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/126416
stuffed inside Tripes, moving into second place. Then he aimed for the Jammer. Still on the eighth lap, Hannah got inside Weinert but slipped up and forced both of them wider Tripes and Howerton lOok immediate advantage and blasted past. "I felt bad about that," Hannah said later. "He (Weinert) was riding really clean - I messed him up." On the next lap, Weinert returned the "favor" and stuck the Kawasaki in under Hannah's Yamaha, moving into third. Two laps later, Hannah began to move again, repassing Weinert ~nd dosing the gap on Howerton, He passed Howerton in a continuation of their bumpercar-siyle afternoon duel, then Kent repassed just as quickly. Finally, the four-way confrontation began to break up. Tripes established a far-Crom-secure four·second lead over an exciting Howerton/Hannah skinnish, and Weinert began to back off the pace. He'd eventually lose three spots to finish seventh. On lap 13, Hannah finally got.back around Howerton for the final time. In second place, he worked on Tripes: shaving only a half·second per lap off the lead, which varied from as much as 5-10 seconds depending on what part of the course the riders were clocked. At the checkered flag, Tripes was timed at just over six seconds ahead of Hannah. Howerton finished third, and Jeff Jennings put in an excellent performance for fourth pl,!ce on his privateer Suzuki. The top three finished I-I, 2-2 and 3-3 (Tripes, Hannah and Howerton) for identical overall placings. Jennings' 7-4 was good for fourth overall, and Weinert's 4-7 took fifth. In the second moto, places five through 10 read: Savitski, Ron Sun, Weinert, Wosick, Darren Rhoten and Danny Chandler. IAbovel"Gaaain' Gaylon" Mosier ..na high above the crowd, acknowledging the checkered flag with a clicker aa announcers Bruce Flanders and Bill Spencer watch from their perch. The...cond 500cc moto ..w Darrell Shultz 171, Danny laPorte 151 and Mike Bell (14) going for It like thia on the flnallapl 5QC)cc National Team Yamaha's Mike Bellied at the start of the fiTSt 500cc National molO, but his glory was short-lived. Bell crashed on the opening lap, and Suzuki's Darrell Shultz lOok over. "They had JUSt watered that turn, and I didn't know itl" Bell said afterwards. "It was just like snot!" Right behind Shultz was Kawasaki's Gaylon Mosier and Tommy Croft, Yamaha's National Champ Rick Burgett, a remounted Mike Bell and Mickey Kessler. Goat Breker, Denny Swartz, Roger Brown and Ross Williams wrapped up the top 10. Series point standings leader, Suzuki's Danny LaPorte, had gotten involved in a first lap tangle and rode i'n 14th place. Other eventual overall top placers, Team Honda's Marty Smith and Gary Semics, rode in 19th and 20th places. Shultz and Mosier banged into each other on the third time around, almost crashing,. but the places stayed the same. lt wasn't until lap five that the top five saw a change when Rick Burgett dropped out. "Sheared an ignition key," Burgett explained later. Tuner Bill West repaired the unit so Number One could rem'rn to action. Finally, on lap six, Mosier found a line past Shultz and took over the lead. Bell was staging a great recovery ride, too, and laps six through eight saw a tight three·way battle among Shultz, Croft and Bell as Bell worked his way past the other two. At the halfway flags - lap 10 - Bell had reeled in Mosier and was. trying to pass. He would follow for the entire second half of the race, keeping Mosier within passing distance, but he couldn't find a way past. "I shoul9 have beat Gaylon," Bell said later, "but there was no place to pa~. When r~,~t close, he'd give me the ~r*..t.~ . J r f 'J '~f.r f" ~ ...... f .. ~.·; As Bell held a secure-but-frustrated second place behind the eventual winner, places three through 10 kept changing as fast riders with poor starts worked toward the front. When the checkered flag came out, Darrell Shultz came out ahead of Tommy Croft in the race for third. Mickey Kessler finished fifth ahead of Goat Breker, Danny LaPorte and Marty Smith. Parry Klassen and Denny Swartz rounded out the top 10. lt was Burgett and Mosier side by side at the start of the second 500cc moto, with "Gassin' Gaylon" getting the inside line to take the lJead. Not far behind were Gary Semics, Darrell Shultz and Danny LaPorte. Mike Bell had gotten a bad start, 16th at the end of lap one, and Marty Smith and Tommy Croft had fared even worse, crossing the line in 16th and 32nd at the end of the second lap. This time, Mosier made it look easy. He gradually pulled away from the pack. establishing a I_O-second lead by the halfway flags, and motored on to victory. Darrell Shultz got a charge rolling from fourth place, and he picked off Semics on lap seven, then closed on ,B~{Ke!}~\wp,ljI~la~~r<_,T.~e,t~flH&e,q , s a brief encounter, then Shultz got past and aimed for Mosier - 10 seconds ahead - at the halfway mark. LaPorte also closed on Gary Semics and started pushing, and the pair closed on Burgett making it a threeway scrap. LaPorte found Semics' weak Spot on lap 12 and got by. By now, Bell had gotten into the swing of things and was also making life difficult for Semics. Three laps later, Burgett crashed he was third at the time -- and lost three places to LaPorte, Bell (who passed Semics at about the same time) and Semics. LaPorte then held off Bell's pressure for the remainder of the moto although the pair closed on Shultz near the end. "'Pass himI' I was yelling at him (LaPorte) to pass Shultz," Bell said later. ,. But it didn't happen. Gaylon Mosier cruised to an easy-looking win as Shultz, LaPorte and Bell crossed the finish line in close formation. Fifth went to Gary Semics, as Burgett, Smith, Arlo Englund, David Williams and Mickey Kessler completed the top 10. • ,R~~_"lts 25Oc<: NATIONAL: 1. Marty Tripes )-1 IHan); 2, Bob Hannah 2-2 IVam); 3. Kent Ho-.ton 3-3 ISuz); 4. Jaff Jennings 74 (Suz); 5. Jimmy Weinert ....7 (Kawl; 6. John Savitski 6-5 IVam); 7. Larry Wooick B-8 IHonl; B. Ron Sun 12-6 IHusl; 9, Miks Guerra 9-11 IHusl; 10. Oarrsn Rhoten 1~9 IHon); 11. Carloa Serrenoa 11-13 1Hus!; 12, Scott Gillman 5-20 ISuzl; 13. Marl< Grogaon 16-12IVam}; 14. Danny Chandler 19-10 (Mail; 15, Ron Pomeroy 13-16 (Vam); 16. Olin Wiggins 10-21 (Mai); 17. Charles Halcomb 17-15IHual; 18. Shawn McConn 21-14IVaml; 19. Tony OiStefano 15-32IC-A); 20, Oavid Wood lB-19 (Vaml. 500cc NATIONAL: ,. Gayton Moaier 1-1 (KIWI; 2. Derrell Shultz 3-2 (Suz); ~. Mike Bell 2-4 IVaml; 4. Oanny LaP"'te 7-3 ISuz); 5.. Marty Smith B-7 (Honl; 6. Mickey Kesaler 5-10 (Vaml; 7. Gary Sernica 12-5 lHonI; B. Arlo Englund 13-8 IVaml; 9. Tommy Croft~· IKIWI; 10. Danny S-u 10-15 IMail; 11, Parry K _ 9-17 IMail; 12. Goat Broker 6-20 IHusl; 13. Rick Burgett 32-6 IVam); 14. Roger 8fown 1~16 ISuz); 15. Oavid Williama '-9IMai); 16. John Oev 25-11 IVarnI; 17. Rich Eiersted1"-' (C-AI; 18. Monte Anderaon 29-12IMai); 19. Rex Staten 19-14 (Vaml; 20. Greg Thoi.. '-13 (Yam), \ ("Denotes a placing outsiae the top 20.1 AMA 25Dcc NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MX SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. Bob Hannah (3131; 2. Kent Howerton 12971; 3. JimmyWeinan 1197): 4. Manv Tripes 1191 I; 5. Milee Guerra 11701; 6. Maik Gregaon (149); 7, John Savftal