, third or fourth hke I have here an the past. It was win and only win." Jay Springsteen and teammate Ted Boody emerged from. the shroud of dust in turn one WIth Joyner and Burres right on their rear wheels. Springsteen took the lead over the jump. Joyner took Boody's second place on lap two and then passed Springer as the pair dived into turn two on lap three. From there on the race was all Chuck Joyner and his Triumph, no matter what Springsteen or Boody tried. In the short span of three laps, Hocking crashed out of the race, damaging his rear brake beyond use. Hank Scott also crashed losing his rear brake soon after and damaging his clutch lever. Eklund had moved from a third row start to foum and was cutting through traffic like a knife through hot butter. Battles raged throughout the field. There was one for fourth in the early laps that included Burres, Pearson, Caves, Jorgensen, Skiver and Goss until attrition and Eklund moved fourth out of grasp of them all. Campbell, Bailey and Lawson were having a go after lOth until Campbell went down. Many riders found themselves running out of brakes and breaks. Some found that they were not in condition to wrestle a bike for 25 laps. Scott Pearson found that his Harley got to be " ... damn heavy. I don't know how I held it up some times," said Pearson. "Peoria was definitely a learning experience for me." Eklund made his fmal move in the standings on lap 10 when he passed Mike Caves for fourth. Two laps later Boody, showing 00 respect for the National Champion, dropped Springsteen to third. The top four spots were set. Pearson took over fifth one lap later, leaving Caves no choice but to settle for sixth. Jorgensen took seventh away from Skiver on lap 19. All positions remained up for grabs, but nobody was making any mistakes. Joyner knocked almost four seconds off the 25·lap record set by Yamaha· mounted Eklund in 1976, dropping it to 12 minutes,' 24.77 seconds, and making it a Triumph domain. • (Topl Billy Schaeffer 1961. Steve Morehead 142). Corky Keener 1821. Lance Jone.l23c1 end Steve Eklund 111I go for it in the final .emi.IAbov!'1 Leedlng rookie. Eddie Lawson 111 RI end Don Belley 118YI diced In the National. IBelowl Runner-up Ted Boody 1121 cheses en unidentified ;ider. Results NATIONAL: 1. Chuck JoyrMlf (Tri): 2. Ted Boody (HD): 3. Jay Springsteen {H·D}; 4. Stelle Eklund (Vam); 5. Scott Paarson IH·D}; 6. Mike Caves (H·D); 7. Alex Jorgenaen (BSAI; B. Randy Ski_ ITri): .9. Sonny Burres IT,i)' 10 Don Bailey IVam): 11. EddIe Lawson (Vam): 12. Hank Scott ITri): 13. Billy Schaeffer (R·DJ: 14. Randy Goss (H·D): 15. Rickay Campbell ITri); 16. Rick Hocking (Tri). TROPHV.RACE: ,. Rickey Graham IVam): 2. Steve Morehead (H·D); 3. Corky Keener (H·DI; 4. Dave Aldana (H·D): 5. Randy Carthel IH·D): 6. Jeff Danke (Varni; 7. Rob Beary ITri): B. Gory DlIIIis ITri); 9. Brad Hum ITII}: 10. Danny Hogue (Vam). AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPtONSHII'ICAr,.1EL PRO SERIES POINT STANDINGS: ,. Steve Eklund 1225); 2. Jay Springsteen (220): 3. Ted Boody (134); 4. Hank Scott (1221: 5. Garth Brow 11 021; 6. Skip Aksland 1951: 7. Gary Scott (95); B. Alex Jorgenson IB1}: 9. Corky Kaenor (771: 10. Mike Kidd (731. 9