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/126330
~ - some heavy-dose racing-of their own , with the lead switching between first Bobby, then Mark. Chris Howard piloted his Vegas Cycle Center Suzuki to dominate the 125ccs class with little opposition. Manin Miller (Suz) and Scot! Coutts (H us) were the only other riders close to Chris. A lap lat er , Tripes blew Welk off at the finish line to take the lead from there on out. Brooks stuck behind Welk to finish th ird to round out the Open class. Jones aced Boren to take the 250cc first heat win with Kevin Davis (KTM ) third . 0 ·37 desert maestro Bruce Ogilvie (H ·D) could only scratch fourth , Miller and Coutts finished thei r 125cc battle behind Howard. With the second heat almost ready to go ; it was a foregone conclusion that Tripes was going to finish up where he had left off in the first to take home the overall win . But it wasn't to be so. As the riders were read y to form on the grid for the parade lap. announcer Huffman brought out the distressing fact that 'Ma rty had shattered the upper left hand port ion of the triple clamps on his factory Honda. With no spares on hand. his mechanic had scrounged up some hose clamps to make a shadetree repair job. Hopes for Many immed iately sunk in proportion to the way he babied his bike around the one-and-a-half mile course on the parade lap. With considerable turf damage leaving incredible holes and whoops from four wheel action , Marty's front wheel was bare ly adequate enough to hold up the rest of the bike. much less handle the terrain . The stan of the second heat had everybody berserking it down the pavement, and by the time they reached the grandstands, bikes and riders looked more like a gigantic blast from a big shotgun. In the process, Brooks once again got the jump, but this time he overshot the left hand turn, giving the lead to Welk. Tripes was almost last off and faded considerably in the first lap , apparently not wishing to take any chances with his bike or bod. Two laps later, Many called it quits. Ou t front , Welk and Brooks were putting on the best show of the day as Charles and Tom rode one-two, mono to mono over the bumpy track. Righ t behind them were Las Vegas desert racer Jack Johnson (Hus) , Craig Adams (KTM). then Bob Balentine (KTM). Johnson relinquished his position to Balent ine on the fifth lap. then pulled out a couple of laps later. Bobby Jones took the lead of the 250cc class all the way from flag to flag followed by Mark Boren and Jeff Kaplan (Hus). In the 125ccs, Manin Miller took Chris Howard by surprise by taking the lead, followed by Ron _ Ellenburg (Yam). About lap six, Chris snatched the lead back from Manln and made the rest of their class race history by winning overall. Miller was there for second and Ellenburg th ird. With Welk and his Lucky Yamaha of.El Cajon, Rolf Tibblin-sponsored bike in the winners' circle with Chris Howard and Bobby Jones: Brooks trundled into the pits with a protest on his mind against Welk for allegedly centerpunching him at the last turn . Shortly after a news conference. Brooks made his point with Welk in the pits by punching him out. Apparently Tom wasn't alon e with his feelings as allegedly another person also took a shot at the winner. • Results "champions. Definitell' I wouldnt 1- - , se anything Champion e se." Skip Aksland, winner of the '77 u: Spark Plug 200 Classic at Laguna Seca. No. 27 Formula 75U Yama ha - I UCS i==.~ ..,.,. iAW ClDUNCIL FII.upwltb~ Champion Spark PI... Compaa, • Toledo, OH _ HUNT ALUMINUM BRAKE DISCS 60% LIGHTER THAN STANDARD USED BY ROBERTSEKLUND-AKSLAND . CLASS 22 - 0 pen: 1. Charles W alk; 2. Tom Brooks; AVAILABLE FOR MOST M OTORCYCLES 3. BilJTaf ting ; 4. Scot Hardin ; 5. Bob Balentine; 6. Brent W alling sford ; 7. M artv Tripes; 8. Bill Conry; 9. Jack Jo hnso n; 10. Tom Ke lly. CLASS 21-250cc: 1. Bobby Jones; 2. Mark Boren; 3. Jeff Kaplan; 4. Dann y Sanch ez; 5. Bruce Og ilvie ; 6. Rick Lee; 7. Kevin Davis; 8. Kem Park; 9 . Rod AhlstJom; 10. Morga n Malocco. CLASS 20 - 125cc: 1. Ours Howard; 2. Martin Dean Miller ; 3. Ron Ellenburg ; 4, Soon Coutts; 5. Cordi s Brooks; 6. Scott Pfeiffer; 7. Ric Emmal; 8 . Geor ge e rl. DEALER PRICES PLASMA PERFORMANCE PRO DUCTS IN C. 1760 Crenshaw Blvd. Torrance. CA 90501 (213) 775-8319 11