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/126423
Stanley/American Honda entry, and Steve Elo. Fay held on. Although the fifth heat produced the strongest line up of "name riden," they all took a bad seat to Rookie of the Year candidate Ronnie Jones. Terry Poo~, on another Woody Kyle tuned Harley finished sec;.ond. The fmal heat saw Gulledge, out of self-enforced retirement, leave the racing to self-sponsored Tom Josephson and Bubba Rush with Josephson prevailing by a bike length at the flag. Semis Only the winner of each semi would transfer to the National to complete the 14 rider field. Harley-Davidson's Steve Morehead came up tt.e winner in semi one with the Klotz- Wiseco Yamaha of Randy Goss taking the checken in the fmal semi. TrophyRace "Gee, it feels good to win - even if it is the wrong race," said Wayne ~iney after his wire-to-wire romp. "The bike was really working. I guess 'we got it dialed in just a little too late." Rainey, aboard the Friends Anonymous sponsored Kawasaki, rather than his usual' Shell Racing Specialties Yamaha, had two shots at winning broken up by a red flag on lap three. On the restart, Rainey ag'ain grabbed the lead with self-sponsored Willie Crabbe following him home. National HocIr.ing wasted little time in grabbing the lead' at the start of the National, and he stayed there for the duration. "I didn't have a problem all night," said a smiling Hocking of his fourth career National win. "It was my time, my race. I could feel it." Close on Hocking in the early laps was Gulledge who was constantly pressured by Springsteen with Wund, Brow, Jones, Poovey, Josephson, Beary, Fay, Morehead, SCOll, Goss and Pearson in a scrambling pack behind. Lap two saw Eklund get squeezed into a high line, lose momentum and slip back a few spots. Meanwhile, Jones was fighting a fouled plug and dropped back before it cleared out enough to allow him to move back to eighth. Brow and Goss went out early with Brow crashing on lap five - Eklund lost a couple of spots avoiding the tangle - and Goss the victim of a seized engine. "Hey," said Brow, "at least I went down going for it. - 1 wanted to win - I could have." Goss just shook his head and quietly said, "Bummer." He had been running ruth at the time. Gulledge beg;ln to feel Springer's hot breath on lap four and on lap seven the defending Grand National Champion moved by. "1 didn't want to make any mistakes so I took it a little easy," said Gulledge. "This is only my third race in over a year. I got a lillie tired toward the end. I'm really pleased that 1 did as well as I did." At about the same rime, Fay was moving into fourth from 10th on lap two. He dropped two spots to hard charging Wund and Poovey at the flag after a seven lap confrontation with the pair. Steady riding earned Beary seventh place while Jones was eighth. Josephson and Morehead rounded out the top 10. Hocking, who had won two Nationals in 19'14 and one in 1976, was a ball of energy once off his bike. He shook hands, slapped people on their backs, hugged his crew, jumped up and down and let out a couple of bronco bustin' yells. Finally, he calmed down enough to say, "Damn, it's been a long time between wins. 1 feel great." BEt,MY COIFANY, INC., INTERNATIONAL CORP. " _ . P.O. Box 526, Dept, BA·13, F"""01gdoIe, NJ 07127, (201) 938-2421, Telex 132476 NATIONAL SALES OFFICE 561 S. S"'~ College Blvd.. Dept BA-13, Fullef1on, CA 92ll31, (714) 738-6474 HOCKING Jumps for tbe Record Rick Hocking, Aboard his Knight Racing Framed XR600 Honda has earned more Winston Pro Series National Points with a 500cc machine than any other rider this year. His potent Honda power is transformed into winning performance via his Knight Racing Frame • KnIPt Racine F........ Now A"""'" tor: HONDA XR500 • YAMAHA TT500 Frame Kits Roiling Chassis Forks Shocks Get WIth the Pl'08l1lm • Get WIth KnlPtl (IC@P) -..,.......,. 25153 O'NEIL AYE, HAYWARD, CA M545 (415)582·1333 RACER INQUIRIES INVITED 13