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/126341
Jeff Ward remembered how to get teacup-size motocross machinery to go fast and won the Pro Main. Keith McCarty tries to cheer up a disconsolate Bob Hannah after the Hurricane only finished third. Though it was Gaylon Mosier'.s " night before" at Anaheim, it wasn't his "day after" at Saddleback. Ward survives DG's "The day alter the night belore" MinibikeChallenge By Rex Reese ORANGE, CA , NOV. 12 Overgrown minibike ace Jeff Ward remembered what it was all about to win a mini Pro Main event at DC's "The day after the night before" Pro/Mechanic Minibike Challenge, billed as 10 th e "event / pa rt y of the year." The "Day after" was held at .Saddleback Park as a follow-up to Mike' Goodwin's Anaheim Supercross wh ich was won by Gass in ' Gaylon Mosier. Mosier showed up for the DG debacle to stretch h is luck , but unfortunately he couldn't get it together. Maybe he was too big, but he just plain screwed up . Bob Hannah, who has won just about every moto in sight, took his first step down the tubes on his way to ruin ' as he was able to muster only a feeble third in the Pro Main. As one anonymous Yamaha mechanic . (ini t ia ls are Ke ith McCarty) said , "After you reach the top , there 's only one place.to go - down." By and large , the event was regarded as the most incredulous in motocross since Idi Ainin staged the Uganda Supercross last year. As it is known ,. Idi used Tanzanians in the berms in the abacas-designed track held in the Mike Goodwin-Amin memorial soccer stadium and chili stand. After a night's worth of drenching . rain, the track (loca ted appropriately on the backside of Saddleback Park). was as mushy as two -day-old Cream of Wheat cereal. Riders on minis sloggei:! about in the goop which tended tOj make fullgro'wn , serious men look lill! < rolling mud p ies. I>1l A giant ikky , if not murky, poolof water awaited those foolish enough to l miss a downhill comer. And th~e were those' foolish enough to miss , As'!) of this report, track workers are still dragging the water for the overshooters, While the event was staged as a n~n· money race, this made it clear to many ] of the more determined riders that 2 money would be no object to racing A The track announcer tried to pandeX: q the race as a "fun" thing "for the heck"l of it ," but it was actually serious stuff.. ] Hell , last night'S Supercross was ju~~ incidental by comparison. Practice laps showed that Jeff Ward had a real edge on virtually everybody else on the track . Mosier spent much time getting his licks in and looked quite respectable on a mini as he appeared apparently unconcerned that Bob Hannah would show up. By ] noon, there was no sign of the Yamaha rid er . .. -s. Ward's confidence on the track was also reflected in his new -found height, the result of several months on thc;g rack and transplanted goat glands.., When asked if he would have any problems with Hannah or Mosier, Ward re p lied , "I'm going to kill 'em ." He held up a Ugandan hand grenade , to make his point. Finally, Hannah arrived about 1. p .m. By this time, the track had dried i out to an almost perfect consistency as "! the Pro riders had churned up 'the loamy sod, creating many nice berms The mechanics and press, however, i managed to destroy every berm In sight. . orlw In a flurry , Bob moved like tlie~ proverbial hurricane and d ress~Q·l quickly, removed his bike from liis p ickup , and after some difficult starting, put in a couple of really hota laps. After that , the AMA's 250c c National , Supercross and Trans·AMA! Champ made his wa y out onto the track for some last m inute practice . , In the first Pro heat, Brian Myerscough got the lead off the starrfollowed by Ga ylon Mosier. By the time it was over, Myerscough had , lapped riders back to fourth place. hi the second Pro heat, Ward, Hannan, John Savitski and Scott Gillman were among those at the gate. Ward managed to squirt out of a tight' situation as everybody crowded into the first tum . The Flying Freckle blew it , however , when he killed his motor,d giving the lead to Gillman. From thereon out, it was a running battle " between Jeff and Scott for the lead. b Hannah had gotten one of hIS traditional rotten starts and wis languishing back around fourth. 8 r 1 the end, Ward had recaptured his .. lead ; stretched it and maintained "it· over second place Gillman. Boli Hannah finished third. '{Ii W Ii In the first Mechanics' heal , Yamaha wrench Dave Osterman took b an early lead but managed to blo wsit when he killed his motor in a corner?l ' H ond a 's Brian Lunniss took the lead" while Dave worked his way up to third . the grueling competition As continued, Osterman worked his way to second past Joe Binello. On la p six, Osterman was running neck and neck with Lunniss and almost passed Brian