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/126331
o CN M Q) ..c a .... 0.. Q) Q) fJ) Steve Morehead (42) and Jay Springsteen 11) reversed the order above at the finish of the rain delayed Syracuse Mile.IRle photos.) AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series - Round 25 o Springsteen regains points lead as Eklund watches By Gary Van Voorhis SYRACUSE. NY , SEPT. 10 Jay Springsteen, as Steve Eklund angrily watched from the pits, took the win in the Fifth Annual KRW Syracuse Gold Cup Camel Pro Series mile. The win put Springer back into the points lead in the Grand National Championship title chase by three points over Eklund ,261 -258. 14 Steve Morehead . who grudgingly ga ve up the lead to Springsteen on lap 15 of the 25·lap National . finished second on his KK Insurance/KK 1'1otorcycle Supp ly /Doug Sehl sponsored Harley . Third place , after a race long battle to overcome the handicap of the loss of his rear brake on lap one , went to triple National mile winner Hank Scott on his Carl Pa trick Racing XR . For St eve Eklund . the day started badly with a crash in the final practice session wh ich wrinkled his bike. His string of bad luck continued from there and culminated with his exclusion from th e Na tional field even though he had won a starting spot. Working against time . Eklund and his tuner decided to cha nge engines after his semi. Unfortunately, th e AMA decided to flop the program due to approaching darkness and/or bad weather - run the National and then the Trophy Race - and Eklund was caught in a time squeeze. Eklund rolled to the line still working and requested an additional two minutes before staging. Other riders were also working - Jackie Mitchell, Mike . Kidd, and Don Bailey. Eklund. according to referee Charlie Watson . used up his two minutes and according to the .rule book was disqualified . The bike was running almost im med ia tely after the two minute call , but it was too late. Weather conditions and overwatering of th e track caused an over thr~ hour delay in the total program which ended a few minutes shyof7 p .m. A slim rider turnout - 41 riders . qualified for the National - and a lig ht er than usual crowd tu rnou t marked a long day a t Syra cu se. Time trials Hank Scott wasted littl e tim e in showing everyone the fast wa y around the slick track . Scott topped the qualifiers with a 37 ,03 second lap followed b y M ike K idd , Jackie Mit chell. Jay Springsteen and Steve Eklund. The- sixth place rider , Steve Morehead , was a full second off th e pace. Eklund had repaired his bike from a last practice session crash and was the last to qualify running with new exhaust pipes, handlebars and forks. Heats The first of four heats found Billy Schaeffer and his Team Bel -Ray / Schaeffer's/Corky Keener XR coming out on top of Hank Scott by barely a wheel in th e fastest heat of the four . Schaeffer had worked his wa y.through traffic and past Corky Keener to set his sights on Hank Scott in the final laps. He c10S«! dramatically and th en passed Scott on the back straight before th e white flag . Scott probed, but did not pass . " I thi nk Hank was testing me ," said Schaeffer later. " I know he had more steam than I did . Maybe today will be my day." Keener fin ished th ird. Steve Eklund dropped ou t on lap five after an ignition wir e broke. " It was probably overlooked wh en we were putting th e bike tog ethe r after the crash." said Eklund. Eklund was scored ninth and went on to th e semi. The ra ins ca me as heat two was being staged. One hour la ter the green light flashed and Steve Morehead and Lance Jones set out to run one-two throughout. Jones, on the Sure-Fire Distributing Special XR tried vainly, but could not close the gap on ' Morehead. Meanwhile , close behind came Chuck Palmgren and Don Bailey looking for third place. " I knew I had to pass ' Palmgren in turn three. " said Bailey later. " It was there or ride in the semi." Bailey stuffed his Concord Yamaha/Lillie Racing/NO Sparkplugs/D .I.D. Chain Yamaha under Palmgren 's Dan Gurney Racing Harley on the final lap